Col. Christopher Bence, 376th Air Expeditionary Wing commander and Tatiana Gfeoller, U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic, hand the first box of Meals-Ready-to-Eat to Akyl Aitbaev, Deputy Minister of Emergency Situations, during a humanitarian assistance ceremony, Nov. 25. The U.S. Department of Defense donated over 31,000 MREs and more than 100 cold weather sleeping bags, valued at $250,000, to help locals who may need assistance during the coming winter.