Update: The discussion on this post has been closed and moved to a new thread. Click here to visit the new discussion thread.
Airforce Major Jill Metzger, stationed at Manas Air Base, was shopping in a Kyrgyzstan mall with friends when she disappeared.
From CNN:
(CNN) — A U.S. Air Force officer is missing after a trip to a shopping mall in Kyrgyzstan, a U.S. military statement said Wednesday.
Maj. Jill Metzger, with the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing, was last seen shopping at the Zum Shopping Center with others from the Manas Air Base when she disappeared on Tuesday, the statement said.
“Major Metzger was last seen wearing a green sweater and blue jeans,” the statement said.
“She has blonde hair and blue eyes. She is in excellent athletic condition.”
Military Web sites describe Metzger as a top-flight marathoner.
Both the Kyrgyz police and the US military are searching for her:
BISHKEK, September 6, 2006 (RFE/RL) — Kyrgyzstan’s Interior Ministry and National Security Service say they have launched a joint operation to locate the U.S. air servicewoman who disappeared on September 5 in Bishkek.
The woman, who has been identified as Major Jill Metzger, is working at the U.S. Manas military air base, near Bishkek.
Manas air base public affairs officer Ann Carpenter told RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service that Metzger disappeared while shopping at Bishkek’s main department store (TsUM) with other U.S. base members.
“The [U.S.] 376th Air Expeditionary Wing base officials are working with the U.S. Embassy and local officials to locate the servicemember as soon as possible,” Carpenter added.
The U.S. Embassy in Bishkek has issued pictures of a blonde woman as part of the search operation.
Let’s hope she’s found quickly.
Update: Maj. Metzger was supposed to return home on Thursday and went to the mall to buy souvenirs for her family.
Update II: We’re thrilled that everyone here is having a great time commenting, but since we’re approaching 1400 comments, we would love it if everyone could continue the thread here.
Update: The discussion on this post has been closed and moved to a new thread. Click here to visit the new discussion thread.
Deb G. My post was not written in anger but concern. There was frustration, but if you read anger, you must be projecting your own into it. You call my defending Jill alarming – are you always so critical of all people who try to see goodness before evil? That is why I am concerned about you, if you take such a negative slant on everything in your life. What do I think happened to Jill? I don’t know. She may have been kidnapped. She may have snapped and be ill. She may have found herself in crisis and done something dishonest. I’ll wait to see what statement the military makes. But I prefer to have faith in people, especially to have faith and respect for people in the military who serve every day to protect my freedom, until proof is presented that I am wrong. I prefer not to spend my day weaving dirty little stories about people.
Now I have a question for you because I really don’t understand where you’re coming from –
How do you benefit from saying what you’ve said on this board?
DM: You don’t know me, and never will. I am never angry nor bitter, it is not part of my character or fiber. Negative slant on everything? You’re kidding right? MANY people are taking a negative slant on the Jill Metzger theory and possibilites – this has nothing to do with MY life, it is what she has done to HER life. Let’s see: You just took a negative slant on her too saying “She may have snapped and be ill, she may have found herself in crisis and done something dishonest” – does this mean YOUR life is negative too for taking that negative slant toward Jill’s situation?????????
I have a lot of faith in people, born and raised on military basis and yes, in the military myself. I have, however, witnessed acts of less than conduct becoming and DO NOT stand by those military folks who have done this, sorry, my moral fiber, oaths and character do not support conduct unbecoming – if that is what it truly is. Do you know Jill??? If not, then how can you make something positive out of what is being perceived (not just by me, but by many on this board, the media, military, etc…) to be a very negative situation.
Benefit from saying what I said? Let’s see: This is a blog – right??? so people come on here to post theories, opinions, comments – right??? well, I am ONE of MANY people here doing that. Just like you – isn’t that funny!
By the way: Why are you not posting back to the folks who wished I was raped, tortured, beaten and MURDERED – that sounds PRETTY negative to me and the others who post negative theories and thoughts??????? You are a hypocrit and a real well, piece of work and need some serious help…..when you OPEN YOUR EYES and realize that MANY othes are posting thoughts here, just like me – mostly negative too, only theories DM, don’t worry – I am sure NONE of us really KNOW what happened, but it is normal for folks to try to add opinions…..I am doing NO harm to you, nor to Jill – so what is up with your constant badgering and bickering??? and why do you not post back to the folks who have just written the theories, I am just agreeing with them??? You are one sorry individual……
So, how do YOU benefit from saying what you post on this board???????????
Two newer articles…
Metzger says she was kidnapped from a Kyrgyzstan shopping mall September 5 and managed to escape three days later.
But as Metzger recovers at a hospital in Germany, investigators reportedly are looking at inconsistencies in her story. Her father, retired Lt. Col. John Metzger tells Eyewitness News that his newlywed daughter definitely was kidnapped.
“This was no runaway bride scenario,” he said.
Metzger adds his daughter was found with two black eyes and a number of bruises. There is no word on when she will return to the United States.
Stars and Stripes
European edition, Thursday, September 14, 2006
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Air Force Maj. Jill Metzger issued a public statement Wednesday, marking the first time she has been directly quoted since reportedly being kidnapped and escaping her captors last week in Kyrgyzstan.
“Right now I’m trying to focus on healing myself mentally and physically,” said Metzger in a U.S. Air Forces in Europe news release. “I’m healthy and recovering, and looking very forward to heading back to the states to see my family. I appreciate everyone’s understanding in respecting my privacy while I rest and try to get through this.”
Metzger is still undergoing the debriefing process at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center where she is listed in “good” condition, according to the release.
“We will continue to care for Maj. Metzger for as long as the debriefing process takes,” said Col. John Collins, Landstuhl chief of staff, in the news release. “She has been through a lot, and we hope she will be able to fly back to the states in the next day or so.”
I think all the Jill bashers out there may soon be quite suprised…and probably quite disappointed that their Jerry Springer fantasies may be just that…
DM: WHY are you concerned about me???? Aweful nice of you to take concern over someone you don’t know LOL I think you should then be concerned about EVRERYONE making negative slants toward Jill then – bless your soul, that is a heavy burden to carry….when you are ready for the REAL world – it might open up for you….
Question… I have been wondering why it is so unbelieveable that someone would be kidnapped in a public place. Doesn’t that happen ALL the time here in the United States? People seem to vanish into thin air…in busy public areas…malls, amusement parks, parking lots, seemingly safe public areas??
Deb, please calm down. Also, please refer to my original posting to you stating that I thought that what people were saying to you about you deserving harm were HORRIBLE and INAPPROPRIATE. To wish you harm for speaking your mind is twisted and I hope never to run into those people when they’ve had a bad day.
It’s funny that you should accuse me of “constant badgering and bickering” when the number of your posts greatly outweighs mine.
You may not think that you are doing any harm to Jill, but you ARE by encouraging people to turn against her. I AM concerned about all of the people on this board who have taken so much of their time and energy to post such terrible things about this girl. What do I get out of posting on this board? I feel that someone should offer a counterargument. Also she deserves to be defended as I see no actual evidence that she is lying.
Deb, you ridicule me and laugh at me for wanting to care about people and choose compassion. You sarcastically call it a “heavy burden”. I don’t find it difficult to care – do you?
doors:
It’s not unbelievable that someone would be kidnapped in a public place. I think everyone’s first reaction when we heard an AF Major had been abducted was that it was probably true. But here are the unbelievable elements of Jill’s story:
–a bomb was placed in her back pocket
–she was given a note in English telling her to go to a certain location
–she decided to go to the location on the note and followed its orders “as if in a trance”
–she did not alert her friends in the store that anything was wrong
–she was seen on store video leaving by herself and climbing into a taxi
–she paid the taxi driver when she got to her location
–she used a public phone at her location even though she was carrying her cellphone
–no group ever claimed responsibility for the kidnapping or made demands, even though she was supposedly held for 2 or 3 days
–she claims she was put in a dark room and was able to escape by whacking one of the captors who brought her food. She’s 5’1″ tall, and she hit a male captor hard enough to allow for an escape?and we are to assume she was kidnapped but left unrestrained?)
–the local police made a statement that based on their investigation she had not been kidnapped and found her story unbelievable
–a doctor in Kant has made a statement on TV that he performed an abortion on her
It requires a huge, mighty stretch of imagination to assume she’s telling the truth.
And please don’t call her a GIRL. She’s 33 years old, for God’s sake, an Air Force officer and fully responsible for her actions. If she has lied to cover up her own personal transgressions, and lied in a way that hurt the US and hurt the AF and hurt the reputation of officers and hurt the host country, then the truth NEEDS to come out and she NEEDS to be punished. My fear is that she’ll be granted sympathy instead of punishment because, after all, she’s just a girl. BULL.
What I get out of posting to this blog is the hope that if interest in this story can be maintained, the truth will eventually come out. A lot of people read this stuff, and tell their friends, and interest is maintained. I want to know the truth about what happened. I would be THRILLED beyond belief to find out she was telling the truth all along. Shocked! But thrilled. However, I’m not naive and I’m not willing to give her the benefit of the doubt when her story doesn’t add up and the consequences of her actions could have been so severe.
Kuba and Gogi,
Can you get the telephone # for the Kyrgyz TV station that ran the spot on the doctor who claimed to have done an abortion on Jill Metzger? Perhaps it’s National-Enquireresque, as has been suggested, but perhaps it needs to be part of the story being told here. This phone # might be helpful for US TV stations that would want to run the spot. Pardon my ignorance, but what language would the people at the TV station be speaking? Would they be likely to speak English?
To doors:
>why it is so unbelieveable that someone would be kidnapped in a public place. Doesn’t that happen ALL the time here in the United States
Because of the circumstances. The mall she disappeared from is always busy, and there are lots of cops there both in plain clothes and in uniform. Not only the mall is busy itself, but its neighbourhood is extremely busy. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve never ever heard of a single kidnapping from TsUM (I’ve lived in Bishkek for 25 years).
Besides, Major Metzger looks so obviously foreign. a) Kyrgyz are quite friendly people, especially to foreigners and b) any sane criminal knows that our cops will be very ruthless when investigating crimes against foreigners. I am not saying that we don’t have any crimes against foreigners – you can be mugged or robbed – but I’ve not heard of any major crimes. In other words, we are not Chechnya when it comes to kidnappings. Not even close.
I’ve been hearing so many confusing and contradicting reports on this. I’ve heard our police people saying that Major Metzger was not beaten. However, today I’ve heard people saying that they’ve seen pictures of Major Metzger with bruises and injuries. Go figure.
Are there really pictures out there? I haven’t heard/seen anything about it.
2 VR
>Can you get the telephone # for the Kyrgyz TV station that ran the spot on the doctor who claimed to have done an abortion on Jill Metzger
There are several problems here:
a. Kuba is referring to a newspaper article that refers to a TV spot. A is saying that B said something about C saying yada-yada. You catch my drift, right?
b. Kuba does not mention the name of the newspaper. I am unable to find any such article in local media (bear in mind that I am searching their web-sites, the TV spot might’ve referred to a newspaper that does not have a website).
c. Kuba’s English translation of the article is not quite consistent. For some reason his English translation has a reference to a spot done by Kyrgyz State TV station, whereas his Russian source does not mention any TV station at all (there is a reference to unspecified TV boradcast, but nothing more specific than that).
d. If it was the Kyrgyz State TV that showed the news, I’d be very reluctant to take the news at face value. Our State TV is not known for objective and unbiased reporting – they broadcast only what our government wants.
e. Contact detail for our Kyrgyz State TV (assuming that they did the TV spot that the newspaper refers to) is this:
http://www.ktr.kg/reklama/en/
Ph.: + 996 (312) 655 570
This is contacts for their advertising branch. I could not find contacts of their News Section. Our TV folks speak Kyrgyz and Russian. I’d say 95% of our population speaks Russian.
f. Contact details for Issyk Ata District Clinic
http://www.directmailservice.ru/link.php?id=648292&action=detail
This is what I was able to find on the web. I can’t verify that this information is 100% accurate.
Telephones: +996 (3132) 21311, +996 (3132) 23482;
Where +996 is country code for Kyrgyzstan and +3132 is area code for Issyk Ata.
Another thing that I don’t quite understand is this:
I can’t find references to the TV spot in any of our major media. Had this TV spot actually been on the air, I am sure all other news sources would’ve noticed that. But I see no references to this TV spot in our major media. None. Zero. Nada.
Gogi:
Interesting. Thanks for the info. I cut and pasted the info to our local TV “hotlines”, maybe they have a Russian-speaking employee who can look into it further. Sounds like it’s a rumor.
It appears that the REHEAD INFIDEL has a little agenda of her own… you can read her little exchange
Hey read it here:
http://forums.military.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=78919038&f=672198221&m=6640067580001&r=5820070680001
——————————–
Sunliner, I hope you don’t think I was referring to you when I railed against the conspiracy theorists. I had written that post before I found this discussion here. Actually, I read the conspiracy comments at a news wesbite that allowed commenting on articles (can’t remember which now)and a few at FR. That’s what ratcheted up my annoyance factor.
I am also irked at the obvious reluctance of milbloggers to pick up this story – it’s like they have a “wait-and-see” attitude.
———————————————–
Now go and take a look at the site that The Redhead Infidel is associated with:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/EuphoricReality
Sounds like an affair gone bad to me…..
Her most recent statments to the AP was that “she needs physical and MENTAL rest”. I Think she is trying to end a love affair …..I wish her the best either way the truth will eventually surface.
Ive banged her……
Wouldn’t a kidnapping victim also be in need of mental healing and rest?
naaa naaaa jokin
I am an Air Force Major, and when I first heard the story, I was very concerned for a fellow officer. I imagined what it would be like in the same circumstance since I have been shopping at many shops and souqs while deployed, just like her. I was very glad when she was found, but then my attitude changed after I heard her reported story and other circumstances of her “abduction” and “escape.” What ticks me off is this is someone I related to and cared for, and then she talks about a bomb, a trance, and other nonsense. Sorry, the story does not make sense and I feel she betrayed my care/concern for a fellow officer. I’ll be surprised if her story is true, but if it is, she didn’t react like an officer or any other trained military person would have. If it is not true, well, she should be discharged for false statements.
Up to this point, all we have heard are other people’s accounts of what Jill Metzger said. If each word of the accounts is going to be dissected, keep in mind that the people relaying these accounts may not speak English well or at all.
Maj. F. – Not being military myself, I wonder if you would elaborate on how an officer should react if an explosive is forced upon them? What is an officer trained to do in such a situation as Jill was in?
What an officer (or any reasonable person) would have done if a bomb had been placed in her back pocket:
1. Let’s be realistic here. What would YOU do if you suddenly felt a strange hand on your butt? You’d yell, whip around, and strike out before they were able to stick something in your pocket. And if they DID put it in there you’d have it whipped out before you could take the time to read about how it’s a BOMB on a note. Someone in that busy store surely would have noticed a struggle. She’s suggesting that someone put something in her butt pocket, she stood still, then read a note, then calmly and without attracting any attention walked briskly out of the store into a cab.
2. Failing the ability to make a fuss when someone put something into your own pants, take the jeans the hell off and run.
3. Failing that, alert someone in the store that you are in trouble. Friends who were with you. Security guards. Scream. Write a note. Stay put. What kind of fool would have left the store “in a trance”, following instructions on a piece of paper? She got into a cab by herself.
4. Her cellphone was on for quite a while after the alleged “abduction”. Call the base. Call home if you can’t recall the base number. Call your pal. Call your husband who’s an OSI agent. Call 60 Minutes.
5. She went to a payphone after the cab ride and placed a call. Again, go through the list of people she could have called and said, “Hey, here’s a weirdness, here I am in Bishkek with a bomb in my pocket!”
I think anyone with a particle of common sense would not have left the relative safety of a public place without a fuss.
Seems like the initial information was that she said “two women” asked her for help, and when she went outside to help them she was abducted. But then it must have been pointed out to her that her image was seen on video climbing, by herself, into a cab. So her story changed to accommodate that.
http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_4313410
Today’s offering from the Denver Post. Not much more info, but a few pearls of conversation from MAJ Jill. Sounds like her husband is trying to distance himself from the situation:”I’m in the dark”.
An Air Force Officer, or anyone in the armed forces are trained to do ANYTHING within their control to avoid being a POW (or kidnapped). Officers are trained to never give in to demands or threats at a risk of being used as bargaining. You know that little thing about dying for our country? They mean it.
Further, being a Field Grade Officer upon her escape, Major Metzger should have taken every step possible in identifying her abductors to reduce any threat to her the troops under her command.
At the very LEAST, an Officer should be poised enough to thank the host country as well as the U.S. Embassy in the effort to find her. However, she did not. In her only statement she did not even say that she was thankful to be alive and FREE. She told us to respect her privacy.
Well this doesn’t give us much of an update but now we know that she is on her way home and that the media is still saying that her story is suspicious. The article is from Europe Stars and Stripes.
Metzger on her way back to States
Stars and Stripes
European edition, Friday, September 15, 2006
Air Force Maj. Jill Metzger, who went missing for three days in Kyrgyzstan after reportedly being kidnapped, is on her way home after spending four days in Germany receiving medical tests and evaluations.
The Air Force took Metzger from Landstuhl Regional Medical Center to Ramstein Air Base, where she boarded a U.S.-bound military cargo plane on Thursday afternoon, said Maj. Krista Carlos, a spokeswoman for U.S. Air Forces in Europe. Her final destination is her home station at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., where she will meet her husband.
She has not talked to the media since she reported being kidnapped while on a shopping trip to the capital of Bishkek.
“While she was at [Landstuhl Regional Medical Center], her focus was to heal and recover and [she] really asked that everybody let her do that,” Carlos said on Thursday.
She reportedly told investigators that someone stuffed an object in her jeans and told her it was a bomb before she was kidnapped on Sept. 5. Police in Kyrgyzstan have told reporters in recent media reports that Metzger’s quick departure from the country hampered their investigation. They also reportedly said Metzger gave confusing accounts of her ordeal, leading to speculation over what happened.
Did not know a doctor made a statement regarding an abortion.
When I first saw this story break, I felt badly for her, I had fears of friends deployed possibly being set up for a kidnapping spree amongst our military – of women being kidnapped. Yes, it invoked fear and concern for my comrades. However, the bomb in the pocket following a note theory and calls made from her cell phone – DON’T buy it. Kidnappers DO NOT make phone calls from a cell phone of the kidnappee – doesn’t happen….
Regardless, point blank: you would certainly have to be gullible and naive to believe this story.
If the kidnapping were, in fact, true, we would have heard details of the location of where she was (like the news started to report in map detail of where she was found), details of her injuries, who had her (according to her words, etc…) and so on…..We have heard NOTHING, which means quite simply – THERE IS NOTHING…..
Funny about Redhead Infidel – she was all over me on this site days ago…..Talk about Agenda…
DM: I am calm, always. I also do not find the need to defend someone I am not sure did not do anything wrong, nor am I sure she did not do something right. I am speculating, assuming (from the completely bogus stories thus far) and theorizing, which people do in order to protect lives, solve terrorist plots, plans and possibilities, etc….How do you KNOW she deserves to be defended? How do you KNOW she is NOT lying?? No, you don’t know and guilty until proven innocent has passed right about now given what she has stated. Her statements came from a military avenue……open your eyes to the story for what it is……and, my posts are not badgering or bickering at anyone, I am participating in theories, speculations and thoughts, like most on here, you, on the other hand, are trying to protect someone you know nothing about……
p.s. Bin Laden needs some mental healing and rest too….
DM: I am starting to think that perhaps YOU are Jill Metzger!! You have to be kidding me? Do you REALLY believe someone placed an explosive device in her pocket? She was SEEN on VIDEO walking out alone and so on, ON VIDEO,,,,yes, the Kryg gov. has reviewed it, U.S. military officials have reviewed it….
If you BELIEVE for one minute that a bomb was, in fact, put into her back pocket then I give you the award of the year for being naive and gullible and frankly, believing something only because YOU want to, because by the sounds of it, Jill does NOT even believe her own story…
Borat: Exactly. NO military officer or anyone would walk out of a public area with a bomb in her pocket (cough) and follow instructions in a letter. There is training for situations like this….none of which include walking to your captors taxi, or house or clinic, whatever…
Here is a quick question. Hubby was visiting Germany and from Jill’s fathers account they were “happy to be together”. Now that Jill is heading back for Georgia, where is hubby? Why hasn’t he made public statements? He was superstar all over the news while she was missing. You would think with all the speculation he would make a statement after visiting with her.
Hmmmmm.
Lets have a fun wager – maybe lighten DM up a bit to enjoy some friendly banter with us as fellow interested bloggers and not as enemy hypnotists.
Who thinks Jill dyed her hair back to blonde? It was dishwater blonde before, do you think she went for a cute Meg Ryan shaggy platinum blonde? Or do you think she prefers the Alien abduction pixie with Britney Spears Black? Or perhaps she is feeling a little “wild” from her experience and got some red and purple streaks in the black?
Platinum blonde…I think she wants to feels like she is the shit, though she is just shit…lol
Please don’t attack me, just my opinion, and remember I do know her a bit, so I would know. And if you don’t agree, I don’t really care.
Oops, I’m being mean…soorrryyy!
Deb G. and others who “know what they would do” if in the same situation…
As I said in a post, way way up in the chain, there are the things we’d like to think we would do in a stressful situation, and there are the things that we actually do. I’ve seen people who were trained to do something in a particular situation, practiced that training, and knew what to do, yet… When confronted with the real thing, or close to it, they freaked and went back to primal instinct. Unless someone practices something over and over and over to where it becomes instinctual, when faced with a seemingly threatening situation (remember, fear is based on a persons perception), logic is hijacked and all your best intentions can all go out the window. So, be careful when you say things like, “NO military officer or anyone would walk out of a public area with a bomb in her pocket (cough) and follow instructions in a letter…”, because you really don’t know.
Also, how do you know DM doesn’t know Jill?
“DM …you, on the other hand, are trying to protect someone you know nothing about… Deb G.”
Just from the AF website….she is home and there is a picture of her. They don’t say anything about an investigation. I hope the AF is not saying anything because they want to keep it private, and not because they are done investigating. I also hope that her husband, being an OSI agent didn’t coach her to lie in interviews, realizing that her story was wacko. Anyway, here’s the link to the article.
Borat–She still has black hair and a very ugly hair do….she must it have it cut…Im sure her “abductors” wouldn’t have given her a “style”.
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123027125
mb: there we go with the DEB G. start again. Never claimed to “know what I would do in that situation”. However, I have (without getting into details) been deployed, been in situations where I have had to make a life or death decision/reaction, and NO, I myself would NEVER follow instructions on a note with a bomb in my pocket – EVER. That is mute though, she was on VIDEO walking out alone, into a taxi, etc…
and I do know that I would never claim to have a bomb in my pocket….I have no idea if DM knows Jill, but who knows, she might be Jill judging from her posts….
Again, I make theories, opinions and thoughts blah blah blah and I am the one who gets posted to….ligten up folks, simmer down, this is a blog area……smile, laugh, do whatever you want to do…..you defend Jill, lash out at me though and boil over in the process…..this blog has no effect on my life, it has no bearing. I multi task and carry on and stop here to see if there is any new news on this situation and all I see is….Deb G. Deb G. Deb G……getting a bit old……I don’t know Jill from Jack but I do know a false abduction story when I hear one and worse yet, SEE IT BY VIDEO….
LMAO! I don’t see any black eyes?
Nice touch with the Air Force clothing. Now she really does look like a little boy – not just the body but the hair too.
Her husband is NOT touching her nor walking with her, that speaks volumes. The article does not state ANYWHERE that she was kidnapped or abducted – not once. I guess they are all bad too because obviously the media does NOT believe her story…..
Her husband is NOT smiling, strange given that ths should be a dream come true as his beloved wife just returned ALIVE from being abducted, having a bomb in her pocket, etc….the ONLY people who look happy are her parents – as normally would be…
Now, I have to point out: Her hair, is, in fact, dyed brown/black like the media said, like THEY said they found her. Do you folks who stand by the abduction/bomb theory and feel Jill did no wrong believe that THEY might be right on when they say her story is inconsistent and provide other details??? THEY said her hair was dyed, it is, perhaps THEY are right on the other facts, like the taxi, the video (which have been viewed), the witnesses, etc….
“…NO, I myself would NEVER follow instructions on a note with a bomb in my pocket – EVER.”–Deb G
Thanks for helping to make my point.
Hey all…been enjoying the banter this week. Probably should’ve been focusing on my primary job a little more but for a lot of reasons I won’t bore you with, this one really caught my attention.
I must admit, I too find this situation highly unusual. The abduction scenario is highly unlikely. I would also argue, however, that while the speculation is intriguing, there isn’t nearly enough “evidence” to positively state what exactly happened. Further, it isn’t very kind to suggest someone may have cheated on her husband, had an abortion, etc. without having more substantative information. I would strenuously argue that the “high road” would be to go as far as stating something isn’t right, but wait for the evidence to come in before determining “guilt” or “innocence.” That said, I’ve been around long enough to understand that the OPS (Officer Protection Society) certainly exists so if this story stops at “Major Metzger wants her privacy” without any explanation what-so-ever, then its time to start raising a stink. If what she said is true (e.g. she was abducted and freed herself) than you can bet that will be talked about, she’ll be doing interviews, writing a book, hitting the media circuit, etc. If that doesn’t happen, then Maj Metzger misrepresented at least some of the facts. If that’s the case, as a field grade officer in the USAF, she has some things to answer for and she should pay the same price any other service member (regardless of rank) would pay.
I will say this…given her current Wing Commander (her ultimate boss at Moody for those not familiar with the position), the right thing will happen. That guy is STEEPED in integrity.
SR6, Can you tell me who is the current Wing King at Moody? THanks!
mb: there is NO point, there was NO bomb….that is the point, no bomb, no follow instructions. Pretty simple. If you think there WAS a bomb, you need help….
Silence does NOT happen following an abduction, bomb in pocket story. The miliary would be sharing details and even most likely have a briefing utilizing media outlets, details would be out…..there is no “she needs privacy”…..the military would be all over sharing details of a kidnapping, WARNING others in the area of possible future kidnappings, etc…where the area was it happened, etc…there is NOTHING because there is NOTHING…..
RS…it’s Colonel Callahan.
Completely agree with SR6. I was asked what I would do if someone tried to shove something in my back pocket in a foreign market…I would quickly turn, grab the hand and object, and depending on the action of the person, snap their wrist and shove their disabled fist in their mouth or simply shove the person and expedite the area. My initial assumption would be I’m being pick-pocketed which I am always warry of in a foreign place AND everyone gets a threat briefing concerning before deployment.
Thanks SR6, I don’t know him though, however based on what you said I hope he will handle the situation in a professional manner, and will hopefully get to the truth.
Maj F, I agree, plus if you are told that you have a bom, you should reported immediatly..I’m sure there were some cops there…you just don’t follow the instructions, especially when the person abducting you is not even with you (waiting outside).
Her husband is OSI and her father is a retired LTC – do you think the AF will cover for her? and never report the truth?
“Her husband is NOT touching her nor walking with her, that speaks volumes.” — Deb G.
It may, or it may not, speak volumes. Instead of always jumping on the negative, let’s look at a possible positive scenario (of course, all speculation). The husband has been with her for the last few days. They’ve had their time together, so the initial emotions of being overjoyed at her return have subsided (plus, he’s probably jet lagged and tired). They walk down the stairs, holding hands, to greet her parents. Having been reunited with her parents after quite some time, parents and their child are glad to see each other. Husband steps back to allow his wife and her parents to embrace, and he hangs with his dad. It’s quite possible this all just happened, because the picture shows that Jill is just now reaching for the flowers her mom is offering. On and on and on…
I’m not necessarily defending Jill, because I don’t know what happened, other than she disappeared and then reappeared. Yes, the story is full of holes, but none of us knows why; however, many have heard the “evidence” (gossip, speculation, etc) and are ready to convict and sentence. Let’s not be so vindictive…
Here is a screenshot from TsUM surveillance video (reproduced in Delo Nomer local newspaper).
Major Metzger is leaving the mall alone, with no visible coercion.
http://delo.ktnet.kg/2006/30/images/0202.jpg
No, I don’t really think there was a bomb, but you’ve been acting as though there was one. “If I had a bomb put in MY pocket…; I’m an officer…; I’ve had training… (AAAARRRRRMMMMYYY training sir!–Stripes), blah blah blah…” You’ve been so judgemental of folks on here… this is really getting to you, huh?! Sheesh! Let it go…