87 APS Airmen return home after closing Transit Center, Manas, Kyrgyzstan

DAYTON, Ohio – Kendal Banks welcomes home her fiancé Staff Sgt. Josiah Bourke, 87th Aerial Port Squadron air transportation journeyman, as his nephew, Drake Bourke, looks on, during a tearful family reunion at the Dayton International Airport June 7, 2014. Bourke and two others from his squadron returned home from an eight-month deployment to the Transit Center, Manas, Kyrgyzstan. The Airmen were among the last to return after the closing of the base June 3. While serving at the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing the 87 APS had 49 Airmen facilitate the movement of more than 180,000 passengers, 17,000 short tons of baggage, and nearly 14,000 short tons of cargo. They also supported 3,400 aircraft missions. For more than 12 years, the American military has operated out of Transit Center at Manas. It served as the premier transportation and logistics hub supporting operations in Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Frank Oliver)