Major Jill Metzger is a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...

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

Bishkek Bishkek ( ky, Бишкек), ), formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. The region surrounds the city, although the city itself is not part of ...

, the capital of

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the ea ...

Sporting achievements and family

She was the women's winner of the

United States Air Force Marathon The United States Air Force Marathon is an annual event held on the third Saturday in September at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, home to the National Museum of the United States Air Force. It was established in 1997 to celebrate the Air ...

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, Virginia. The mission of the MCM is to promote physical fitness, generate community goodwill, and showcase the organizational skills of the United St ...

in 2005. Despite being temporarily retired for medical reasons she came in 2nd place at the 2008

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 International Airport, Kyrgyz Republic, supporting U.S. and ISAF operations in Afghanistan. Duri ...

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. Air ...

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

Manas International Airport Manas International Airport ( ky, Манас эл аралык аэропорту, Manas El Aralyk Aeroportu ; russian: Международный аэропорт «Манас») is the main international airport in Kyrgyzstan, located north- ...

. Kyrgyzstan, since 2001, supporting Operation Enduring Freedom's operations in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...

. 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, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...

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. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metonym ...

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

Kant Immanuel 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, ethics, and aest ...

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

minibus A minibus, microbus, minicoach, or commuter (in Zimbabwe) 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 ...

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

Air Force Office of Special Investigations The Department of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) 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 administrati ...

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 Military base, post without permission (a Pass (military), pass, Shore leave, liberty or Leave (U.S. military), leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with u ...

. 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 and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

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 in northeastern Lowndes County, Georgia, with the eastern border of the base following the Lanier County line. Georgia State Rou ...

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

Randolph Air Force Base Randolph Air Force Base was an United States Air Force base located at Universal City, 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 Uni ...

, 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 Rep ...

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. In 2009, Andrews Air Force Base merged with Naval Air Facility Washington to form Joint B ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

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