Photo By Lt. Col. Carol McClelland | (From left) Pong Ku O and Young Hon Kim, both with the Korean Service Corps, sit down...... read more read more
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CAMP CAROLL, Korea – “Moong Chi Ja” means “two joined as one.” It’s the motto of a specialized unit whose past will one day become its future.
The 23rd Chemical Battalion, whose mission is to counter chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive threats, is currently based at Fort Lewis, Wash., and has been since 2005. But before then, the battalion was assigned to Korea. And that’s where its leadership met members of the Korean Service Corps that still serve there today.
About a dozen of those KSC’s unexpectedly reunited with soldiers they served with years ago. Brig. Gen. Leslie Smith, Col. William King and Sgt. Maj. Merika Barnes all now assigned to the 20th Support Command (CBRNE) at Aberdeen Proving Ground, are three of the soldiers that reminisced. They are currently deployed to Camp Carroll, near Daegu, participating in a large combined joint exercise staged throughout Korea called Ulchi Freedom Guardian.
“The first day I got here I went to the gym and saw Mr. O. We recognized each other immediately,” said Smith, who was the battalion operations officer and executive officer between 1997 and 1999. He worked in the unit when it stood up four companies with the primary mission to man, train and equip both U.S. and KATUSA soldiers--Korean Augmentees to the U.S. Army.
“The unique thing was the unit was made up of half U.S. and half KATUSA soldiers,” Smith said, the Combined Task Force for Elimination commander for UFG-11. “We’d build units, train them at Camp Carroll, then move the units to other camps. The KSC’s were an integral part of the unit. They were dedicated and focused on accomplishing the mission, and being good teammates to their U.S. counterparts,” he added.
The dedicated KSC that Smith met his first day in country was Mr. Pong Ku O. Back then Mr. O was the commander’s driver. Now, he’s the KSC Mobile Labor Force Team Leader who works with U.S. Army units to support their requirements during exercises at Camp Carroll.
“It’s been a long time. I was happy to see the commander as a general now,” O said of Smith.
Mr. O, 58, has worked at Camp Carroll for 31 years in the KSC. He likes to reminisce and does so on occasion with his colleague, Young Hon Kim. Mr. O spreads out photographs and certificates of appreciation from 1999 and 2004, in pristine condition, still in their green, Army award binders. Framed photos and certificates from his time with the 23rd line the walls of his office and his Order of the Dragon induction certificate from the Army’s Chemical Corps is proudly displayed.
Mr. Kim, now a logistics management specialist in the KSC, worked in personnel in the 23rd Chemical Battalion for seven years, then as a nuclear, biological, chemical trainer for eight years. He remembers the 20th Support Command (CBRNE) soldiers and when the 23rd left Camp Carroll.
“It was unhappy for us because we had worked there almost 15 years. We had to find other jobs,” Mr. Kim said. He said some KSCs went elsewhere in Korea but most stayed at Camp Carroll, explaining that the Korean culture is to stay close to home.
Col. William King, now the operations lead for the 20th, remembers the exact day the unit closed down in Korea. It was Dec. 18, 2004, and he was the battalion commander leading the move to Fort Lewis.
“They made us successful,” King said of the KSAs. He was pleased to learn of all the successes the KSAs who worked as mechanics, drivers, supply, builders etc. in the unit, have had since. “It was a renewing of friendship of old comrades,” he said.
When Mr. Kim heard from Mr. O that soldiers from their former unit were back at the camp participating in the exercise, he quickly sent out an e-mail to the 20 KSC members still at Camp Carroll to attend an impromptu dinner. About 11 were able to attend.
“It was really good, especially for the history of our group. Everyone wanted to talk at the same time,” Kim said.
Sgt. Maj. Merika Barnes didn’t attend the dinner, but she too ran into Mr. O working out on the gym treadmill. “He remembered me right away and said, ‘You were our first sergeant.’ He asked me if I was still a first sergeant and I said, ‘No, I’m a sergeant major.’ Then he gave me a big high-five,” Barnes said.
Barnes has fond memories of Mr. O and the other KSCs she worked with daily while in the 23rd. And Mr. O said he stays in contact via email with some of the American soldiers he’s worked with through the years.
The 23rd is scheduled to come back to Korea from Fort Lewis in the not too distant future, which makes the KSCs happy. They hope to be invited to the ceremony when the unit returns.
“Korea is one of the U.S. government’s highest priorities and the return of the unit to Korea is proof of that,” Smith said.
Until the unit can exercise it’s “Moong Chi Ja” motto again and new memories are made of the 23rd Chemical Battalion in Korea, Mr. O, Mr. Kim and the other KSCs and American soldiers keep their memories of their time together.
“I’m happy anytime someone wants to talk about the 23rd,” Mr. O said. “I have good memories of the battalion commanders and the soldiers. And memories are forever.”
| Date Taken: | 08.25.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 08.26.2011 09:54 |
| Story ID: | 75979 |
| Location: | CAMP CAROLL, BUSAN GWANG'YEOGSI [PUSAN-KWANGYOKSHI], KR |
| Web Views: | 212 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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