Making a Stand

In the winter of 1951 the American commanded United Nations’ forces in Korea found themselves in a continuous full scale retreat from the Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) that had entered the Korean War in November 1950. Prior to the Chinese intervention into the war, the American commanders and troops expected the war to be over by Christmas 1950 after General Douglas MacArthur’s successful Inchon Landing Operation in September 1950 ultimately crushed the North Korean army and moved the war into the communist north to conduct mop up operations of the remainder of the North Korean military. However, the UN advance into North Korea would be short lived as 600,000 Chinese “volunteers” charged down the North Korean hillsides, inflicting heavy casualties, and putting the UN forces into full scale retreat. Once a retreat is started it is hard to stop especially when many of the soldiers retreating are draftees fighting in a “police action” they hardly understood and had been told just weeks prior that they would be home for Christmas.

It was going to take great leadership in order to stop the retreat and regain the fighting spirit of the United States military. The first sign of great leadership would come from newly installed Eighth United States Army commander General Matthew Ridgeway. Ridgeway was installed as the 8th Army commander after the death of former 8th Army commander General Walton Walker in a jeep accident in December 1950. Ridgeway served as a paratrooper during World War II; most notably as the division commander of the 82nd Airborne Division to include jumping into Normandy with his division during the D-Day Landings in 1944. Before coming to Korea Ridgeway was the commander of the Panama Canal Zone and was thus far removed from the happenings of Korea. Once in theatre Ridgeway quickly discovered how demoralized the American forces were and aggressively began to implement a no retreat policy. He in fact relieved his G3 operations officer when he drew up retreat contingency plans for the general to review. However, it is one thing to say no more retreat and quite another to get soldiers to implement and most importantly believe in this policy. The job to both implement and get soldiers to believe in this policy would fall to a man named Colonel Paul Freeman, at a place called Chipyong-ni.

COL Freeman was the commander of the 23rd US Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division (Yes the same 2ID of taxi cab related incident fame). The regiment had just come off a minor victory over Chinese troops at a place called Twin Tunnels three miles south of the village of Chipyong-ni. After the battle COL Freeman moved the regiment to the village that was located in a flat valley of rice paddies surrounded on all sides by steep hillsides. The regiment’s success at Twin Tunnels followed by their advance to Chipyong-ni had left the regiment ultimately at a tactical disadvantage because the friendly units to their east and west had retreated from the prior Chinese assault, leaving COL Freeman’s flanks exposed to Chinese attack. Once COL Freeman realized his tactical situation he radioed to the 2ID commander that he wanted to withdraw 15 south to secure his flanks with the remainder of the US forces. The 2ID commander approved his request along with the Corps commander, but once the request for COL Freeman’s withdrawal reached General Ridgeway he simply said said something to the equivalent of “F–k No!”

The village of Chipyong-ni was of strategic value to Ridgeway due to the fact it was a key road intersection for all vehicular movement in the area. If any future American offensive operation was to be launched Ridgeway needed to hold on to Chipyong-ni. Most importantly Ridgeway needed to set a tone. The 23rd INF’s earlier success at Twin Tunnels showed that the unit had fighting spirit and good leadership. Ridgeway needed someone to make a stand against the Chinese and show the rest of the US and UN forces that the Chinese were not the unbeatable adversary that most of the demoralized troops thought they were. He was counting on COL Freeman and the men of the 23rd INF to be ones to make that stand.

Next Posting: Preparing for Battle

According to this book, life in the North Korean army isn’t so bad:

Contrary to rumors of brutality among the ranks, according to a book by a North Korean defector, there is no corporal punishment and detention within the North Korean Army.

Instead, ranked officers draw a square on the practice grounds and have the rule-breakers do a "formal march" (the North Korean parade walk) along the outline of the square. The military detention system was also abolished in the 1960s. In other cases, a soldier who disobeys the orders of his/her squad leader will be pressed to assume responsibility for their action, and then faces a ‘mutual verbal critique’ during the daily assembly.

The book, Would North Korean Soldiers Have Hardtacks? by Lee Jeong-yeon, a 38-year old ex-DPRK soldier, was written to give "a more accurate and objective information on the DPRK armed forces to the South Koreans," Lee said. The work highlights many of the details of North Korean military life.

For example, you are expected to call your fellow soldier ‘comrade’ rather than by name, which could seem to signify mutual respect, somewhat in contrast to South Korean culture, where soldiers address each other based on rank and on the fact that addressing others by name is considered rude in Korean culture. Vacations and visitation are very rare commodities. You get a 10-day vacation if your parents pass away, but whether you can actually take the leave depends on timing and luck. The rule says you can have visitors in the barracks, but the reality is that no parents or girlfriends can visit. Thus, most DPRK soldiers do not get to see their families, friends, or loved ones during their 10-year compulsory service, the book said.

So is this enough to convince anyone to sign up?

This guy is just weird:

A staff sergeant assigned to the 31st Civil Engineering Squadron received a six-year sentence Friday after being found guilty of three specifications of indecent assault.

Staff Sgt. Duane M. Forehand also was found guilty of four specifications of housebreaking and one of peeping by a six-officer military jury.

The charges involved incidents at Aviano and Osan Air Base in South Korea from 2002 to 2005. According to evidence presented in the court-martial, Forehand entered the dorm rooms of young male servicemembers on three occasions and touched their legs or genitals. Each servicemember had been drinking and was sleeping during the early morning.

Forehand, whose 14-year Air Force career ends with the conviction, served as a dorm manager — and thus had access to all dorm rooms on base — during the last incident.

Links from this week that are worth checking out:

-  Without a doubt I have to say the Great North Korean Prison Escape is the news of the week.  One Free Korea’s posting of the prison break is must read blogging.  It has always amazed me how the Hollywood and academia liberals could shed tears for a few hundred terrorists eating three meals a day in Gitmo, but do nothing about 250,000 North Koreans in gulags and the millions of North Koreans who have died from hunger over the years. 

-  Via Big Ho, is this story of a Korean circus performer being anal raped by a bengal tiger.

-  One blogger is looking for some insights on the Starbutt’s Club.

-  If anyone has ever wondered who smokes more, Finns or Koreans, Antti has got the answer.

-  Hwang Woo-suk’s sheep experiements have been unleashed on New Zealand the Gypsy Scholar reports.

-  Congrats to ZenKimchi for reaching three years of blogging.

-  Ampontan has a great posting about the island ownership controversy that the Japanese really do care about, and it is not Dokdo.

-  Japan Probe has a response to FHM magazines recent Kinky Japan article. 

-  McDonald’s is making a killing in Japan with it’s Mega Macs.

-  ACB reminds everyone that the threat of a Chinese military build up is always a matter of perspective. 

Just so everyone knows I’m currently executing the upgrade to WP2.1.  Hopefully it will be painless.  Thanks to Richardson and Robert for providing lots of good information on how to do the upgrade.

UPDATE: News of the policy has hit the Stars and Stripes now. Here are some thoughts from some of the soldiers interviewed:

I think its going to be bad for morale, said Pfc. Michael Stafford, who says he does not drink alcohol. Its stressful out here. We’re away from everything and people want to go out and have a good time.

Pfc. Kolubah Beyan, of 2nd ID’s headquarters company, said the new policy is much needed.

However, it always comes down to a person’s responsibility, said Beyan, a self-described infrequent drinker.

How well the policy works will depend on how it is implemented, said Sgt. Bobby Cumby of 2nd ID’s Special Troops Battalion.

It could encourage soldiers to drink less or could encourage them to stay off-post later for fear of having their blood alcohol level tested when they return, he said.

It has its pluses and minuses, Cumby said. Hopefully it will take down the number of incidents, but it kind of hurts the people who haven’t been doing anything wrong.

Over at Lost Nomad he is “speechless” over the latest only in Korea story.

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On the 2ID webpage the new alcohol consumption policy letter can be downloaded from here (HT: reader). Here are some of the key excerpts from the policy letter:

I find it interesting that TDY personnel don’t have to abide by this policy. I guess that means all the guys on TDY from the states for UFL can still go have a good time out in the ville while the soldiers permanently stationed in 2ID can’t be trusted too. Here is the alleged reason for the new BAC policy:

Nobody is going to buy the “Fight to Night” excuse that has been used for years for every mass punishment policy brought down on 2ID soldiers due to the actions of a few. A few years back E-6s and below who were stationed at Yongsan and other camps south of Seoul were banned from being able to drive a privately owned vehicle due to an increase in drunk driving incidents. At least when that policy was implemented the statistics were looked at and a policy was put in place that focused on the people committing the incidents, E6s and below. If the rise in alcohol related incidents in 2ID is because of underage drinking why isn’t a policy created that focuses on them?

Anyway to enforce this policy a lot of mandatory actions are being brought down on the company commanders to do things like mandatory health and welfare inspections of the barracks, inspections of off post homes, checking of refrigerators for booze in the barracks, quarterly alcohol training, etc. These are all things done at the unit level any way, but now since it is considered mandatory in a policy letter by the commanding general you will see more of these actions executed more frequently so the commanders can cover themselves when an incident happens. I’m willing to bet that unit commanders would rather have no alcohol related incidents than have over half their guys fire expert on the M-16 and wearing a PT excellence badge for example. Fat and can’t shoot, no problem as long as you don’t make the blotter. That’s the new 2ID.

I find it interesting how all the responsibility for fixing the alcohol related incident problems is put on the company commanders while the senior leadership takes no responsibility on themselves to help solve the problem. The senior leadership continues to create a ville culture that promotes alcohol by allowing underage drinkers to go into establishments that push booze and prostitutes on them and then they are surprised when there are underage drinkers busted in the ville?

Here is another interesting portion of the policy:

Commanders even before this policy could direct soldiers to take a command directed blood alcohol test. This is usually what is done to catch underage drinkers. So now the same approach is being used to catch people violating the new BAC policy. What isn’t clear in the policy is if MPs can have people take a BAC test. What will probably happen is that the MPs will pick people up who they think is above the BAC and then call the commander. I feel bad for the company commanders in 2ID. Not only are they being set up to take the blame for alcohol related incidents when they happen, but they will being getting calls all the time to come to the MP station to fill out paper work to do the command direct blood alcohol test probably on a lot of people who are not even over the limit. Than when the MPs aren’t calling him the CQ or First Sergeant will be calling him about soldiers they found that might be over .10% because if they don’t call him and the guy gets in trouble they will go down with him.

Something that wasn’t mentioned in the policy letter was the status of KATUSAs. I don’t see how this policy could apply to them when the US military UCMJ regulations don’t apply to KATUSAs. It will be interesting to see if the ROK Army will be willing to impose this on the KATUSAs or not.

This is probably the most interesting portion of the policy:

Harassment? Isn’t increased health and welfare inspections of the barracks harassment? Isn’t the MPs pulling people off the streets who they think is over .10% BAC harassment? Isn’t directing CQs to find people who might be over the BAC harassment? Let me guess, it isn’t harassment, it is “soldier care” just like this policy isn’t because of alcohol related incidents, it because the division needs to be ready to “fight tonight”, or the curfew isn’t because of blotter reports, but is for “force protection” reasons.

Soldiers aren’t stupid, but obviously some people think they are.

While out this weekend below is the card you need to carry around with you, along with a breathalyzer, a map of the off limits areas, a GPS device to make sure you don’t wander into some of the gigantic off limits areas like the Shinchon area, your warrior standard book, your battle buddy, and finally make sure you budget an extra 10,000 won to pay the extortion fare demanded by the cab drivers. It would probably be easier just to stay in the barracks at night.

Any wonder why soldiers dislike serving in 2ID?

The dispute between the US and Korea over the Korean rejection of US beef is beginning to heat up:

Korean and U.S. officials held two days of talks until Thursday over how to deal with bone fragments found in shipments of American beef imports. They ended without progress. U.S. beef imports to Korea resumed in October last year, but the first, second and third batches of beef, weighing 22.3 tons in total have either been returned to the U.S. or disposed of because 11 bone fragments, each the size of a fingernail, were found in the shipments. Korea is stressing an agreement with Washington that only beef and no bones can be imported to minimize the threat of mad cow disease. The U.S. is saying this policy is unrealistic and translates into a virtual ban on American beef imports.

The shipments contained bone fragments measuring 0.3×0.6 cm and only 1 mm in width, which are too small to be detected by x-ray. It is virtually impossible to get rid of such small bone fragments during the processing of beef. Since last July, Japan has allowed bone of this sort of size to be included in beef imports from the U.S.

It is very important to protect the Korean public from the threat of BSE. But most experts say it is going too far to halt the import of tons of beef due to a few tiny fragments of bone. Moreover, some quarters here are fanning anti-American sentiment by playing up fears that importing U.S. beef is tantamount to spreading mad cow disease.

It is clear that the Korean government is protecting their beef market from US beef.  They will continue to find any excuse they can to ban US beef.  That is why I like this idea:

That is why one U.S. senator is saying that all of America’s 700,000 imports of Hyundai cars should be thoroughly inspected and all of them sent back if a single defective part is found in even one of them. U.S. free trade negotiators have said there will be no deal unless the beef issue is resolved.

If Congress actually did something useful like pass legislation authorizing the return of Korean vehicles due to one defective part, US beef would be on sale in Korea by next week.  However, just like with the timing of the delay of the Camp Humphreys relocation, the Koreans are betting that the US Congress is too preoccupied with finding ways to lose the war in Iraq without being blamed, to give scant notice to this trade battle over US beef.  They are probably right. 

Before going out this weekend make sure you review the latest off limits areas.  I have them broken down for you by Area.  You can download your own copy of the off limits areas from 2ID website by clicking here.  Have fun over the weekend, but obey the regulations and stay out of trouble.  There is already the new blood alcohol policy in effect, follow the off limits and curfew regulations before someone gets the bright idea to implement a new policy putting tracking devices around everyone’s ankles. 

Area 1:

Area 2:

For all the USFK personnel out there who will be affected by the Hongdae University off limits order here is a graphic of the exact area that is off limits:

Area III:

Area IV:

Area V:

Area VI:

Area VII:

Will US negotiators fall for the NK freeze tactic:

North Korea expressed its readiness Thursday to discuss initial steps of its nuclear disarmament, raising hopes for the first tangible progress at international talks on Pyongyang’s atomic weapons program since they began more than three years ago

“We are prepared to discuss first-stage measures,” the North’s nuclear envoy Kim Kye Gwan said on arriving in Beijing for the six-nation negotiations set to start later Thursday.

Media reports have suggested the North may agree to freeze its main nuclear reactor and allow international inspectors in exchange for energy aid as a starting step to disarm.

But Kim said any moves by North Korea would be determined by the United States’ attitude.

“We are going to make a judgment based on whether the United States will give up its hostile policy and come out toward peaceful coexistence,” he said, adding that Washington was “well-aware” of what it had to do.

This statement from US chief negotiator Christopher Hill is a little comforting:

On arriving at Beijing airport on Wednesday, the chief U.S. delegate Christopher Hill told reporters, “I want to emphasize the real success is we complete the joint statement of 2005” whereby the North agreed to dismantle the program in return for aid and security guarantees. “So we are not going to finish that this week. We will maybe just make a good first step,” he added.

I have said this before and I will say it again, Kim Jong-il has no intention of giving up his nuclear weapons.  He developed nuclear weapons in order to appease his military eager to join the prestigious nuclear club and to ensure regime survival.  He is using the current six party talks to buy time to perfect his nuclear weapons program.  Once Kim Jong-il has successfully created a half dozen nuclear weapons he will be able to fully implement what fellow K-blogger Richardson at DPRK Studies calls Strategic Disengagement.  Before strategically disengaging, if Kim can get the US to drop its financial sanctions and return the $24 million dollars frozen in a Macau Bank and any other goodies the US is willing to throw in for a nuclear freeze Kim will take it.  Why not when he already possesses the weapons?

That is why I advocate that US negotiators should only accept nothing but verifiable nuclear dismantlement in return for any financial incentives that may be offered.  The only way the Kim regime would accept total dismantlement is if they don’t have as much nuclear material or their nuclear program isn’t as advanced everyone thinks.  Last year’s low yield nuclear test by North Korea suggests that maybe they don’t have much material to build a nuclear program around.  I sure hope someone in the government much smarter than me has figured that one out.

At any rate I’m just getting the feeling that the Bush Administration is eager for the appearance of a foreign policy success and a nuclear freeze by North Korea would appear to be one, when in actuality it would be a defeat if Kim is allowed to keep the weapons he already has.  Kim will in one year have gained everything he wanted if this nuclear freeze deal is signed. Kim will have his nuclear weapons which ensure his regime’s survival, his frozen $24 million will be given back, and North Korea will international energy assistance.  Don’t forget the over one billion dollars worth of assistance Kim is getting this year from South Korea and his fifth column in South Korea has successfully stopped the USFK transformation in that country. Is it 1994 all over again?

The number of alcohol related incidents is on rise according to the Second Infantry Division Weekly Bulletin:

NEW ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION POLICY: New! Effective 8 FEB, the Division Commander issued a new policy on responsible alcohol consumption. It is our responsibility to assure that none of us are released from duty on 9 FEB until each of us fully understands this policy.

You won’t believe what the new policy is.  Soldiers even while off duty cannot have a blood alcohol content level above .10%.  What is behind the rise in alcohol related incidents that would cause such a drastic measure to be implemented?  Here is your answer:

DRINK RESPONSIBLY: In January 2ID passed the 100 mark for Soldiers involved in alcohol or drug-related blotters for this fiscal year. This puts us ahead of our FY06 pace, which was itself an increase over 2005. Underage drinking has been a significant contributor to this unfortunate trend. If you are under 21 — don’t drink! If you are of legal drinking age, then drink in moderation and don’t tolerate or encourage your buddy to drink who is not of legal drinking age. Every Soldier and leader has a part to play in preventing underage drinking and alcohol abuse.

So the policy to stop underage drinkers is “don’t drink!” while the strategy to stop the increase in alcohol related incidents due to the underage drinkers is to punish everyone.  Will soldiers have to carry breathalyzers with them to the ville now to test themselves after every drink?  How many good soldiers are going to get prosecuted under this policy and have their careers adversely effected because they blew a .12% BAC?  The soldiers that want to binge drink are now going to move out of the ville to avoid the breathalyzer bandits and stay out all night in other entertainment areas outside the ville where the breathalyzer bandits are not at and then just stay at hotel so the gate guards with breathalyzers don’t catch them.

Any bets if curfew violations will go up because of this policy?  I can see it now some soldier coming back from the ville worried about blowing over a .10% and instead of taking their chances with breathalyzer the soldier decides to go hide in a alley somewhere or find a hotel for the night.  In process of doing this he gets spotted by the MPs and picked up.

I have been saying this for a long time, but why do we allow underage drinkers into drinking establishments in the ville to begin with?  If it illegal for them to drink than why are underage drinkers allowed to go into a sleazy bar that pushes booze and scantily clad women on them all night?  This is a temptation that to many young soldiers cannot overcome.  If the command wants to solve the underage drinking problem all you have to do is deny the underage drinkers from entering the clubs in the ville and then anyone entering the gate underage you make them take a breathalyzer.  That prevents them from wandering to other entertainment areas outside the ville to drink and then trying to get back on post.  If the unit CQ is properly signing people out before they leave the barracks you can track if they went back into their room or not that night.  Knowing that soldiers are smarter than we give them credit for, they will try to get around this by having their buddy at CQ hook them up and sign them in for them so they can stay out all night and avoid the breathalyzer at the gate.  Do a few random 6AM formations on Friday and Saturday morning to account for everyone and you will be amazed how quickly this problem is rectified.

This leaves underage drinkers two options, drink in their rooms or get a pass from the First Sergeant to stay in a hotel for the weekend to escape the breathalyzer bandits.  If a soldier wants to drink in his room and play X-Box all night, personally I really don’t care.  A random barracks patrol roster with all your E-7s and up on it every weekend tends to keep them honest.  Something that also helps is to have designated underage rooms.  Don’t organize the barracks where you have underage and legal age drinkers mixed together.  This once again is shoving alcohol in the face of underage soldiers, especially when the legal age soldier has the fridge stocked with his beers.  I have busted underage drinkers before in the barracks by simply knocking on the door of a underage room.  The underage soldier opened the door holding a beer.  After you bust a few guys like this the underage soldiers learn to keep quiet and stay in their rooms if they are going to drink.  As far as underage guys going on pass this is where the First Sergeant needs to use a lot of discretion and only put underage people on pass that he/she trusts will not get into trouble.

Is this plan full proof and will stop all incidents?  No it won’t, but I am certain my suggestions would bring down the number of underage drinkers and it focuses solely on the group that is causing the problems, the underage drinkers.  No where in my suggestions are all the soldiers in the division punished for the actions of a few.  It is easy just to implement a blanket policy on everyone and be done it, especially with all the outside pressure I’m sure the 2ID Commanding General is getting hit with right now to cut down alcohol related incidents, but soldiers appreciate creative leadership that focuses on solving a problem with minimum impact on everyone else.

In the years I have been following USFK issues it seems like every time a new general comes in they face the same problem the commander before them faced and the new general issues blanket policies similar to the last guy that didn’t solve the problem then and won’t solve the problem now.  Former 2ID commanders General Honore, Wood, Higgins, and now Coggin have all had their fair share of alcohol related incidents and underage drinkers.  Mass punishment policies that have a short term impact that looks good on Powerpoint slides are always implemented, but in the long run the same issues will persist and rise again at the expense of the morale of all the soldiers in Korea.

Any bets that the next 2ID commander will be facing these same problems when he takes over?  It seems nothing ever changes except the name of the commanding general.