Category: Uncategorized

I don’t smoke and think dipping is pretty disgusting but I do think it is a slippery slope when I read about bans like this that the Air Force is contemplating:

Air Force officials said Thursday that a widespread ban on tobacco products is possible, but not imminent. 

Specialists are working on such policies and they appear to be a likely option in the not-so-distant future, according to Lt. Col. Steven Pflanz, chairman of the Air Force’s Integrated Delivery System, an arm of the service’s Community Action Information Board. The board, which meets quarterly, is designed to identify and resolve concerns from a variety of sources throughout the Air Force.

“There was general support for moving forward with a restrictive policy and evaluating carefully what that policy should be,” Pflanz said of the CAIB meeting held two weeks ago.

“There is recognition that to get anywhere near our goal, we have to try something new.”

The Air Force must obviously not have much other pressing concerns if this is what they are focusing on.  If the Army announced a ban on tobacco there would be damn near a mutiny in the ranks with the amount of people who smoke and dip which often includes senior leaders.  I don’t use tobacco which means any tobacco ban in the Army wouldn’t effect me, but I’m not for this because where do you draw the line?  If tobacco is banned than what is to stop someone from banning alcohol next?  Then what will be banned after that?  Additionally how many good airmen that do smoke are going to get in trouble under this policy if imposed that ordinarily would not?  Should the military be possibly ruining careers over someone sneaking in a smoke during lunch? 

Military Policemen have been making plenty of headlines recently and this incident in Iraq has to be the most outrageous misconduct by an MP I have seen yet:

Lt. Col. William H. Steele was commander of the 451st Military Police Detachment and is being held in Kuwait, an Army spokesman in Iraq said.

The charge of aiding the enemy involved providing an unmonitored cell phone to detainees at Camp Cropper, a military prison in Baghdad where — at times — Saddam Hussein and other high-value prisoners have been held. The maximum penalty for aiding the enemy is the death sentence.

A second charge, of conduct unbecoming an officer, alleges that Steele “did … knowingly and wrongfully fraternize with the daughter of a detainee,” according to a military news release detailing the charges.

Additionally, Steele “did … knowingly and wrongfully provide special privileges to and maintain an inappropriate relationship with an interpreter,” the release read.

In all, Steele faces nine counts of four different violations of the Uniformed Code of Military Justice. Among the others: unauthorized possession of classified information, storing classified information in his living space, improperly marking classified informatione, failure to obey a lawful order from the 89th Military Police Brigade Deputy Commander, violating General Order Number 1 by possessing pornographic videos and mishandling military funds.

How in the heck did someone this jacked up become a battalion commander to begin with, much less put in charge of the most sensitive prison in Iraq?  If these incidents keep up I made need to add an MP related incident category to my archives.  So anymore thoughts on if MPs make the stupidest criminals.

Thailand is holding roughly 400 North Korean defectors in their jails and has threatened to return them to North Korea.  Now the defectors are all going on a hunger strike in order to draw attention to their plight and force the South Korean government to help them:

Hundreds of North Korean defectors detained in a Thai immigration detention center have gone on a hunger strike to protest an alleged delay or decline by South Korea in the process of accepting them, activists said Wednesday.

"The South Korean government refused to issue air tickets for unknown reasons, so 100 male and 300 female North Korean defectors started a hunger strike Tuesday evening," said Lee Ho-taek, secretary general of a civic group helping defectors from the North.

The Moral Bankruptcy of the Korean government continues. 

You can read more on this over at One Free Korea.

As many of you may remember, last year South Korea decided they would rather send a over a billion dollars to North Korea this year rather than properly fund the US-ROK alliance. Well now the impacts from this decision may effect the USFK transformation plans:

In a written statement to a Senate Armed Service Committee hearing on Monday, Gen. Burwell Bell said, Without more equitable allied SMA funding, we may be forced to recommend a range of fiscal measures to the U.S. government, including a review of base relocation and consolidation plans.

Commenting on a new Special Measures Agreement (SMA) on Korea’s cost sharing support for the USFK for 2007-2008 concluded at the end of last year, Bell said, The two allied nations should contribute approximately 50 percent each of the non-personnel stationing costs (NPSC) for U.S. forces in Korea.

But Korea paid 38 percent of upkeep last year and is to pay 41 percent this year. Bell said that was still short of the principle of equitable 50-50 cost sharing. He added, I cannot allow readiness to suffer, and I will not allow the quality of life of my service members or families to suffer.

In other base transformation news, if the expanded Camp Humphreys is to be built a contracting consortium has been selected to build the base expansion. There is only one problem, of one of the five contractors chosen; the company’s president is the husband of the commander of the US Army Corps of Engineers Far East District, Colonel Janice Dombi who’s department was responsible for awarding the contracts. Can anyone say conflict of interest?

Here is my nominee.  Unbelievable.

The Party Pooper has the scoop (here and here) of one of the biggest news stories of this year, the showdown between King Bhumibal and Rain.  Funny stuff, and yes we all do owe a debt of gratitude to the people of Thailand. 

Courtesy of OFK, he reminds us that North Korea is now 11 days past the agreed upon deadline to shut down their nuclear reactor. Since North Korea has once again failed to live up to their end of an agreement what penalties have they faced for this? Well not much. First of all the US agreed to give them back $25 million dollars worth of frozen funds in a Macao bank that were linked to the counterfeiting of US currency. The funds were given back to them for a “pledge” from the North Koreans to use the money for humanitarian purposes. Yeah right.

Secondly, the South Koreans went and handed over $400,000 worth of cash in a suitcase to the North Koreans to use to supposedly buy computers. Sure they will. Then to top it of 400,000 tons of rice aid was sent to North Korea despite their failure to meet the nuclear deadline. Additionally the slave labor park in Kaesong is still being allowed to operate in violation of a UN resolution.

If these are the penalties for non-compliance I would hate to see what the rewards will be.

Everyone in USFK is getting into taxi cab related incidents now, even the GNC employees:

Kunsan Air Base’s commander restricted all airmen to the base Monday after two Air Force police officers and a third American allegedly pummeled a local cab driver and tried to make off with his car early that morning.

Col. Jeffrey Lofgren, 8th Fighter Wing commander, also pledged a “thorough investigation” and “appropriate action” against those involved in the assault, according to a news release.

The 48-year-old driver, identified only by his surname of Lee, was treated for bruises at a hospital and released after the 1:30 a.m. attack in Kunsan City, South Korean police told Stars and Stripes.

Police said two of the suspects are two members of Kunsan’s 8th Security Forces squadron. The third American is a 23-year-old of Korean descent who works at a GNC health products store on base, police said.

(more…)

The Stars and Stripes has a profile of Korea’s coolest taxi:

For the cost of regular taxi fare, Cho Young-ho gives servicemembers and others a veritable Hard Rock Cafe on wheels — minus the $10 hamburger — while they drive toward their destination.

Cho worked as an amplifier technician before beginning driving his own taxi 15 years ago. Music soon became a passion; he began searching for rare recordings in markets and secondhand stores throughout Seoul.

He added the audio equipment and decorations about four years ago, to rave reviews from servicemembers.

I have never caught this guy’s cab, but I have been in a few other cabs that had been greatly customized much like what this cab driver has done.  The coolest cab I was ever in was one that had on the outside these really awesome custom rims with a ground effects kit that lit the ground underneath the cab green.  Then on the inside he a karaoke system, TV, and a disco ball among a host of other customizations. 

Check out what this guy had to say about Americans:

“They are usually very amazed and enthusiastic. Some go mad, really!” Cho said. “Their positive reactions bring me a lot of joy, too.”

Cho says he’s had some problems with passengers leaving without paying or roughing up his taxi. But overall, he says he often enjoys Americans most among his foreign passengers.

“The American passengers are mostly open-minded, so generous and sincerely appreciate my effort, including an unexpected tip,” Cho said. “Above all, they know how to enjoy the music from their hearts.”

Hopefully idiots like this don’t ruin Cho’s good attitude towards Americans.

From Yonhap:

Two South Korean soldiers were found shot dead at a military base in a remote area about 130 km east of Seoul on Friday, the Army said.

"The Army corporals, both in their 20s, were on guard duty at an ammunition depot when a fellow soldier heard shots about 11:50 a.m. at the engineering unit in Heongseong, Gangwon Province," an Army official said. "The Army is investigating the incident."
The soldiers were carrying K-1 rifles with dozens of live bullets at the time of the incident, he added.

One soldier, whose surname was Lee, was shot on the neck, and the other one, identified only by his family name Han, was shot in the belly, according to the Army.

"All the shots appear to have been fired from Lee’s rifle," the official said.

I am obviously speculating here, but I wonder if there was an accidental discharge that killed soldier hit in the belly and the other soldier shocked from the accident turned the gun on himself?  I wonder if it is standard practice for the ROK Army to have their rifles loaded when on guard duty?

HT: Nomad