Patriot Village, Incirlik Air Base

by Senior Airman Clayton Lenhardt
39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs Office

2/6/2013 - INCRILIK AIR BASE, Turkey -- It takes a lot to support U.S. Patriot batteries and personnel from three nations arriving at Incirlik. Fortunately, the 39th Force Support Squadron is prepared.

With more than 1,200 NATO personnel from the U.S., Netherlands and Germany transitioning through Incirlik Air Base, there is a need for more lodging, dining and recreational activities.

The transient personnel live in the 39th FSS maintained Patriot Village, Incirlik's contingency lodging, which is capable of holding more than 1,800 people.

"These guys are going to be heading out to their respective places* and if I can make it a little bit more comfortable for them, that's what I want to do," said Tech. Sgt. Henesha Edwards, NCO in charge of maintaining Patriot Village. "They're kind of crowded, but they tell me that it's better than living in a tent. So, I'm happy that they're happy."

Dutch Patriot launchers, Turkey. Photo: MoD, The Netherlands

At Patriot Village, the service members have access to common areas for recreation, laundry facilities and transportation to other locations on base. One of the most frequented locations is the base dining facility, where more than 87,000 meals were served last month alone.

The 39th FSS's Sultan's Inn Dining Facility has cooked up ways to expedite the busloads of hungry customers it serves each meal, said Andrew Pastula, Sultan Inn Dining Facility manager. By bringing in more employees during each shift, there are enough cooks, servers, dishwashers and cashiers to accommodate the increased number of patrons.

"There's plenty of food. There's no need to worry. We have orders and shipments coming in," said Pastula. "We might have a hiccup every now and then. We might be out of an item, but there will be plenty of back up or alternate items to make sure we can still provide good food service and good options to our customers."

From food to fun, the 39th FSS offers recreational activities through the monthly Happenings magazine or at the Airman & Family Readiness Center to the NATO personnel, along with the use of any other FSS facility.

Master Sgt. Ann Mitchell, NCO in charge of the Airman & Family Readiness Center, said anyone is welcome to stop by and use their services, which include free computer use, Wi-Fi, fax machines and financial counseling.

U.S. Reps. Hank Johnson of Georgia, Ted Poe of Texas and Rob Wittman
of Virginia, visit Dutch army soldiers on base Jan. 30, 2013. Photo: U.S. Air Force **

The 39th FSS's planning, preparation and ability to adapt greatly contributes to the 39th Air Base Wing's support of the NATO deployment of Patriot batteries to Turkey, said Bernadette Bowman, 39th FSS commander. The unit plans to sustain their efforts and develop more ways to help make NATO service members feel at home at Incirlik.

"We are excited about hosting our NATO allies here at Incirlik, and are pleased to offer quality facilities and support programs to this important mission."

(U.S. Air Force, 6 February 2013)

* One Dutch Patriot battery, already operational,  is stationed at Incirlik Air Base for a period of 12 months. The other Dutch battery is at near-by Adana Airport, HdV
** More pictures of the visit: http://www.incirlik.af.mil/photos/mediagallery.asp?galleryID=7317