Tag: 2nd Infantry Division

Here are some pictures I took during a visit to Camp Casey this past winter. Over a decade ago this installation was a hub of military activity since it was home to many more 2nd Infantry Division units than it is today. Today Camp Casey has a bit of a sleepy feeling to it, but the installation has definitely seen much needed renovations over the years. The renovations begins with even the front pedestrian gate being fixed up:

After passing through the pedestrain gate the Army Lodging Hotel can be found.  This building actually used to be an old barracks building many years ago: 

Near the hotel I saw that the old Indianhead Statue that used to be by the front gate of Camp Casey has now been moved inside.  When this statue was located outside the gate I can remember seeing many drunk Soldiers urinating at the base of the statue before going inside the pedestrian gate.  Maybe this is why it was moved inside the base now: 

As I continued to walk up the road from the hotel I saw a really nice looking USO building: 

Here is the view looking towards the PX and commissary area from the USO: 

Here is the law enforcement building located near the front gate which is conveniently located to drop off drunk troublemakers in the ville at: 

This next picture is of the Camp Casey Post Office building located behind the commissary: 

Here is a look at the Camp Casey commissary: 

Adjacent to the commissary is the Camp Casey PX: 

The inside of both the commissary and the PX have remained largely the same over the years, but the outside has been renovated to look like a traditional Korean structure: 

Even the Popeye’s has been renovated to look like a traditional Korean structure: 

A building that was not renovated to look like a traditional Korean building was the Impact Zone club building near the commissary: 

Just up the main road from the PX is the Hanson Pool: 

As well as the Bowling Center: 

Here is the Hanson Field House: 

Further down the road is the Warrior Restaurant otherwise known as a Dining Facility (DFAC): 

Here is a view up the main road as I continued to follow it east through Camp Casey: 

Here is a look at the cemetary located along this road:  

Next to the cemetery a park called Tribute Park has been built: 

These next buildings I walked by used to be used as transient barracks for people who came to Camp Casey for exercises.  I am not sure what they are used for currently: 

As I continued up the road I was able to get a good look at Soyo Mountain that rises over Camp Casey: 

I next passed by the Community Activity Center.  Years ago this was actually a decent restaurant called Reggie’s Soldiers would hang out at if they did not want to walk out to the ville: 

In the center of Camp Casey there is now a large traffic circle with the 2ID patch in the center of it: 

I next spotted a Korean Canteen that is a go-to spot for cheap Korean food on post: 

This next picture shows what the typical barracks building on Camp Casey looks like: 

From this point it was getting extremely cold and I turned around and walked back to the PX to warm up before going back to Seoul.  Something I was happy to confirm along my walk was that what was once called “crackhouses” and quonset huts that once housed officers and NCOs had been torn down.  Hopefully those officers and NCOs are living in better conditions now adays.  

Overall though I found Camp Casey to largely be the same after many years of coming here.  There has been a few new buildings and lot of older buildings renovated over the years, but still the camp largely looks the same.  What is different is how quiet Camp Casey feels now adays.  I visited on a Saturday afternoon and the ville was completely quiet and the base was as well.  This is because far fewer Soldiers are now stationed at the Casey-Hovey duo of bases.  This is because most of the 2nd Infantry Division Soldiers are now housed at Camp Humphreys located south of Seoul.  Camp Casey may be quiet today, but for those of us who served here many years ago will always remember as the one time center of gravity for the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea. 

The 2nd Infantry Division has a new rotational brigade in South Korea:

A Stryker combat team has taken over as the U.S. Army’s rotational force in South Korea, relieving a cavalry unit in a ceremony at Camp Casey, the U.S. base closest to North Korea. The 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., assumed the responsibility Friday at Camp Casey, about 15 miles from the border, replacing the 3rd Cavalry Regiment out of Fort Cavazos, Texas.

The Stryker brigade is outfitted with the eight-wheeled armored combat vehicle of the same name. The rotational force of approximately 3,500 soldiers and 1,500 prepositioned vehicles supports the 2nd Infantry Division in nine-month deployments to South Korea. The division is headquartered at Camp Humphreys, roughly 40 miles south of Seoul.

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the link.

The equipment for the next rotational unit in support of the 2nd Infantry Division, the 1-2 Stryker Brigade out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord has arrived to Korea:

The first batch of equipment for a new American rotational force employing the Stryker fighting vehicle arrived at a southern port over the weekend, the U.S. Army in South Korea said Wednesday.

Stryker vehicles and other pieces of equipment belonging to the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team were unloaded in Gwangyang, 291 kilometers south of Seoul, on Sunday to replace the current 3rd Cavalry Regiment as part of a regular rotation, according to the Eighth Army.

“We welcome the Ghost Brigade to the Republic of Korea to enhance the interoperability of the Combined Division and strengthen our alliance with our ROK partners,” Maj. Gen. Charles Lombardo, commander of the 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division, said in a release.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I can remember doing plenty of bridging operations over the Imjim River back in my 2ID days:

U.S. and South Korean troops practiced bridge-building recently a short distance from the Demilitarized Zone, the border separating North and South Korea.

Soldiers of the 11th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division and South Korean troops of the 5th Engineer Brigade assembled a ribbon bridge over the Imjin River near Paju-si, a city in Gyeonggi province, on March 20. Paju-si is within 5 miles of the heavily guarded border, although the exercise took place further away.

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Here is some different training for pilots in 2ID:

A U.S. Navy vehicle cargo ship recently took a rare opportunity to train with Army helicopter crews off the southern coast of South Korea. Crews aboard UH-60M Black Hawks from the 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade qualified for deck landings aboard the USNS Dahl on March 7, 5 miles from Jinhae, Military Sealift Command, Far East said in a news release Monday.

“All flight deck operations are inherently dangerous but [deck landing qualifications] add the wild card of potentially novice crews who are not familiar with either the vessel or ship flight operations in general,” contracted mariner Capt. Deatra Thompson said in the release.

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the link.

There is a new rotational brigade in South Korea:

The commander of 3rd Cavalry Regiment, Col. Jeffrey Barta, leads a formation during an authority transfer ceremony at Hanson Field House on Camp Casey, South Korea, Feb. 29, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)

A Texas-based cavalry regiment took over as the 2nd Infantry Division’s rotational force in South Korea during a ceremony roughly 15 miles from the Demilitarized Zone that divides the Korean Peninsula. The 3rd Cavalry Regiment, of Fort Cavazos, Texas, assumed its new role from 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team in front of about 350 troops gathered Thursday at Hanson Field House on Camp Casey. The Stryker team returns to Fort Carson, Colo., having completed its nine-month deployment.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

https://twitter.com/IfangBremer/status/1614974313341546499

13 Days and a Wakeup till Christmas – Christmas Message from then 2ID CG, MG Gary Lock in 1985! Courtesy of Garry Haynes! #2id #korea #rok #dmz #dmzwar #Christmas #1980s pic.twitter.com/uL5vLa2sq0

— Korean DMZ Vets (@Korean_DMZ_Vets) December 11, 2022