Serving in the ROK and US Army
This story from the Stars and Stripes reminds me of the American KATUSA post I blogged a couple of weeks ago. The difference is that this US soldier actually served in the ROK Army before joining the US army.
I was wondering about the U.S. Army and the military system. When I was 34 years old, it was my last chance to join the Army,” he said.
Service as an M-60 machine gunner in the South Korean army’s 2nd Infantry Division from 1989 to 1992 meant Yoon had a head start on other recruits during basic training in the United States.
“The U.S. military system and the Korean army system are the same style. U.S. basic training is almost the same thing,” said the soldier, who earned expert rankings in grenade throwing and machine-gun operation during basic training.
Life in the U.S. Army is a world away from service with the South Korean army, Yoon said.
“The ROK army is a duty. Most people in the ROK army are doing compulsory military service. For the U.S. Army, it is a job and there is a long history. In the ROK army there was no freedom and we worked until we slept. Here we have a lot of freedom after work,” he said.
Interesting reading the differences about the ROK Army compared to the US Army.
If you are surprised that this guy joined the Army at 34 you really shouldn’t be. I have seen many people join the Army in their 30’s especially since 9/11. I actually knew an NCO who was in the Air Force for 8 years got out and after 9/11 he enlisted again but this time in the Army with his 18 year old son to fight the war on terror. However, they would have to wait to fight terrorism because the dad got sent to Korea the son to Europe. However, as fate would have it, they both ended up getting deployed and are both currently serving in Iraq.
