Photo By Sgt. Samuel Han | A U.S. soldier transports a 10 kilogram bag of rice and 30 eggs to the house of an...... read more read more
YONGSAN GARRISON, Republic of Korea – For Kim, Young-soon, an unforgettable source of hope in her time of need was offered by the Eighth Army and the Good Neighbor Program.
Ever since the 74-year-old and her husband Kim, Cha-young retired 16 years ago, a room about 6 feet long and 5 feet wide was the place they called ‘home.’
The tiny room was stuffed with all of the possessions owned by the couple, and was lined up next to several other identical rooms which housed their neighbors. Even with barely enough room for two people to sit, much less lie down in, this room was where they ate, slept, and lived.
“We bought everything in this house when my husband still had a job. Back then we at least had a salary, so we could occasionally afford to purchase these things,” Kim said.
After years of living on the supplies and food provided by the government, however, Kim admitted, “Now, we’re at the point of slowly selling our belongings one by one.”
One thing that had been causing much grief for the couple was the fact that Kim was experiencing many health problems related to high blood pressure and diabetes. Unfortunately, their lack of money meant that they could not properly deal with these issues. Consequently, every time an urgent health problem emerged, they resorted to selling what little they had to squeeze out just enough money to pay the medical bills.
“With the way things are, we really need help and I often wonder how we make it through each day when we have so little money and food.”
As Kim described her situation, it seemed amazing that, even with the poverty and difficulties, she somehow always had something to be grateful for such as her doctor who was willing to help her out, the government which supported them, and her husband.
On Dec. 6, her gratitude went out to the Eighth Army soldiers and the members of the Good Neighbor Program who had delivered a 10 kilogram bag of rice, 30 eggs, and a blanket to her home as part of their outreach program to the Dongja-dong community.
This was no little donation for them.
“Just the other day, I was outside thinking to myself, ‘We barely have anything to eat at home,’ but every time I see the prices at the market, I know I can’t afford to buy anything – not even ten eggs,” she said.
“But today, the U.S. soldiers brought me so many eggs and so much rice, it almost seems like God must have seen how desperate we were and sent them to help us out. There is no way that I can ever repay or thank you enough for what you did for me,” she said as she wiped away her tears.
Although the outreach program may not have eradicated their problems, it was definitely a great source of help and encouragement to the couple in a time of great need.
| Date Taken: | 12.06.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 12.13.2011 20:15 |
| Story ID: | 81323 |
| Location: | YONGSAN GARRISON, SEOUL TEUGBYEOLSI [SEOUL-T'UKPYOLSHI], KR |
| Web Views: | 43 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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