Tag: 2nd Infantry Division

Soldiers lower the U.S. flag during the closing ceremony for Freeman Hall, the headquarters of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division, at Camp Red Cloud in Euijeongbu, north of Seoul, on Oct. 16, 2018, in this photo provided by the division three days later. The unit’s command has been relocated to Camp Humphreys, a sprawling complex about 70 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)

Much like the closing of Yongsan Garrison, Camp Red Cloud in Uijongbu is getting closer to closing as well:

Soldiers stood in formation as the garrison’s colors were cased Thursday in a ceremony officials said marked an important step toward closing this Korean War-era base and reducing the U.S. footprint north of Seoul.

The inactivation of Camp Red Cloud, which remains home to the 2nd Infantry Division, was a largely administrative move aimed at consolidating resources as the Army steps up much-delayed plans to move most forces to its new hub in the southern half of the country.

But Col. Brandon Newton, who served for the past two years as the final garrison commander of the area that includes Red Cloud and Camp Casey, stressed the process was well underway.

“The details of the way that we return bases are more complex than just the casing of the colors,” he said in an interview after the ceremony on the parade ground. “We’re certainly on the lead edge of what I would consider the vacating of Camp Red Cloud. Vacating and closing a camp is about a year’s process.”  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read much more at the link, but according to the article the 2nd Infantry Division headquarters is going to remain at Camp Red Cloud for quite some time due to (drum roll please)……… building delays at Camp Humphreys.  Anyone shocked by that news?

By the way for those wondering how Camp Red Cloud was named I recommend reading the below link:

https://www.rokdrop.net/2012/10/the-true-story-of-how-camp-red-cloud-south-korea-got-its-name/

There is a new curfew policy that was recently implemented by the 2nd Infantry Division:

A 2nd Infantry Division policy memo published Tuesday says soldiers are required to be on base, at a residence or inside a hotel room by the new deadline, instead of the U.S. Forces Korea standard of 1 a.m. followed until Monday.

The curfew, which officials called a “readiness recall,” still ends at 5 a.m.

2ID did not identify any specific incident that sparked the change to the policy, but said readiness of the unit’s 12,000 troops was its main concern. South Korean police outside of Camp Casey and Camp Humphreys said Wednesday they had not noticed a significant increase of incidents involving U.S. personnel.

“The recall readiness time was moved one hour earlier in order to ensure that the division is consistently and completely in compliance with the U.S. Forces Korea readiness recall policy,” 2ID spokeswoman Lt. Col. Junel Jeffrey told Stars and Stripes Wednesday.  [Stars & Stripes via a reader tip]

You can read more at the link, but the change by one hour to a midnight curfew is not the biggest issue I see with this memo.  The policy memo also states that commander must account for 100% of personnel to the 2ID command staff on non-duty days by 12:30 AM.

It seems to me requiring servicemembers to sign in to the CQ desk each night would be the easiest way of doing this.  However, a 12:30 AM report time hardly gives units any time to consolidate a report after curfew which means people would likely need to sign in earlier than the curfew time.

I would be interested to hear from 2ID servicemembers in the comments section on how they saw units meeting this requirement over the long holiday weekend.

I feel bad for workers being laid off because of the planned relocation of the 2nd Infantry Division, but this is something that has been known for many years and should not be a surprise to anyone:

DONGDUCHEON, South Korea, April 8 (Yonhap) — Many South Koreans working at a major U.S. military base in Dongducheon, north of Seoul, are likely to be laid off within the year due to its planned relocation to the southwestern city of Pyeongtaek, their union said Sunday.

The U.S. 2nd Infantry Division notified the union of its plan to dismiss South Korean workers at Camp Casey in the city last month, according to official sources.

But the U.S. Force Korea (USFK) has yet to disclose the scale or timing of the declared layoffs, the union said. It added that the USFK is reportedly to maintain the total number of workers at U.S. bases across the nation at some 8,000 by September and cut this to some 7,750 in the latter half of the year.

Most of the workers are doing odd jobs like cleaning, with a considerable number of them being the breadwinners of four-member families and receiving just under 40 million won (US$37,418) per annum, the union said.

The USFK has not given any prior account of whom will be fired thus far as South Korean workers belonging to the USFK are not subject to the domestic labor law but come under the jurisdiction of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), signed between the two nations, the union said.

According to the SOFA, the USFK are only required to give notice 45 days in advance before dismissals, with no explanations needed, it added.  [MSN via reader tip]

You can read more at the link.

There will be a SHARP/ASAP Play entitled ‘The Introduction’ from the end of March to early May. The play will be shown at the Camp Casey, Camp Red Cloud and Yongsan Multiplex theaters. Check out these actors as they bring to life realistic sexual assault and alcohol abuse situations.

For schedule times and locations, please check out the flyer.  [USFK-Facebook]

This is an interesting story about the relative of the namesake of Camp Casey serving at the 2nd ID installation:

Second Lt. Sarah Casey shares a name with her duty station, a small artillery outpost near the Korean Demilitarized Zone.

The artillery platoon leader from Collierville, Tenn., played along with the ribbing when folks greeted her with comments like, “Casey at Casey!” after glancing at her name tape. Until last month, when she revealed her secret. The camp was named in honor of her great-uncle, Maj. Hugh B. Casey, a World War II veteran killed in the Korean War who was awarded two Silver Stars during the liberation of the Philippines.

“I’m not here to say, ‘Hi, I’m Sarah Casey at Camp Casey,’ ” she said. “I think it’s important to remember the sacrifices of all those who came before us; that’s what the real story is to me.”

Sarah Casey was 26 when she arrived in South Korea — the same age her great-uncle was when he lost his life.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link and learn more about Camp Casey at this link.

The 2nd Infantry Division has a new Command Sergeant Major to help lead the move to Camp Humphreys:

The 2nd Infantry Division has a new senior enlisted adviser to help oversee its move from camps near the Demilitarized Zone to a state-of-the-art base south of Seoul.

Division Command Sgt. Maj. Phil Barretto took responsibility from Command Sgt. Maj. Edward Mitchell on Friday during a ceremony at Camp Casey.

“[Barretto’s] fired up and ready to go,” said Maj. Gen. Scott McKean, the division’s commander.

Barretto, former commandant for the Noncommissioned Officer Academy at Fort Drum, N.Y., arrives on the peninsula with 26 years of experience that includes previous tours to Korea and deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link.

From the Stars & Stripes:

The 2nd Infantry Division looked to the future and the past Thursday as it celebrated its centennial with a mass re-enlistment ceremony for 100 soldiers and a time capsule.

Against the background of a hill covered with autumn foliage, 2nd ID commander Maj. Gen. Scott McKean praised the soldiers for renewing their service while stationed in South Korea, which remains technically at war with the North.

Tensions have been rising in recent months as the communist state increases the pace of its banned nuclear weapons program.

“Volunteering to continue your service in defense of our great nation, and to do it in the face of the enemy, on freedom’s frontier, that Warriors, is a sign of commitment and courage,” he said.

The ceremony on a field on Camp Casey, an Army base near the heavily fortified border that divides the peninsula, marked the start of a day of celebration as the Warrior Division celebrated its 100th birthday. [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link.

If you are in the 2nd Infantry Division and expect to receive mail, you will now have a new postage stamp to see:

Army postal workers near the Korean Demilitarized Zone are celebrating the 2nd Infantry Division’s 100th birthday by stamping the unit’s distinctive Indianhead logo on incoming mail.

Camp Red Cloud Post Office in Uijeongbu City — just south of the tense border with North Korea — unveiled the new postmark on Monday.

The mark, which invalidates postage stamps on incoming mail, includes the words: “Honoring our past, inspiring our future,” and “Celebrating 100 years of history” beside an Indianhead like the one on 2ID’s well-known logo.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link.

Maj. Gen. Scott Mcqueen (L), the new commander of the 2nd U.S. Infantry Division, and his predecessor, Maj. Gen. Theodore Martin, pose for a photo during a ceremony at Camp Casey in the city of Dongducheon, north of Seoul, on July 18, 2017, to mark the division chief’s inauguration and Martin’s departure. (Yonhap)