This is really nothing new and apears to be making more headlines in America than in Korea. I have to say that Andy over at the Marmot’s Hole probably sums this incident up the best.

Courtesy of OFK, comes this great interview of a modern day Korean sex slave in China.  Here is a sample of the interview:

For a while, all seemed well: she earned her keep, and a little pocket money, by working on the family farm, obtained a false identity and even began a romance with the farmers’ son.

Then, four years ago, she was caught by the Chinese police, searching farm to farm in a crackdown on illegal immigrants. “They checked my documents, and they were fake,” said Miss Ban.

“They said they would arrest me and give me back to the North Korean authorities. We all know what that means.”

The policemen forced her to have sex with each of them in turn, and then demanded she hand them most of her savings in return for keeping quiet.

The only alternative then was to go on the run again. “I knew they would not leave me alone,” she said. “These people are like leeches. They would suck you dry, and when you are of no further use to them, give you away.”

That was when a North Korean friend offered her a job at the massage parlour, where she is “protected” because the owner bribes the police.

She is unusual in having gone there of her own accord: many of her colleagues, she says, have been “sold” to the parlour in order to pay their debts to cross-border people-trafficking gangs. The slightest word of complaint, and the police will be tipped off about their illegal status.

This is what Ms. Ban had to say about returning to North Korea:

People like Miss Ban, however, have extra reason to feel a shudder when they glance across the river. Should she be caught by the Chinese authorities and deported, she would face jail, labour camp and possibly even execution, all for the crime of abandoning the “paradise on earth” created by Kim Jong-il, North Korea’s tyrant leader.

She vows, however, that this will never happen. “The only way I’m going back to Korea is in a coffin,” she said, a look of defiance flashing across her face. “F*** you, comrade Kim Jong-il.”

Make sure you read the whole thing because her story is tragic and representative of the tens of thousands of North Korean refugees hiding in China that South Korea and the rest of the world prefer to pretend do not exist.  This is why I have a hard time taking seriously the demagogues that condemn Japan for sexual slavery of women during World War II, but they do nothing to stop the trafficking of sex slaves in China today.

UPDATE: Rick Moran has a good posting that provides a great reality check over the whole Beauchamp saga and tends to confirm my opinion that outing him was good, but the gloating over it is getting over done.  Over at Neocon News they have a hilarious graphic related to the Beauchamp saga you should check out.

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Via Blackfive, comes this news that Private Scott Beauchamp has admitted to being a fraud:

THE WEEKLY STANDARD has learned from a military source close to the investigation that Pvt. Scott Thomas Beauchamp–author of the much-disputed “Shock Troops” article in the New Republic’s July 23 issue as well as two previous “Baghdad Diarist” columns–signed a sworn statement admitting that all three articles he published in the New Republic were exaggerations and falsehoods–fabrications containing only “a smidgen of truth,” in the words of our source.

By signing the sworn statement admitting he lied, Beauchamp is probably only looking at getting an Article 15 after all of this is said and done.  If he wrote on a sworn statement that his stories were true and then was later proven to be false than he would be looking at big trouble for lying on a sworn statement, which is a huge no, no in the military.  What Beauchamp did does piss me off, but fibbing and exaggerating war stories I seriously doubt is something that rises to court martial offense.  An Article 15 is a good way to handle this issue.  Article 15’s are handled within the unit and are quick to administer thus preventing turning Beauchamp into a leftist martyr by a prolonged court martial process.  

This would be at least the second Article 15 for Beauchamp which could open him up for removal from the military with a chapter for pattern of misconduct.  Judging by his writings he may have psychological issues that may be enough to have him chaptered for a personality disorder.  Anyway chaptering him from the military should be a priority and Beauchamp probably wouldn’t mind because it will speed up his career to become a latest leftist war hero, which is why he joined the military in the first place. 

Another interesting question is if the US military has been sitting on the fact he signed a sworn statement admitting he lied just to let the The New Republic hang itself with all its claims of fact checking and verifying of the story.  If the Army intentionally did that, it was extremely clever, but it was probably an unattended consequence.  Either way The New Republic’s creditability which wasn’t much to begin with, is totally shattered. 

Michelle Malkin and Ace have good postings up as well on the latest Beauchamp news,but I do have to say that I find the gloating a bit over done.  The guy is a dumbass and is being held accountable for his actions.  Probably no punishment for Beauchamp will be more painful than the fact that he has been disgraced in front of everyone in his unit.  Imagine how hard it must be for him to go to the chow hall at Camp Falcon now and look other soldiers in the eye after everyone knows what he did. 

I highly recommend everyone read this article by a Jesuit priest Rev. Paul McNellis, sums up the Beauchamp saga quite well without rejoicing in the fact Beauchamp’s life has hit some definite self inflicted hard times.

Here is a way to do something constructive, literally, to help out in Korea:

Nearly 140 airmen from Kunsan Air Base got a crash course last week in this country’s construction techniques when they volunteered to build an eight-family apartment building for Habitat for Humanity.

They learned that hallways are shorter and entryways are lower. Insulation goes up even in the interior walls to keep the house warm during the frigid winters. And Styrofoam ramps are installed under the roof so air passes through and a room doesn’t get too hot or too cold.

Their teachers: South Korean volunteers who worked alongside them. Their method of instruction: Broken English and lots of gesturing.

This is really a great project for the USFK airmen to participate in and Habitat for Humanity is something that USFK has long been involved with.  Great job by the Kunsan airmen involved in the project.

Why am I not surprised that the LA Times believes that soldiers, even the one injured and killed while serving their country, are not heroes:

Once upon a time, you had to do something truly exceptional to qualify as a full-fledged hero: single-handedly hold off a battalion of enemy soldiers to allow your platoon to escape, or rescue 100 children from a Nazi concentration camp. But today, just showing up at your Army recruiting station makes you an instant hero — and getting yourself hurt or killed doubles your heroism, even if you were sound asleep when your supply convoy went over an IED.

The empty rhetoric of heroism is everywhere these days. You know what I mean. Pat Tillman — the former NFL star — is "an American hero," apparently because he volunteered for duty along with several hundred thousand other people, then had the misfortune to be accidentally shot by his own side. Every wounded service member is a "hero" too: Sen. Hillary Clinton proudly sponsored the "Heroes at Home Act of 2007," intended to improve medical care for wounded military personnel, and the Defense Department recently sponsored the "Hiring Heroes Career Fair" to encourage companies to hire wounded veterans. No soldier left behind!

Bah, humbug. [LA Times, 03AUG07]

I actually read this after I got done reading this article in the Stars & Stripes:

In this Army community, a friend calls before coming over to have a cigarette.

A knock on the door can make a soldier’s spouse jumpy because it could be that knock.

“When it’s 8 o’clock at night and you’re not expecting anybody to come over, and someone just comes up and rings your doorbell, your heart stops,” said Krissi Van Oder, wife of Staff Sgt. Scott Van Order of the 9th Engineer Battalion.

“Or someone will call you on the phone and say, ‘This is sergeant so-and-so; your husband is OK,’ because they’ve had the experience of, ‘Oh my God, why are you calling?’”

“It’s terrible how many things can run through your head in 15 seconds,” Van Order said. “Your husband’s hurt. Somebody you know is hurt. Somebody you know was killed. They’re being extended.”

The 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division — known as the “Dagger Brigade” — has endured the deadliest deployment of any Europe-based U.S. military brigade in Iraq. Fifty-six troops have been killed in combat since the brigade deployed a year ago, mostly from roadside bombs. One death, described as noncombat related, is under investigation.

Some units have suffered more losses than others. The hardest hit — the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment — has reported 27 deaths. Next on this tragic list comes the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, with 19 deaths. [Stars & Stripes, 05AUG07]

How can anyone think, for example that the soldiers and families of the 1-26IN battalion that has been extended in Iraq and has already lost 27 soldiers during their deployment, are not heroes?  When I was in Iraq my battalion lost 6 soldiers and that was hard enough, but 27 fatalities has to be incredibly painful for all the soldiers and families in that unit.  Plus the unit probably has plenty of wounded soldiers as well that are equally heroic.  Yet after such sacrifice the unit soldiers on and is soldiering on well judging by the progress made by the US forces in Iraq. 

What is most impressive about soldiers today, is that most of them have enlisted after 9/11.  The left’s talking point about the poor kid who only enlisted into the military for college money and was forced into Bush’s War has long been proven false.  Most enlistments are 3-4 years in length; it has been nearly 6 years since 9/11.  I signed up for the military during the "peaceful" Clinton years, the choice was easy and not what I would consider heroic.  However, these soldiers enlisting today sign up knowing full well they are going to war.  Additionally the NCOs that lead these soldiers continue to reenlist knowing full well that they will be going back into harms way again with another combat deployment likely. This is what I call heroic.

The inspiring nature of today’s fighting men and women is why the left and their media allies have launched their continuing campaign to slime the members of the military serving today by labeling them as uneducated low lives and criminals responsible for committing war crimes all over Iraq and thus are not worthy of the nation’s respect. Of course none of this is true, but this perception is slowly being created by the media.  There is no better example than the recent "Scott Thomas" scandal. 

The soldiers deployed overseas fighting for their country and the families that support them are heroes and there is no better example than the 1-26IN battalion.  My best wishes to the soldiers and families of the 1-26IN battalion, you are all heroes. 

The Stars & Stripes have given an update today on the case of the pissed off Colonel’s wife:

The family’s attorneys law firm failed to show up at a July 22 court session in front of Judge Dang U-jeung just days after the Gerke family left the peninsula.

Lee Won-gyun, chief of the firm representing the Gerkes, said a scheduling mix-up was the reason no one from his firm appeared in court. The judge set the next session for Sept. 4.

Lee said the family would have settled for the $4,000 — but that the business center decided not to cooperate.

Business center spokesman Jimmy Park said last week that the business wasn’t sure if they would settle because the last time he saw Catherine Gerke, she was sprawled out on the floor of the center screaming that “she wanted $20,000 or $30,000.”

During the July court appearance, Park blasted the woman’s actions to the judge, who ordered Park to put his complaints in writing to the court.

Park said the business center is considering countersuing the family for Catherine’s behavior, which he believes made customers uncomfortable about using the business center.

“She’s just doing ridiculous things to hurt us every way she can,” Park said.

Where have I seen people rolling on the ground, crying, and protesting before?  It seems like Mrs. Gerke has spent to much time in Korea. Joking aside there has to be more to this story because Mrs. Gerke has vowed to fight on against the travel company for the $12,000 bucks she says she is owed even though she spent only $5,527 for the upgraded ticket.  Ridiculous case, but hey it makes great blogging material. 🙂

Today is the anniversary of the atomic bombing of the Japanese city of Hiroshima. There is much controversy centering around whether the US should of dropped the atomic bomb on Japan to end World War II. In this series of postings I will discuss this issue along with providing the historical context that went into the decision to use nuclear weapons.

From the Trinity Site to Hiroshima

The first nuclear weapon was tested at the Trinity Site on White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico at 5:29:45 a.m. Mountain Time on July 16, 1945. The 19 kiloton bomb was put on a 100 foot steel tower and exploded, causing what witnesses said, the sun to rise twice that day.

I have actually visited the Trinity Site on the White Sands Missile Range which is open to the public only twice a year. One girder of the original tower remains, the rest was evaporated, and the sand below the explosion was turned into a emerald green colored glass called Trinitite. Visitors are told not to pick it up because the glass is still radioactive.

Trinitite lying in the sand.

This is the memorial at the center of the Trinity Site.

The MacDonald Ranch house is where the nuclear bomb was assembled and also served as home to the scientists during the assembly phase of the nuclear bomb. When it came time to test the bomb the house was vacated, but some how the house survived the nuclear explosion:

The MacDonald farmhouse about 3 kilometers from the Trinity Site.

What makes the house’s survival more amazing is that structures around the farmhouse were leveled by the bomb:

But even more amazing then the house surviving is that this windmill some how survived:

This same phenomenon of singular structures remaining while others were completely obliterated by the bomb would happen again the next month in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

Hiroshima after the bombing in 1945

Hiroshima was a city of military importance. The city contained the headquarters of the Fifth Division and the 2nd General Army Headquarters, which commanded the defense of all of southern Japan. The city was also a communications center, a storage point, and an assembly area for the Japanese military. There was military justification for the attack to go along with the perceived need of the US leadership to break the will of the Japanese people by destroying an entire city. The weather was good, and the crew and equipment of the Enola Gay B-29 aircraft piloted and commanded by Colonel Paul Tibbets, took off to bomb their primary target of Hiroshima. The Enola Gay dropped the nuclear bomb called “Little Boy” over the central part of the city. It exploded about 600 meters (2,000 feet) above the city, killing initially an estimated 80,000 civilians. The radiation poisoning would claim twice as many lives as the initial bombing.

Today Hiroshima is a thriving city that has a deep memory of the tragedy of August 6, 1945. The city has erected a museum and memorial to mourn the victims of the atomic bombing. It is almost hard to believe today that Hiroshima was the site of an atomic bombing:

Hiroshima today is a thriving city.

Next Posting: Remembering Nagasaki

Today is the 62nd anniversary of the atomic bombing of the Japanese city of Hiroshima. There is much controversy centering around whether the US should have dropped the atomic bomb on Japan to end World War II. In this series of postings over the next few days, I will discuss this issue along with providing the historical context that went into the decision to use nuclear weapons.

Click here to continue reading this entry

The latest development in the Korean hostage crisis is that the Taliban has turned to the United Nations to guarantee the safety of Taliban negotiators.  It is a bit ironic that the Taliban is turning to the UN for protection when the Taliban has been actively murdering UN aid workers in Afghanistan.  It is not clear what negotiating power the Koreans will have since they have ruled out military force and the Afghan government is not going to release the Taliban prisoners. 

Meanwhile eight Korean government lawmakers are trying to harass Presidents Bush and Karzai who are meeting at Camp David into releasing Taliban prisoners:

Separately, eight South Korean lawmakers met State Department officials in Washington on Thursday to seek help.

"We have confirmed the complete support and sympathy for the Korean hostages who are going through great distress," lawmaker Park Jin told reporters after the meeting.

The South Korean government has called for "flexibility", a comment analysts say is directed at the United States to sway the Afghan government to strike a deal with the kidnappers.

This is only going to cause Karzai to be less likely to release any Taliban prisoners.  There is no way Karzai is going to release Taliban prisoners after being publicly pressured by the Korean government because it makes him look weak to the Afghani public.  I’m sure the Korean government officials know this, but the purpose of the trip was to deflect blame not an attempt to constructively work towards solving the hostage crisis.  These South Korean politicians are trying to show the Korean public that their government is trying to do something, but Bush and Karzai are the ones not doing anything. 

While the Korean government is trying to set up the US as the bogeymen if the hostages are killed, the US military is busy actually doing something that will help the hostages.  Over past two weeks increasing military operations have been launched against Taliban leadership targets.  It appears that the US military is putting pressure on the Taliban leadership by knocking them off one by one.  The latest Taliban leader to be reportedly killed was Mansor Dadullah who if you remember correctly from the Newsweek article was the Taliban leader who was in charge of foreigner kidnappings in Afghanistan. 

If the US military is able to accurately target Taliban leadership like they have these past few weeks they almost certainly are tracking the movements of the Korean hostages as well.  The Taliban kidnappers probably realize this and are probably now hesitant to kill any more hostages because it would mean the US military would be forced to launch a hostage rescue mission to save what hostages they could. 

It is amazing that with all the anti-US demagoguery by the Korean government, anti-US groups, and media that the one country doing more than anyone else to free the Korean hostages is the United States.  Holding one man vigils in front of the US embassy in Seoul will not save the hostages, negotiating from a point of strength by killing top Taliban leadership targets will. 

Courtesy TFM comes news that Korean golfer K.J. Choi wants to win for charity:

K.J. Choi can think of 10 million reasons why he wants to win the FedEx Cup, and it adds up to one reason why he might be a sentimental favorite.

"If I’m able to win it, I want to give it all to charity, 100 percent," Choi said.

The cynic in me wonders if he is just saying this because if he knows he probably will not win.  It seems if he was serious about charity wouldn’t he give any money he earns even if he places third for example to charity?  It will be interesting to see how this turns out.