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IN C IR L IK A IR B A S E , T U R K E Y
ties, such as umpiring softball games,
planning all sports tournaments, and
providing the military’s “Fit For Life”
program to increase our service mem
bers health and fitness activities,"
said Garnett.
Most o f the people are deployed
here for a four-month period, and
had to leave their families and the
routine o f normal base duty for the
somewhat austere conditions o f camp
life. However, Garnett said the job
here isn’t that different from what he
does back in McChord.
"W hat’s mainly different about
the job I’m doing here versus back
home is at McChord I also work as a
food service supply and stock con
trol specialist in the base’s dining
facilities,” said the 1985 Benson
Polytechnic High School graduate.
Deployed members may work
around the clock supporting air oper
ations from Incirlik to eastern Tur
key and northern Iraq. Off-duty time
is spent either in the camp area, or in
the local village near the base, where
Turkish businesses offer everything
from exotic oriental carpets, brass
and copper goods, to 18 and 24-carat
gold jewelry, as well as the local
cuisine.
The recent exposure to all the
sights, smells and sounds o f this
Mediterranean culture has left quite
an impression on Garnett.
“The lifestyle here in Turkey is
quite different from what w e’re used
to back in the States. We live in tents
here, and some o f the tents have TVs
and VCRs.
“Visiting the surrounding com
munities at Incirlik, we get a chance
to see first hand the poverty o f this
country. The food is different from
the States mainly in the way it’s pre
pared and served
“Another thing about living in
tents is we definitely know when it
rains or when the wind is blowing
hard,” said Garnett.
Those who are deployed to sup
port Provide Comfort are well aware
that their effort is overwhelmingly
providing Kurdish refugees a respite
from the harshness o f the Iraqi re
gime. It’s an effort Garnett says gives
him a great deal o f satisfaction
"I think w e’re helping the Kurds
survive against Iraq’s hostility to
ward them. If not for us they would
probably be wiped out. Besides the
protection, we’re also providing them
food and medicine, and consequent
ly, w e’re giving them a better quality
o f life,” Garnett said
A/r Force Staff Sgt. Eric H. Garnett assists a weight lifter at the camp gym in Incirlik Air Base's tent city
? ^ ii 3
'Z eSS direCt° r’ 'S part o fa 1'20°- member team deployed to Turkey in support of
Gomez &
°
Kurd'Sh tnbeS people In an operation called provide Comfort. Photo by Rolando
by
C lint W illiams
The evening sun cast an orange
hue over the long rows o f sand-col
ored tents, as the son o f a Portland
man gathered to socialize and listen
to the sounds o f American music or
just share the events o f the work day.
S u d d e n ly , from a M oslem
mosque near the camp, a harmonic
voice singing the haunting melody o f
an Islamic prayer carries over the
entire base, calling the faithful o f
Islam to evening prayer to Allah.
Air Force Staff Stgt. Eric H.
Garnett pauses to listen for a mo
ment, then gazing westward, thinks
o f familv and friends back in Port
land. However, no matter how much
he longs for the warmth and comfort
o f home, Garnett realizes he is con
tributing to the safety and security o f
an estimated 500,000 Iraqi Kurds in
an effort called Operation Provide
Comfort.
Garnett, 29, son o f Nathaniel
Pratcher, 1910 N. E. Cramer Ave.,
Portland, is a recreation fitness di
rector who deployed from McChord
Air Force Base, Wash., to support
the United Nations ongoing human
itarian effort to feed, house and pro
tect the Kurds, who fled to Iraq’s
rugged northern mountains.
U.S., British, and French forces
are stationed in the area to prevenl anv
further aggression. Relief supplies
meanwhile, are flown from Incirlik to
a staging site near the Iraqi border,
then are brought in by truck caravans
to the Kurds to help them reestablish
their lives and communities.
Garnett joins over 1,200 men
and women assigned here for the
operation and works as a base sup
port team member, and helps ensure
Provide C om fort’s activities run
smoothly and effectively.
"My duty while deployed in
Turkey is to provide overall sports
and fitness programs for approxi
mately 1,800 multi-national and mult-
service personnel.
“I also perform additional du-
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