Jill Metzger

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Maj. Jill Metzger

United States Air Force
1973-

Air Force Major Jill Metzger
Allegiance Flag of the United States United States of America
Service/branch United States Air Force
Rank Major
Unit 376th Air Expeditionary Wing
Battles/wars Operation Enduring Freedom

Major Jill Metzger is a United States Air Force (USAF) personnel officer who gained worldwide attention as the result of a still unexplained disappearance in Bishkek, the capital of the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan.

She was the women's winner of the United States Air Force Marathon in both 2003[1] and 2004[2] and placed 10th in the women's division of the Marine Corps Marathon in 2005.[3]

She has been married to USAF captain Joshua Mayo since the spring of 2006.[4]

Contents

[edit] Disappearance

In September, 2006, Metzger was serving with the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing stationed at Manas Air Base, a US military facility that has been located at Manas International Airport since 2001, supporting Operation Enduring Freedom's operations in Afghanistan. On September 5, shortly before she was scheduled to return to the United States, she went shopping at the TsUM department store in Bishkek to buy souvenirs for her family. She failed to return to the base as expected and on September 7, The Pentagon reported her as missing (officially, "duty status whereabouts unknown").[5]

Kyrgyz Interior Ministry spokesman Nurdin Jangarayev told the press that security cameras showed Metzger and another US servicewoman entering the store and then, three minutes later, Metzger separating from her companion. Vendors near the store later told police she purchased hair dye from them and was alone at the time.[6]

Over the following hours, records showed that two phone calls were placed to Metzger's mobile phone, without success. For one of these calls the phone was traced to the area in which Bishkek's central bus station is located.[5]

[edit] Reappearance

After an extensive search by local authorities and US military personnel proved fruitless, Kyrgyz police responded to a call from a home in nearby Kant shortly before midnight on September 8, where Metzger was found in a distressed condition, claiming to have escaped from kidnappers. Her long, blonde hair had been cut short and dyed brown and she had brown hair dye on her hands. Metzger later alleged that an object was placed in her pocket in the TsUM department store, along with a note describing it as a bomb, and that she was abducted by three men and a woman after following the note's instructions on where to go. After being taken to a rural area outside Bishkek and held for several hours, she then claimed to have escaped by striking one of the captors who had brought her some food. She then knocked on the door of the Kant residence and requested help.[7]

Within a few hours of her reappearance, Metzger was flown out of Kyrgyzstan to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan and then to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where she was examined and debriefed, before being flown to the United States.[8][9]

[edit] Conflicting accounts

A Kyrgyz police official said that Metzger gave conflicting accounts of her three-day disappearance and refused to give any further statements after speaking with US embassy officials. Batmirza Dzhailobayev, head of the Kant police department, said, "It seemed to me that her testimony was little believable; she was confused in her evidence". Svetlana Ivashenko, a resident at the Kant household where Metzger had requested help, said, "Who had seized her, why and where they had held her all this time, she couldn't clarify".[9] US defense officials investigating the case said that "serious inconsistencies" had become evident and they were exploring the possibility that, rather than having been kidnapped, Metzger was attempting to flee her marriage.[10]

[edit] Temporary medical retirement

On July 10th, Metzger's father informed the media that she had been temporarily retired from the Air Force after having been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, a status that requires a further medical examination after 18 months to assess whether or not she can return to active duty.[11] She may remain on the disability list for up to five years while the Air Force continues the investigation or until evaluations determine if she should be permanently retired, discharged, or returned to active duty.[12] “The Air Force Personnel Evaluation Board approved the placement of Maj. Jill Metzger, a member of the 23rd Wing at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., on the Temporary Disability Retirement List effective July 17, 2007,” said Capt. Dustin Hart, deputy chief of Moody Public Affairs.[13] Maj Metzger, whose claims of being kidnapped and beaten in Kyrgyzstan are still under investigation, will receive pay and benefits during her temporary retirement. Though she has not yet spoken to the media, her family said she was professionally diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder by physicians at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas.[14]

[edit] $100,000 reward offer

In November 2007, the website MilitaryCorruption.com offered a $100,000 reward to anyone who can help solve the Jill Metzger case [15] MilitaryCorruption.com has published 16 articles on the Metzger case to date

[edit] References

  1. ^ 2003 Marathon Results - Individual. USAF. Retrieved on 2007-07-04.
  2. ^ 2004 Marathon Results - Individual. USAF. Retrieved on 2007-07-04.
  3. ^ Kvasnicka Turns Second Into 1st. Washington Post. Retrieved on 2007-07-04.
  4. ^ Missing Air Force Major Found Alive. CBS News. Retrieved on 2007-07-04.
  5. ^ a b Air Force Major Missing In Kyrgyzstan. CBS News. Retrieved on 2007-07-04.
  6. ^ Air Force: Major not taking leave. Stars and Stripes. Retrieved on 2007-07-04.
  7. ^ Major Tells Officials of Mystery Kidnap. Washington Post. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
  8. ^ Found Air Force major arrives in Germany. MSNBC. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
  9. ^ a b Kyrgyz Police Say Major Was 'Confused'. Washington Post. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
  10. ^ Vanishing Major: Runaway Bride or Kidnap Victim?. ABC News. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
  11. ^ Father says Metzger is to be put on temporary retirement. Stars and Stripes. Retrieved on 2007-07-16.
  12. ^ Metzger's situation remains a mystery. WALB News Valdosta. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
  13. ^ Metzger retiring, for now. Valdosta Daily Times. Retrieved on 2007-07-19.
  14. ^ Temporary retirement official for Metzger. Air Force Times. Retrieved on 2007-07-19.
  15. ^ $100,000 reward offered in Metzger case. Military Corruption. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.