Category: USFK

Just another example of how dangerous military training can be. Condolences to all the friends and family of SSG Wento:

A staff sergeant with the 2nd Infantry Division died Tuesday when his military vehicle overturned during training at the Rodriguez Live Fire Complex outside Pocheon, South Korea, according to 2nd ID on Friday.

Staff Sgt. James Wento, 34, of Lynn, Mass., was a wheeled mechanic with the 2-2 Assault Helicopter Battalion, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade at Camp Humphreys.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Here is another example of the effectiveness of the test and quarantine strategy implemented by USFK on newly arriving personnel:

 Seventeen American service members and six others affiliated with the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) tested positive for the new coronavirus upon arrival in South Korea from the United States, the U.S. military said Monday. 

The latest cases among the USFK-affiliated population rose to 509, most of whom have tested positive upon arrival in South Korea from the U.S.

Of the newly reported cases, eight service members and one dependent arrived at Osan Air Base in the city of Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on U.S. government chartered flights from the U.S. between Dec. 16 and 29, according to USFK.

Nine service members, three dependents, one contractor and one retired service member arrived on international commercial flights at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, between Dec. 16 and 31, it added.

Nine of them tested positive on their first mandatory COVID-19 test prior to entering quarantine. Two of them were confirmed to have been infected in a subsequent test while in quarantine, and the remainder tested positive in their mandatory test required to exit quarantine, the U.S. military said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It appears that a couple of former U.S. military retirees and their wives have test positive for the coronavirus:

Two former US service members and their spouses have tested positive for the new coronavirus after coming into contact with another retired couple who were earlier confirmed to have contracted the virus, US Forces Korea said Friday.

The four individuals tested positive Thursday following direct contact with the other couple who was confirmed to have been infected with the virus the previous day, according to the US military.

“Contact tracing revealed the six individuals had contact with each other on Dec. 25,” it said.

One of the two couples newly confirmed with the virus last visited Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on Tuesday while the other was last on the base on Dec. 23.

The four of them — all residing in the southeastern city of Sangju — are currently in isolation at a facility in Camp Humphreys designated for coronavirus patients.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

KATUSA’s and ROK civilians working for USFK will be given a choice of whether they want to take the COVID vaccine or not:

 The defense ministry decided Wednesday to allow South Korean soldiers and civilian workers affiliated with the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) to get COVID-19 vaccinations with doses shipped from the U.S. for its service members stationed here, officials said. 

The South Korean troops affiliated with the Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army, known as KATUSA, as well as civilians working for USFK, are eligible for the inoculation according to the U.S. government’s vaccination plan, and USFK and Seoul’s defense ministry have discussed the matter.

“We’ve notified USFK of our decision that the inoculation will be possible if the Korean nationals can make a voluntary decision and the U.S. military provides a list of those taking shots to our side,” the defense ministry said in a statement.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This may seem like a big number, but I believe this just shows USFK’s screening measures for the coronavirus are working as intended:

Fifteen American service members, five family members and one U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) retiree tested positive for the new coronavirus upon arrival in South Korea from the United States over the past few weeks, the USFK said Monday.

Of them, five service members arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on U.S. government-chartered flights between Nov. 29 and Dec. 19, according to the U.S. military. 

Ten other service personnel, five dependents and one USFK retiree arrived on commercial flights at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, it added. 

Fourteen of them tested positive on their first mandatory COVID-19 test prior to entering quarantine, and the remainder were confirmed to have contracted the virus on their second mandatory test, according to the USFK.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but if USFK was not screening newly arriving personnel so stringently it is likely that the low case numbers USFK has experienced overall would not have happened.

I wonder how long USFK is willing to keep so many people in a telework status if the spread of coronavirus in South Korea continues at its current pace?:

The U.S. military command in South Korea is raising its coronavirus risk level and imposing new restrictions as the peninsula experiences record-breaking levels of new infections.

South Korea counted 1,078 newly infected coronavirus patients Tuesday, a pandemic record for that country, and 12 deaths, according to the country’s Central Disease Control Headquarters.

U.S. Forces Korea is returning to Health Protection Condition-Charlie, which reflects a substantial risk of the virus spreading, starting at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, according to a Facebook post by the command on Wednesday evening.

Only mission-essential personnel will report for duty, according to the statement. All others will telework. USFK will review the higher protection level Jan. 4.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link, but doing telework through the holidays is not a big deal when mostly everyone is on leave or half day schedule anyway. After the holidays is when the hard decision is going to have to be made because keeping soldiers on telework will eventually impact readiness.

Here is more details about the battalion command team that was suspended at Camp Humphreys:

The Army has suspended a battalion commander and command sergeant major in South Korea while an investigation is conducted into allegations of racism, bigotry and discrimination.

Maj. Gen. Steve Gilland, commander of the 2nd Infantry Division, suspended the command team — Lt. Col. Sean McBride and Command Sgt. Maj. Mario Salomone — of the 602nd Aviation Support Battalion after receiving an anonymous tip alleging racist behavior, according to a Dec. 12 Facebook statement from Lt. Gen. W. M. Burleson III, commander of Eighth Army at Camp Humphreys. (……..)

McBride and Salomone will remain suspended for the duration of the investigation, according to the statement.

“These actions do not presuppose any outcome and are intended to ensure a full, fair, and impartial inquiry,” Burleson said in the statement. “Other allegations properly within the authority of Criminal Investigation Division are being addressed by them.”

Military.com

You can read more at the link and the Army Times has more about the racism allegations as well.

USFK continues to slowly but surely give back more its land to South Korea. It will be interesting if any of the left wing groups will use this as an opportunity to protest environmental issues like they have done for past hand overs:

Parts of Yongsan Garrison and the former headquarters of Stars and Stripes in Seoul are among a dozen U.S. military sites that will be returned to South Korea by U.S. forces, according U.S. and South Korean officials.

The decision, which did not include timelines for the handovers, was made during a virtual Status of Forces Agreement Joint Committee meeting involving both nations Friday, according to a statement that day.

“The parties agree that further delays aggravate the economic and social challenges of the local communities surrounding the camps and that the returns process should be expedited,” the statement said.

Included in a list of facilities is the Far East Engineer District Compound in Seoul’s Dongdaemun neighborhood that was home to Stars and Stripes’ South Korean headquarters before it relocated to Camp Humphreys, south of Seoul, in September 2018.

Also on the list are parts of Pilsung Air Range, Taebaek; parts of Camp Walker, Daegu; Commander Naval Forces Korea Detachment, Pohang; parts of Camp Mobile, Dongducheon; Camp Jackson, Uijeongbu; Sungnam Golf Course, Hanam; Seobinggo Compound, Seoul; Niblo Barracks, Seoul; 8th Army (Religious) Retreat Center, Seoul; Camp Kim, Seoul; and parts of Yongsan Garrison, Seoul.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.