I was stationed at Incirlik in 1981-2 as a SP. Watching these clips brought back some memories. Didn't hang out much in the alley area except at the BP station restaurant once in awhile. Wonder if anyone has any videos from the compound?
Wow i was there from 86 to 88 as an SP. Was there a Tsgt Hardy there when you were there? He carried a duffle bag with everything including the kitchen sink in it.
@@v33draft I was stationed at the Lik 86-87 as an SP worked with Ssgt Harding too. Great guy - interesting background too. He was married to a local lady too.
My husband went there several times 2000-2004 on tdy from Aviano, Italy and became friends with some of the locals (one was Mike's Carpets) and had great stories & experiences with the locals. I know some of the comments I rass were from many years ago, but it's a shame not everyone shares good experiences, but certainly a shame to place some bad experiences and generalizing it to a country as a whole. We have a LOT of negative things that go on here in the states, but get upset when those negatives are generalized to Americans as a whole. It makes a difference when you get to interact with locals looking past politics & see the heart and similar goals for caring for a family. Sorry many had negative experiences, but my husband was truly blessed in the close & personal connections he was able to make. Sad things changed and many of those business owners surely had to move on where they could provide better for their families.
Wonderful place, miss it...wish I could take a quick shuttle to shop again! This is just great to see again--I was there twice--in 2001 and 2005. Great people, great food--great history and CHEAP! I miss Kevins and the restaurants. Thanks for posting this!
Was there in 92 TDY from Bentwaters UK with the 81st TFW. We did 97 day rotations I was 81st CRS, can't forget tent city. Lived the Alley tho, everyone was Abbi, n left with a bunch of gold, rugs, marble chess sets n eggs, tailored clothes, leather coats n pistachios...... good times
I went there TDY from Torrejon AB in 88, 89...Loved the kebobs...but what was that flat bread with sesame seeds on it called? man when it was hot and you put that Turkish butter on it...YUM!!
Pide bread. Sometimes I make it at home but it is not same test. You need real fire wood brick oven for it. I was cook at Mujdat restaurant in there and old BP restaurant
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I was stationed there in 85-86. Went to the beach a lot, the Med is fantastic place to spend the day. Does the AF still have those campers there that you can rent for the weekends? Fun times, bought lots of pistachios, leather jackets, meerschaum pipes and chess boards.
I TDY'd here in 98 and 2000 when i was stationed at Shaw AFB. Turkey was fantastic. Took a weekend trip to a coastal town with a little castle in the ocean. Met a really cool girl named Śuli (I think?). Who lived in Adana but worked in a leather shop in the alley. Spent time with her during both trips. We had an innocent relationship just learning each others customs. I still think about her from time to time and wonder what became of her.
That was castle by the sea, one time me and my bud drank a shit ton of beers and decided to swim out to the castle and can remember the Turkish folks on the shuttle boats to the castle yelling at us in the water as if what we were doing was foolish and dangerous which it probably was but somehow we made it there and swam back.
woooooowww.....this video makes me sad. i lived there in 2000 (Go Hodjas!) The alley was the spot! Always full of people!!! WHAT HAPPENED!!! It looks like a ghost town now! :( Those were the best years of my life....literally! I think its really awesome that you have this video. now i can show my friends! Its really hard to explain to people what another country was like. Thank you!
Cool. Brings back memories. Was the Falcon Bar still there? I was there twice; once in August of 89 and once in February of 90. Deployed from Torrejon AB.
so many memories of me and my friends as teenagers back in 2000-2002 when my dad was stationed there. I miss it and im gonna go back with my fiancé when we get married
UGLI1fosho UGLI1fosho it is ghost town now. After Iraq war, they moved most soldiers and most store shot down because they couldn’t make money. I was cook at Mujdat restaurant and moonlight restaurant. Go to Alanya Turkey or Bodrum you will love you it
I was stationed there from 87 to 89. Lucky enough to go accompanied. My wife loved it. She's Hispanic and learned some of the language. Love shopping for gold, carpets, silver dollars. We traveled to Merced to the beach. The family spent a lot of time at the recreation center. Best taco salad was at the food court. We lived on base, had a gardener and maid and they were awesome. Both totaled around $100 to $125 a month. My first overseas and best assignment. I was working air freight for MAC. Processed mail, commissary goods, BX goods. The worst was a pallet of coins. Must have been about 3 feet high and right at 9500 lbs. had to push these off the freaking aircraft.
To all the Ameircan Soldiers out there : If you are located in Incirlik and you wanna spend a different few hours at the best place in Turkey,please visit Antakya.The City southern from Adana.Best Food,best Girls and definitely the clearest windy weather you have ever experienced !!!
I was there as an SP from 86 to 88. I lived in Adana for about 8 months then to base housing. The alley wasn't really paved as it is in this video, it would be muddy when it rained. I loved the shopping there. Does anyone know an SP named Tsgt Hardy he was married to a Turkish national? Or Steven Tank he was know throughout USAFE. Everywhere you went you'd see writings saying Tank is an idiot! I remember omw from the states I first saw it in the men's room at Frankfurt lodging then I wound up on his B flight with him LMAOOO
OMG the puzzle boxes, carpets, leather store....I didn't see Mujdats! My favorite restaurant. Of course it looks different. I was there in 199.-94. I still dream about the food. I could show t hem a picture of a shirt I wanted and it would be made. I could draw a leather jacket and they could make it. I miss that base!
When I was there in late 90's early 2000's it was Jason's carpets. lol. I still find Tuborg and Efes here and there in the states. Still have a barely touched bottle of ouzo also.
Just got back from there. It's completely shut off now you cannot leave the base. And they sent everybody's wives home. Shitty for everyone who came accompanied and had to complete their accompanied tour with no family with you
That's too bad, was there in 81-82, do they allow any troops to live off base? They didn't have enough dorms for everyone which is why I was forced to live in a hotel in Adana for six months and later got an apartment in Incirlik Village.
I loved partying in tent city. Ravens Roost, The green beret Bar, the CE bar with the hot tub and movie theater, I wrote a poem on the roof of that one, there were more than this but oh the memories and pictures. Oh and the Wagon Wheel on base!
My personal legacy of Incirlik lives on, 21 years later. I've been forever banned from donating plasma, because I lived there between 1980-1990. Apparently, anyone who was there during that time may have been exposed to CJD. All it took was answering "yes" when asked if I was there during that timeframe. Good times.
Loved Turkey! Stationed there 95-97. Does anyone know if "Bucky's" is still there. I can't remember if that was the name of the shop, but was the owners nickname. He sold the mainly gift stuff such as plates and Turkish tea sets.
Oh wow. Went TDY there between 87 and 88 with the 50th Tac Fighter Wing from Hahn AB, Germany. I do remember the kebobs, custom made suits and leather, and BIG bags of pistachios for cheap. But I DON'T remember it being possible to "sleep" with the local girls! Hell, we were warned NOT to even think about it unless we wanted to end up in a turkish prison or marrying them. Has it changed THAT much?
Haha, the Turkish women are very beautiful but completely hands off. I can remember being yelled at and challenged to fights by Turkish men just for staring at them as they walked on the city's sidewalks. The highlight for me was I did manage to have a lunch date with this gorgeous Turkish girl who I was bonkers over. She was the hotel owner's daughter at the hotel I stayed at in Adana. It took many months of us exchanging brief glances and smiles at each other but one day when the owner was away the hotel's kitchen staff whom I was friends with set up a special table for us back in the kitchen where nobody would see us and we shared a wonderful romantic lunch together.
I was there from 84 to 86 , is Mhemets diner still there? It opened when I was there and had the best Turkish food, Yeah as far as shake downs I got pulled over for speeding from radar I was doing the speed limit I threw a fit and they shushed me a long didn't pay anything, The alley was just a wide street that was like 50 years old no two lanes with center divider.
Good times. I was there in 2000. It looks the same. I cant find Touborg(if thats how its spelled) anywhere in the states. those kids off base were always trying to sell now and laters and shine my shoes, even though I was wearing sandals.
Spent 18 months there from '94-'96.. Best days of my life. I think I had 15 girlfriends all at the same time.. What could I do?? I indulged as much as possible. The Turkish girls were beautiful, The beer was good (better if it was colder) I even loved the music. Yep, loved the place!!!. Why did I come back to America???
Sitting in the BP, drinking Effee's Pilsen and eating hot ekmek, fresh from the oven! My only good memories of Incirlik. That, and getting my beyanamme cleared so I could leave! They have their hands in you pockets wherever you go! My co-worker's wife got stuck with fake gold from the supposedly legitimate Turkish BX on base. My roommate got scammed in Adana, when the locals faked a car accident, and I got scammed out of $50. (An unexpected "fee" just for using the Med to get scuba certified!)
I visit Adana about 12 years ago and I was shocked my self how weird that place was. Adana famous for strange, crazy people. The highest crime rate in Turkey. I didn't like it. I am Turkish.
I ate at a shit resturaunt by the disco that had the russian strippers and shit through a screen for 2 weeks......long live the turkish turtle best chicken tava in the alley
Wow, i can't believe how empty the Alley looks, now every store you pass everyone keeps trying to get you to come in their store. Also theres like 5 Turks in front of every store. Ya'll must have had it good back then.
Yes... ghost town would be correct. I was there from 1998 to 1999 and the place was hopping. I was assigned there again from 04 - 07 and it was just a shell of what it once was before ONW went away. Many shops dried up and or went downrange when Iraqi Freedom started. In 2006 we lost our tax exempt status too. :-(
Thanks for the video. There was just one shop outside the Base when I was stationed there back in 1972. What a difference 36 years makes.
I was stationed at Incirlik in 1981-2 as a SP. Watching these clips brought back some memories. Didn't hang out much in the alley area except at the BP station restaurant once in awhile. Wonder if anyone has any videos from the compound?
Was at the Lik same time as you 81-82, C Flight security, had an apartment in Incirlik Village and yes , we visited the compound a number of times.
Wow i was there from 86 to 88 as an SP. Was there a Tsgt Hardy there when you were there? He carried a duffle bag with everything including the kitchen sink in it.
Oh man that BP had a restaurant with the best shrimp scampi I've ever had to this day in the back
I was there from 80 to 82 with my father who was USAF and mother
@@v33draft I was stationed at the Lik 86-87 as an SP worked with Ssgt Harding too. Great guy - interesting background too. He was married to a local lady too.
My husband went there several times 2000-2004 on tdy from Aviano, Italy and became friends with some of the locals (one was Mike's Carpets) and had great stories & experiences with the locals. I know some of the comments I rass were from many years ago, but it's a shame not everyone shares good experiences, but certainly a shame to place some bad experiences and generalizing it to a country as a whole. We have a LOT of negative things that go on here in the states, but get upset when those negatives are generalized to Americans as a whole. It makes a difference when you get to interact with locals looking past politics & see the heart and similar goals for caring for a family. Sorry many had negative experiences, but my husband was truly blessed in the close & personal connections he was able to make. Sad things changed and many of those business owners surely had to move on where they could provide better for their families.
Mike took a group of the 180th FW on a trip out to the country side. It was unreal! like you went back in time.
Wonderful place, miss it...wish I could take a quick shuttle to shop again! This is just great to see again--I was there twice--in 2001 and 2005. Great people, great food--great history and CHEAP! I miss Kevins and the restaurants. Thanks for posting this!
I was TDY there in 90 and 91 with the 512th fighter squadron and shopped my brains out. Gold, leather, rugs. Great deals back then.
I really miss Incirlik and the alley. Had many a great TDY there in the late 90s.
me too...matter of fact been looking at recipes for Elmer lol
"Almost free, ağabey!"
Was there in 92 TDY from Bentwaters UK with the 81st TFW. We did 97 day rotations I was 81st CRS, can't forget tent city. Lived the Alley tho, everyone was Abbi, n left with a bunch of gold, rugs, marble chess sets n eggs, tailored clothes, leather coats n pistachios...... good times
I went there TDY from Torrejon AB in 88, 89...Loved the kebobs...but what was that flat bread with sesame seeds on it called? man when it was hot and you put that Turkish butter on it...YUM!!
It is called simit.
Pide bread. Sometimes I make it at home but it is not same test. You need real fire wood brick oven for it. I was cook at Mujdat restaurant in there and old BP restaurant
It was called Ekmek
It was called Ecmec
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I was stationed there in 85-86. Went to the beach a lot, the Med is fantastic place to spend the day. Does the AF still have those campers there that you can rent for the weekends? Fun times, bought lots of pistachios, leather jackets, meerschaum pipes and chess boards.
I TDY'd here in 98 and 2000 when i was stationed at Shaw AFB. Turkey was fantastic. Took a weekend trip to a coastal town with a little castle in the ocean. Met a really cool girl named Śuli (I think?). Who lived in Adana but worked in a leather shop in the alley. Spent time with her during both trips. We had an innocent relationship just learning each others customs. I still think about her from time to time and wonder what became of her.
That was castle by the sea, one time me and my bud drank a shit ton of beers and decided to swim out to the castle and can remember the Turkish folks on the shuttle boats to the castle yelling at us in the water as if what we were doing was foolish and dangerous which it probably was but somehow we made it there and swam back.
woooooowww.....this video makes me sad. i lived there in 2000 (Go Hodjas!) The alley was the spot! Always full of people!!! WHAT HAPPENED!!! It looks like a ghost town now! :( Those were the best years of my life....literally! I think its really awesome that you have this video. now i can show my friends! Its really hard to explain to people what another country was like. Thank you!
Cool. Brings back memories. Was the Falcon Bar still there? I was there twice; once in August of 89 and once in February of 90. Deployed from Torrejon AB.
so many memories of me and my friends as teenagers back in 2000-2002 when my dad was stationed there. I miss it and im gonna go back with my fiancé when we get married
UGLI1fosho I was there from 2000-2002 as well. I was in the 39th OSS.
UGLI1fosho UGLI1fosho it is ghost town now. After Iraq war, they moved most soldiers and most store shot down because they couldn’t make money. I was cook at Mujdat restaurant and moonlight restaurant. Go to Alanya Turkey or Bodrum you will love you it
If you were a teenager there, did you know the ones that decided to set a fire in and melt the slides on one of the playgrounds?
My father was USAF. My mother and I went to Incirlik with him for 2 years. 80 to 82
Wow. I was ststioned there in 2007. So many memories
I was stationed there from 87 to 89. Lucky enough to go accompanied. My wife loved it. She's Hispanic and learned some of the language. Love shopping for gold, carpets, silver dollars. We traveled to Merced to the beach. The family spent a lot of time at the recreation center. Best taco salad was at the food court. We lived on base, had a gardener and maid and they were awesome. Both totaled around $100 to $125 a month. My first overseas and best assignment. I was working air freight for MAC. Processed mail, commissary goods, BX goods. The worst was a pallet of coins. Must have been about 3 feet high and right at 9500 lbs. had to push these off the freaking aircraft.
To all the Ameircan Soldiers out there : If you are located in Incirlik and you wanna spend a different few hours at the best place in Turkey,please visit Antakya.The City southern from Adana.Best Food,best Girls and definitely the clearest windy weather you have ever experienced !!!
I loveddddd Turkey! The Turkish people in Adana were so amazing! Heard Incirlik has really changed though.
I was there 2006-2007. Didn't change that much a few years later.
Unfortunately this is no longer the Adana we all knew
I was stationed there from Mar 07 - Mar 09. I miss the food. A lot.
Hi
Was stationed there 1983-84 also SP-K9 81152A. Drank many Effee's at the BP station and not sure how i got back to the barracks...great time.
I was there as an SP from 86 to 88. I lived in Adana for about 8 months then to base housing. The alley wasn't really paved as it is in this video, it would be muddy when it rained. I loved the shopping there. Does anyone know an SP named Tsgt Hardy he was married to a Turkish national? Or Steven Tank he was know throughout USAFE. Everywhere you went you'd see writings saying Tank is an idiot! I remember omw from the states I first saw it in the men's room at Frankfurt lodging then I wound up on his B flight with him LMAOOO
OMG I miss Incirlik:(((
OMG the puzzle boxes, carpets, leather store....I didn't see Mujdats! My favorite restaurant. Of course it looks different. I was there in 199.-94. I still dream about the food. I could show t hem a picture of a shirt I wanted and it would be made. I could draw a leather jacket and they could make it. I miss that base!
My son is stationed there at this moment.
@@arthurhamilton5222 OMG can he get the recipe for the chicken shish kebabs from Mujdats? I remember they had a res marinade.
When I was there in late 90's early 2000's it was Jason's carpets. lol. I still find Tuborg and Efes here and there in the states. Still have a barely touched bottle of ouzo also.
Lived in the alley 1980 the moved downtown to Adana. Comm squadron.
Just got back from there. It's completely shut off now you cannot leave the base. And they sent everybody's wives home. Shitty for everyone who came accompanied and had to complete their accompanied tour with no family with you
That's too bad, was there in 81-82, do they allow any troops to live off base? They didn't have enough dorms for everyone which is why I was forced to live in a hotel in Adana for six months and later got an apartment in Incirlik Village.
Oh the memories of tent city. Enjoyed my deployment there during ONW.
I was there in Aug of 2001 for ONW spent many days at the turkish turtle until 9/11 when they locked us down on base.
I loved partying in tent city. Ravens Roost, The green beret Bar, the CE bar with the hot tub and movie theater, I wrote a poem on the roof of that one, there were more than this but oh the memories and pictures. Oh and the Wagon Wheel on base!
@@dznmodsparrish Yes, I was there when they bombed the Cole in 2000.
@@tabathasteele7547 The cheese bread and endless "Hey Abi...." from all the kids.
@@VaporheadATC The Chicken tava and Doner Kabhabs!!!!!!!!!with a cold tuborg or an effes.
I was there in '02. I had a blast. I was there for ONW. Very fun 4 months.
I was excited to see the old history of where I live
My personal legacy of Incirlik lives on, 21 years later. I've been forever banned from donating plasma, because I lived there between 1980-1990. Apparently, anyone who was there during that time may have been exposed to CJD. All it took was answering "yes" when asked if I was there during that timeframe. Good times.
That wasn't a 'deployment' it was a vacation getaway (x2).
looks very different now, many of those places have closed
Michael Buchalski why?
Loved Turkey! Stationed there 95-97. Does anyone know if "Bucky's" is still there. I can't remember if that was the name of the shop, but was the owners nickname. He sold the mainly gift stuff such as plates and Turkish tea sets.
I was t here from 93-94!
i was there in 82-83 i lived in the big blue house across the highway from the b.p. restraunt would love to see that place again
Oh wow. Went TDY there between 87 and 88 with the 50th Tac Fighter Wing from Hahn AB, Germany. I do remember the kebobs, custom made suits and leather, and BIG bags of pistachios for cheap. But I DON'T remember it being possible to "sleep" with the local girls! Hell, we were warned NOT to even think about it unless we wanted to end up in a turkish prison or marrying them. Has it changed THAT much?
ALL4SCUBA05 still same
Haha, the Turkish women are very beautiful but completely hands off. I can remember being yelled at and challenged to fights by Turkish men just for staring at them as they walked on the city's sidewalks. The highlight for me was I did manage to have a lunch date with this gorgeous Turkish girl who I was bonkers over. She was the hotel owner's daughter at the hotel I stayed at in Adana. It took many months of us exchanging brief glances and smiles at each other but one day when the owner was away the hotel's kitchen staff whom I was friends with set up a special table for us back in the kitchen where nobody would see us and we shared a wonderful romantic lunch together.
TDY'd several times here... my memory can "smell" this video lolol
I was there from 84 to 86 , is Mhemets diner still there? It opened when I was there and had the best Turkish food, Yeah as far as shake downs I got pulled over for speeding from radar I was doing the speed limit I threw a fit and they shushed me a long didn't pay anything, The alley was just a wide street that was like 50 years old no two lanes with center divider.
Can I find a skate shop in the alley? I'm living in Adana.
My parents had a leather shop till 2003.good old days.
Did you happen to know a girl named Śuli who worked in the alley in the late 90's.
Remember Pops Leather.
I got many a hand job at the "massage parlors" at the alley......sweet memories.
@UnderMediKated I was there in 88-89 also, I was in the Air Force stationed in Spain.we went TDY there.
Does anybody know if the restauraunt Moonlights is still there?
it is 2020 idk if you still alive but I heard they Opened a new one in southwest coast of turkey
Man that is way diffrent than when I was there in 82 to 83.
That was all gravel road when I lived ther back in 1989-1991.
Wow! I lived there from 1990 to 1994 and it looks the same except the shops have different names!
I was there from 93-94!
No one was brave enough to do that when we were there.
@sdairman Oh cool good to hear that! I havent been to Turkey since like '03
Good times. I was there in 2000. It looks the same. I cant find Touborg(if thats how its spelled) anywhere in the states. those kids off base were always trying to sell now and laters and shine my shoes, even though I was wearing sandals.
No, just visited for a month! It was great, though. Very interesting country.
Spent 18 months there from '94-'96.. Best days of my life. I think I had 15 girlfriends all at the same time.. What could I do?? I indulged as much as possible. The Turkish girls were beautiful, The beer was good (better if it was colder) I even loved the music. Yep, loved the place!!!. Why did I come back to America???
I was there in 93-94
Hello come back to incirlik please
it's been about 11 years for me...left in 99.
Sitting in the BP, drinking Effee's Pilsen and eating hot ekmek, fresh from the oven! My only good memories of Incirlik. That, and getting my beyanamme cleared so I could leave!
They have their hands in you pockets wherever you go! My co-worker's wife got stuck with fake gold from the supposedly legitimate Turkish BX on base. My roommate got scammed in Adana, when the locals faked a car accident, and I got scammed out of $50. (An unexpected "fee" just for using the Med to get scuba certified!)
this was back in september of 2008
The alley is a ghost town. Most businesses have shut down. So sad.
@mootsriderOSU Thank You 4 That Coment
I was there in Nov 98 to Dec 99. Playa!
Ah memories, we used to get Sh*tfaced there 00-02
I visit Adana about 12 years ago and I was shocked my self how weird that place was. Adana famous for strange, crazy people. The highest crime rate in Turkey.
I didn't like it. I am Turkish.
Tekrar gelebilirsiniz
Wow, they actually paved that road?! Y'all should have seen the "rip-off alley" back in 1982, what a dump.
Was there 81-82 and lived in the Village, it never looked this good and yes everything was overpriced.
How many of ya'll caught the shits when you got there??? Man I don't know what it is out there, but DaYUM!
I ate at a shit resturaunt by the disco that had the russian strippers and shit through a screen for 2 weeks......long live the turkish turtle best chicken tava in the alley
The funniest bathroom graffiti I ever saw was in a toilet stall at the Lik it said "Happiness in Turkey is a dry fart".
damn so nice carpets
I was there in 1980. I have never once missed it or its food. I do miss the movie theater where I worked part time. Other than that, it sucked!
@@henrybemis8913 better than being black
Wow, i can't believe how empty the Alley looks, now every store you pass everyone keeps trying to get you to come in their store. Also theres like 5 Turks in front of every store. Ya'll must have had it good back then.
Yes... ghost town would be correct. I was there from 1998 to 1999 and the place was hopping. I was assigned there again from 04 - 07 and it was just a shell of what it once was before ONW went away. Many shops dried up and or went downrange when Iraqi Freedom started. In 2006 we lost our tax exempt status too. :-(
tax exempt from 2016 onward now lol
I spent seven years there from 1993 to 2000. marinate Turkish girl have 2 kids and now I'm divorced lol. but I have great kids.
Arthur Hamilton you marinated her?! ;)
Married...but maybe I should've marinated her with some oil & let her be.
I was there in 93-94, and I guy I knew there married a turkish girl.
@@tabathasteele7547 There were several guys that married Turkish girls that year. I was one of them. Happy times.
@@tabathasteele7547
I was a bartender at the enlisted club, then.
@chaingang342 yeah man i was just there jan thru july and it's still there. good food, i miss it.
Look out for Pinnar. She sits out by the sidewalk like a vulture trying to sell you worthless suits.
I’m sure she got married a soldier and getting her citizenship 😆
Roger That! I was there 87 -89 (39th SPF) and I was told the same thing more or less. Because the DOD sourced meat from the UK. Mad Cow disease Rocks!
@lunadaisy223 Adana is really nice though
It is my hometown where i saw americans first time in my life)
I need to know how to make the chicken kebabs from Mujdat's!
Yazıklar olsun dükkanların isimleri İngilizce...
@afspk9
i was there same time
5th and 6th grade.
I was there in 82 and 83 eagle 6. And yes it was a shithole.
Go home strategic enemy.
haha americans in Adana. im from adana, but live in the Netherlands
oh dear God! this place looks so awful... :D I am from Adana and have never seen Incirlik before... it looks terrible... hahhahahaha
Vqy