MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU, Romania - Independence Day might be an American holiday, but MK Air Base has its own tradition of celebrating the summer holiday with their Romanian hosts.
The U.S. military opened its doors to about 400 children from area orphanages June 28 for a day-long cookout, concert and games. For the past four years, Independence Day has been a joint cultural event at the base - 2014 being the largest to date.
"We are glad to be here. This is the first time the children from our community have participated in this activity," said Bari Gevat, chief of the School Community for the Democratic Union of Muslim Turkish Tar Tars in Romania.
Gevat said it was an honor to have the children attend the event and that he was impressed with the activity.
"We hope we will participate again in future activities," he said through a translator.
MK Air Base has become a major transit hub for American military personnel traveling to and from Afghanistan in recent months. The air base can facilitate up to 2,500 transient passengers per day.
Marine Chaplain (Capt.) James Rutan, an event organizer with the Black Sea Rotational Force, said the Democratic Union is among the communities in the region with whom the U.S. forces are building a valuable relationship.
"We are trying to make an effort to reach out to every community in the area," Rutan said.
Youths from nine area placement centers around the Constanta for under-privileged kids - what Americans would call orphans - were represented at the holiday celebration, he said.
The youths live at the centers from ages 2 through 22 years old, while getting an education.
While the U.S. military supplied the food and activities, such as a bouncy house, a combatives demonstration and a dunk tank, Romanian sponsors also helped provide transportation and entertainment - including a performance from the Romanian Naval Band.
Building relationships within the region is a central focus for the U.S. forces at MK Air Base, where operations continue to grow on a monthly basis since the Department of Defense began discontinuing its use of the transit center at Manas earlier this year.
The lease with the Kyrgyz government expires this month and will not be renewed, making Romanian relations a critical link in the transportation chain supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
"Not only is it important that the Army, Air Force, Marines and Romanian forces here have a good relationship, just as critical to that relationship is our relationship with the community," Marine Maj. Douglas Bahrns, executive officer for the Black Sea Rotational Force at MK. "We rely on the community for all kinds of support.
MK Air Base has been a staging platform for the U.S. military since 2003, when it was used as a staging area during the invasion of Iraq and is expected to continue as hub for operations for the region for engagements like those conducted currently under the U.S. Marine Corps' Black Sea Rotational Force."
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