Wyoming National Guard soldiers have had a dog in the fight on the Korean Peninsula since 1951’s arrival in Pusan.
After 805 days of combat, the 300th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, out of Sheridan at the time, fired 514,036 105 mm howitzer rounds and played a crucial role in bringing about the armistice that still makes it possible for South Koreans to live in peace, according to Army historian Matthew Seelinger from the Army Historical Foundation.
The soldiers of the 300th earned 12 Silver Stars, 63 Bronze Stars, and numerous other medals. The unit itself was award two Presidential Unit Citations, a Meritorious Unit Citation and two Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations. Eight soldiers from the 300th were killed in action and 175 wounded.
Wyoming soldiers still play a role in keeping the peace here, just in a virtual environment, like in the recently completed international exercise Key Resolve.
For three years, Brig. Gen. Steven Mount has worn two hats in the Army. He is the Wyoming Army National Guard commander, and for a few weeks a year, the wartime deputy chief of staff of operations for Eighth United States Army, in South Korea. His first trip to the South came in 1987 as a second lieutenant. He’s taken part in seven exercises in Korea, including four Key Resolves.
“I’m very proud of Wyoming’s connection here starting with the 300th AFA and the stellar job they did fighting. And, I’m very proud I was kind of able to reconnect with Korea and now seeing all of you (Wyoming soldiers) here,” Mount said. “This is one of the most important and most volatile areas of the world right now. We’ve got a guy up north that we’ve got to worry about. Deterrence is what’s keeping him in check, and what we do when we’re here helps maintain that deterrence.”
The North and South are technically still at war since 1953 when an armistice was signed. No peace treaty ever followed and tensions flare regularly.
The general alluded to a situation last year when North Korea fired two missiles into the South and later two South Korean soldiers by the Demilitarized Zone lost legs to landmines.
“It’s a big deal, and it pays dividends,” Mount said of the annual exercises. “You look at the tension and what happened last August when it heated up, and then you look at what we rehearsed and how it played into it; it really is a big deal.”
Maj. Robert LeJeune also continued the legacy of Wyoming artillerymen in Korea. The operations officer from Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 300th Field Artillery was part of Key Resolve’s Combined Joint Fires Element that coordinated virtual missile fire from air, sea and land for the exercise.
“That included Korean military and all of our components too,” LeJeune said. “It’s a lot of coordination, but we’d have final chop if support was needed in this area or that area.”
It has been 65 years since the first Wyoming Guard soldier set foot on the Korean peninsula. The combat may have stopped but Wyoming continues to play key roles in deterring aggression against a long-time ally.
| Date Taken: | 04.06.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 04.06.2016 14:31 |
| Story ID: | 194561 |
| Location: | SEOUL, KR |
| Web Views: | 84 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Wyoming Army National Guard continues relationship with ROK, by SFC James McGuire, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
