Major Jill Metzger is a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

personnel officer who gained worldwide attention as the result of a three-day disappearance in

Bishkek Bishkek, formerly known as Pishpek (until 1926), and then Frunze (1926–1991), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. Bishkek is situated near the Kazakhstan ...

, the capital of

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

Sporting achievements and family

She was the women's winner of the United States Air Force Marathon in both 2003 and 2004 and placed 10th in the women's division of the

Marine Corps Marathon The Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) is an annual marathon held in Washington, D.C., and Arlington County, Virginia. The mission of the MCM is to promote physical fitness, generate community goodwill, and showcase the organizational skills of the Unit ...

in 2005. Despite being temporarily retired for medical reasons she came in 2nd place at the 2008 United States Air Force Marathon She has been married to USAF captain Joshua Mayo since the spring of 2006.

Kidnapping

In September 2006, Metzger was serving with the

376th Air Expeditionary Wing The 376th Air Expeditionary Wing (376 AEW) is an inactive wing of the United States Air Force. It was last stationed at the Transit Center at Manas, Transit Center at Manas International Airport, Kyrgyz Republic, supporting U.S. and ISAF operati ...

stationed at

Manas Air Base Transit Center at Manas (formerly Manas Air Base and unofficially Ganci Air Base) is a former U.S. military installation at Manas International Airport, near Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. It was primarily operated by the U.S. Ai ...

, a U.S. military facility that has been located at

Manas International Airport Manas International Airport (; ) is the main international airport in Kyrgyzstan, located north-northwest of the capital, Bishkek. History The airport was constructed as a replacement for the former Frunzensky Airport that was located to the ...

, Kyrgyzstan, since 2001, supporting

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...

's operations in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. On September 5, shortly before she was scheduled to return to the United States, she went shopping at the ZUM

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store mad ...

in Bishkek to buy souvenirs for her family. She failed to return to the base as expected and on September 7,

The Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As ...

reported her as missing (officially, " duty status whereabouts unknown"). She was found three days later in the nearby city of

Kant Immanuel Kant (born Emanuel Kant; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, et ...

, reporting that she had been abducted from the store, taken via

minibus A minibus, microbus, or minicoach is a passenger-carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, the word "minibus" is us ...

, and escaped from the kidnappers after hitting one of them and fleeing. The

Air Force Office of Special Investigations The Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI or AFOSI) is a U.S. federal law enforcement agency that reports directly to the Secretary of the Air Force. OSI is also a U.S. Air Force field operating agency under the administrative guida ...

and other agencies conducted a major investigation, and February 3, 2012, Air Force investigators closed the case, concluding that the evidence was consistent with Metzger's account of being kidnapped. The investigation debunked online smears claiming that Metzger had voluntarily gone

AWOL Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which ...

. Shopping center surveillance video showed at least two unidentified persons surveilled Metzger, with one of them following her, and that criminals may have intended to kidnap a different individual who resembled Metzger. The investigation found that Metzger escaped after sharpening a stick into a shank, stabbing one of the captors and locking him in a room, and fleeing to a nearby home, whose residents were able to contact the police. The

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

also completed an investigation into Metzger's disappearance in 2009, but did not make the results public.

Temporary medical retirement and return to active duty

In July 2007, the Air Force Personnel Evaluation Board approved the placement of Metzger (then a member of the 23rd Wing at

Moody Air Force Base Moody Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation near Valdosta, Georgia. Geography The base is mostly in northeastern Lowndes County, Georgia, with a portion in Lanier County. Georgia State Route 125 runs through the west ...

) on the Temporary Disability Retirement List after she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder by physicians at

Randolph Air Force Base Randolph Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Bexar County, Texas, ( east-northeast of Downtown San Antonio). Opened in 1931, Randolph has been a flying training facility for the United States Army Air Corps, the United ...

, Texas. On October 12, 2010, Metzger returned to active duty as the chief of community programs for the

Air Force District of Washington The Air Force District of Washington (AFDW) is a Direct Reporting Unit of the United States Air Force. AFDW oversees Air Force operations in the Washington, D.C. region (also known as the " National Capital Region" or "NCR"). As a Direct Repo ...

Andrews Air Force Base Andrews Air Force Base (Andrews AFB, AAFB) is the airfield portion of Joint Base Andrews, which is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force (USAF). In 2009, Andrews Air Force Base merged with Naval Air Facility Washington to form ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Metzger, Jill United States Air Force personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) American female marathon runners Women in the United States Air Force Women in 21st-century warfare Living people 1973 births 21st-century American women 21st-century American sportswomen