Here is an interesting article about one of the seven American civilians that were captured and killed in captivity during the Korean War:
William Evans says his father and namesake was a mining engineer who acted as an adviser to the U.S. military in Seoul when the Korean War broke out. He was captured by the North Koreans and died alongside U.S. soldiers imprisoned by a brutal commander known as “The Tiger.” COURTESY OF WILLIAM EVANS
The list of American civilians lost in North Korea during the 1950-53 war is short. Just seven names, compared with more than 7,000 troops.
But William Evans says the government has a responsibility to try to bring them all home.
His father and namesake was a mining engineer he says acted as an adviser to the U.S. military in Seoul when the Korean War broke out. He was captured by the North Koreans and died alongside U.S. soldiers imprisoned by a brutal commander known as “The Tiger.”
Evans, a 72-year-old retired professor, is hoping his father may be brought home as the hunt for remains gains new attention.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed during his June 12 summit with President Donald Trump to try to recover the war dead, including “the immediate repatriation of those already identified.” (…..)
Less known is a list of seven American civilians who died in the war and were not recovered, including Evans’ father who ended up in a group of more than 700 mostly 24th Infantry Division soldiers commanded by a notorious North Korean officer.
Pfc. Wayne “Johnnie” Johnson, one of just 262 survivors from the so-called “Tiger group,” secretly recorded the names of 496 fellow prisoners who died in captivity.
The “Johnnie Johnson list,” which didn’t become public until the 1990s, recorded the date of death for William H. Evans Sr. as Dec. 12, 1950. He was 55. [Stars & Stripes]
No words needed how hot the weather in Korea is in these days. So a Donga reporter went out and roasted pork and soft-boiled eggs BY THE SUNBEAM ONLY https://t.co/pi2Jijn3Kg
Shown is the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the border with North Korea in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, on July 24, 2018. The Defense Ministry said on the day it is pushing for a plan to withdraw forces and equipment from border guard posts “on a trial basis” in line with the April inter-Korean summit agreement to halt all hostile acts and reduce tensions. (Yonhap)
It seems to me that the heat wave in South Korea did not cause this heat injury considering the article says he fell out when the temperature was 77 F. It seems like other factors such as how well hydrated he was before and during the ruck march might be more responsible than a 77 degree F temperature, especially with the humidity in South Korea. A major question that will need to be asked is how much water were the airmen carrying on the march and were there water stations for access to more water?:
This photo was posted on a GoFundMe page for the family of Airman 1st Class Mikhahael Ragay (right), who suffered a severe heat injury during training at Osan Air Base, South Korea. COURTESY OF LOGAN PALMER
A South Korea-based airman who collapsed during a ruck march is among thousands hospitalized from a heat wave that has claimed dozens of lives this month in the Far East.
A GoFundMe page seeking donations for the family of Airman 1st Class Mikhahael Ragay says that “during a ruck at Osan Air Base, South Korea, A1C Ragay fell out due to heat exhaustion/dehydration. His core body temperature was 108 degrees Fahrenheit and he is currently in critical condition in a comatose state. His family flew out to Osan to be with him, and all proceeds will go to his family to support them during this difficult time.”
Members of the 51st Security Forces Squadron participated in a ruck march at about 6 a.m. Saturday, said Staff Sgt. Tinese Jackson, a 51st Fighter Wing spokeswoman. The trek culminated an eight-day Combat Readiness Course, which is an initial training exercise for airmen new to the unit.
“A member of the 51st SFS passed out during the ruck march and was taken to the emergency room,” she said. “The Airman is currently being treated and recovering at an off-base hospital in the Republic of Korea.” [Stars & Stripes]
You can read more at the link, but hopefully the airman makes a full recovery.
It will be interesting to see how many remains the Kim regime actually returns this week. Previous reports said up to 55 which is quite a large number:
North Korea seems to have completed preparations for the transfer of the remains of American service members killed in the Korean War, as it has received wooden boxes from the United States, a diplomatic source in Seoul said Thursday.
“North Korea recently took two truckloads of wooden boxes to be used for the remains repatriation. It’s expected to hand over the remains on July 27 as agreed upon,” the source said.
On Friday, the two Koreas and the U.S. commemorate the 65th signing anniversary of the Armistice Agreement that ended the three-year conflict.
The U.S.-led United Nations Command had stored the boxes at the border village of Panmunjom for weeks. [Yonhap]
Like I have been maintaining, I don’t think anyone should panic unless sanctions are dropped for little to nothing in return from North Korea. This recent announcement suggests the sanctions will remain in place:
This photo, taken July 25, 2018, shows Deputy Minister for National Defense Policy, Yeo Suk-joo (R), shaking hands with Roberta Shea, acting deputy assistant secretary of defense at the 14th Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue in Seoul. (Yonhap)
South Korea and the United States agreed Thursday to keep enforcing sanctions against North Korea until it takes “concrete, verifiable” steps toward denuclearization, during their biannual working-level defense talks.
During the 14th Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) in Seoul, the two sides also shared the view that there is a need to continuously explore ways to build trust with Pyongyang as long as the communist state maintains a “good-will” dialogue.
Seoul’s defense ministry announced the outcome of the two-day talks. Deputy Minister for National Defense Policy, Yeo Suk-joo, represented the South Korean side, while Roberta Shea, acting deputy assistant secretary of defense, led the U.S. delegation.
During the talks, the two sides mentioned “meaningful progress” following two inter-Korean summits in April and May and last month’s U.S.-North Korea summit despite concerns over a perceived lack of progress in the North’s denuclearization process. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but I wonder what the Moon administration’s definition of “concrete, verifiable” steps is?
Fairly amazing how Trump has normalized widespread penny-ante corruption in his administration in just 18 months. Rather disturbing how quickly the norms folded when confronted by T’s brazenness. Another sign that there’s an anti-democratic potential in US we didn’t really expect https://t.co/pwxbSac0Nf
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (front) visits a sapling farm in the country’s eastern province of Kangwon in an apparent bid to highlight the importance of forests, in this undated photo released by the North’s ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun on July 24, 2018. (Yonhap)
The big question is will the North Koreans likewise remove an equal number of troops and equipment? If so how far away from the DMZ are they moving?:
South Korea’s defense ministry said Tuesday that it is pushing for a plan to withdraw forces and their equipment from border guard posts “on a trial basis” in line with the April inter-Korean summit agreement to halt all hostile acts and reduce tensions.
In a policy briefing to the National Assembly’s defense committee, the ministry also said that it would consider the “full-scale pullout” in sync with a cross-border survey of historical remains and ecological features within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas.
After their summit at the truce village of Panmunjom on April 27, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to transform the DMZ into a “peace zone in a genuine sense.”
“To realize the transformation of the DMZ into a peace zone, as stated in the Panmunjom Declaration, (the ministry) is seeking a plan to expand the (withdrawal) program in stages after pulling out troops and equipment from the guard posts within the DMZ,” the ministry said. [Korea Times]
I can’t help but think that there is more to this story:
Spc. Yea Ji Sea, has served four years in the U.S. Army. She filed a lawsuit Thursday, July 19, 2018, asking for a response to her American citizenship application after the military moved to discharge her.
A U.S. Army specialist born in South Korea has sued asking for a response to her American citizenship application after the military moved to discharge her.
Yea Ji Sea, a 29-year-old from Gardena, California, who has served four years and is assigned to the duty station at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, filed a lawsuit Thursday in federal court.
She came to the country as a child on a visitor visa and held other visas before enlisting in 2013 under a special government program for foreign citizens who want to serve in the U.S. military. Under the program, recruits agreed in their enlistment contracts to apply to naturalize as soon as their honorable service was certified. [Associated Press]
You can read more at the link, but the article states she had a forged document from a defunct language school that caused her first application to be revoked causing her to reapply in 2016. It is hard and time consuming to get citizenship without the drama of forged documents.
