A South Korean soldier wears a military uniform with a patch of his unit during a ceremony at Camp Red Cloud in Uijeongbu, just north of Seoul, on June 3, 2015, to mark the formation of a landmark South Korean-U.S. combined division. The division will consist of a brigade from the South Korean Army and the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division, with each entity to carry out normal duties in its assigned area during peacetime. (Yonhap)
For everyone stationed on Osan Airbase here is something to definitely be aware of:
An Air Force officer was isolated at a military hospital on Wednesday under suspicions he may be infected with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), military officials said.
If confirmed, it would be the first case of the infection of the deadly respiratory virus in the South Korean military.
The chief master sergeant at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, whose identity was withheld, tested positive for MERS, the officials said.
They said the military instantly isolated him and some 100 soldiers stationed at the same air base at a military hospital and their homes to prevent further infection on the base.
“We isolated a number of soldiers suspected to have contracted the disease to prevent its spread by minimizing others’ contacts with those we suspect are infected,” one of the officials said requesting not to be named. “The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will determine whether he has been infected or not on Thursday or later,” the official said.
The officer previously had been hospitalized for a fracture at a civilian facility in Gyeonggi Province that treated MERS patients, based on which the military conducted epidemiological research.
He, however, is not showing symptoms of the disease such as a fever or cough, the officials said.
South Korea has placed more than 1,300 people in quarantine with 30 testing positive for the respiratory virus since the first case of the disease was reported on May 21. On Tuesday, two of the 30 MERS patients died, sparking panic among some locals and forcing over 500 schools to close. [Yonhap]
Hopefully base leadership is emphasizing taking appropriate precautions to prevent the spread of the disease on Osan. Tight barracks space with shared facilities is a perfect place for a disease like this to spread. This whole spread of MERS has shown how minor the whole anthrax incident USFK recently had really was.
It is pretty amazing that the level of construction of the Camp Humphreys expansion is the largest US military construction project since the construction of the Panama Canal:
The new Brian Allgood Army Community Hospital under construction at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, on April 24, 2015. Armando R. Limon/Stars and Stripes
Dump trucks are rolling, and more than 10,000 workers are hammering and pouring concrete for 630 new buildings at this sprawling Army post in the South Korean port city of Pyeongtaek.
This is the peak construction year for the $10.7 billion project, which will see Camp Humphreys triple in size to accommodate tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians moving south as the U.S. vacates much of Yongsan Garrison in Seoul and two dozen other facilities used since the Korean War.
“It is, essentially, building a compound the size of (downtown) Washington, D.C.,” Maj. Gen. James T. Walton, U.S. Forces Korea’s director for Transformation and Restationing, said recently.
Construction will continue at a reduced rate next year, when the bulk of U.S. forces are due to move south. By the end of 2017, most of the moves will be complete, he said.
Construction began in November 2006 on the largest U.S. military project since the Panama Canal. The base will house 36,000, including servicemembers, dependents, civilian employees, contractors and Korean augmentees to the U.S. Army (KATUSAs), Walton said. [Stars & Stripes]
I bet the person that organized this exercise is now regretting it:
Osan Air Base halted operations at its laboratory biological defense program this week after 22 people were possibly exposed to live anthrax spores, U.S. military officials said Friday.
A statement issued by U.S. Forces Korea and the 51st Fighter Wing said that a review would be conducted while operations are stopped, but it did not say who would be conducting the review nor what exactly they would be reviewing.
The live anthrax spores had been mailed from Dugway Proving Ground in Utah to Osan as well as to labs in nine states. It appears that irradiation procedures failed to kill the live spores, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said Thursday. The military has said the anthrax spores were to be used for training purposes.
“The purpose of the training being conducted was undertaken in Korea with the expectation that the materials sent from the United States would be inert and harmless, to be used for identification and detection capabilities,” a statement issued by U.S. Forces Korea and the 51st Fighter Wing said.
It was the first time the training at Osan’s Joint United States Forces Korea Portal and Integrated Threat Recognition Program (JUPITR) had been conducted. According to the military’s statement, the training was meant to improve the U.S. and South Korea’s ability to protect their troops and the South Korean population “by testing currently fielded equipment and new systems that could better identify toxins and pathogens in the environment.” [Stars & Stripes]
You can read more at the link, but maybe it would be better to certify that these systems work in the US and not bring in something like anthrax even if it was dead spores. That is because if it leaked to the media the anti-US groups would twist the facts to bash the US. Remember these are the people that nearly toppled newly elected President Lee Myung-bak by spreading US beef lies back in 2008. Now due to the irradiation failure they don’t even have to twist the facts to push their anti-US agenda the US military did for them.
Members of civic groups stage a protest in front of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on May 29, 2015, after U.S. Forces Korea said the previous day that a live anthrax sample that was accidentally sent to the U.S. Osan Air Base in the city of Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, has been destroyed. (Yonhap)
I would love to see the risk assessment form done on this training exercise that some how involved real anthrax:
Twenty-two personnel at a U.S. Air Force Base in South Korea have been given emergency medical treatment after being exposed to a possible live sample of anthrax, the U.S. military said in a statement on Thursday.
The anthrax was destroyed on Wednesday when a sample initially expected to be inactive and destined for a training exercise was suspected of being live, according to a statement by the U.S. Air Force 51st Fighter Wing in the South Korean city of Osan, 35 kms (21 miles) south of Seoul.
None of the personnel in contact with the sample showed signs of exposure, the statement said, but were given “appropriate medical precautionary measures to include examinations, antibiotics and in some instances, vaccinations”. [Reuters]
Condolences to the family of this deceased airman:
A wooden frame encapsulated Kevin Bittinger’s military life — an American flag folded in a triangle, medals, and Air Force pins held his accomplishments, showcasing his dedication to serving his country.
The boxy frame was shown to his mother, Cindy Bittinger, on Monday. She nodded in approval and attempted to hold back tears for her son.
Kevin Bittinger, formerly of Wapakoneta, died at Osan Air Base while serving in South Korea as a member of the U.S. Air Force. Though the circumstances surrounding his death remained under investigation, his family was trying to come to terms with their loss. He was 24 years old.
Bittinger’s remains were brought back to Wapakoneta on Monday from South Korea. Family, friends and strangers gathered and participated in a processional, led by the Ohio Patriot Guard.
“It was awesome to see so many people honor Kevin. But it’s heartbreaking, too. You know, I think every one of these guys deserve that and it’s just … Kevin would have thought that was so neat. It’s awesome to see the support of our county,” Cindy Bittinger said.
Tori Wynn, a friend and a tech sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, also escorted Kevin Bittinger’s remains home to Wapakoneta from South Korea. Wynn is stationed in Japan.
Wynn said of the support shown, “It was amazing.”
At the time of his death a senior airman, Kevin Bittinger joined the Air Force right after he graduated Wapakoneta High School in 2009. He had been on active duty for nearly six years.
After his death, the U.S. Air Force issued a news release about the incident.
Kevin “Bittinger, a Pavements and Construction Equipment Journeyman, was assigned to the 51st Civil Engineer Squadron and arrived at Osan in May 2014,” according to the statement.
“The loss of Kevin is a devastating blow to the team,” said Lt. Col. Jack Wheeldon, 51st CES commander in the statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time. From RED HORSE to Prime BEEF, Kevin has done so much for the Air Force and he will be truly missed.”
The U.S. Air Force declined further comment. [Stars & Stripes]
Just when you thought you have seen all the stupid incidents a soldier could cause in Korea someone finds a new level of stupid:
Police say a U.S. soldier was detained after rushing onto the field during a professional baseball game in Seoul in what they called a “heroic” attempt to impress his girlfriend.
The soldier, identified by South Korean police as a 30-year-old corporal, rushed onto the field of Jamsil Stadium around 7:30 p.m. Saturday during a nationally televised game between the Doosan Bears and Hanhwa Eagles.
Doosan security guards nabbed the soldier, who was attending the game with friends, as he ran toward second to first base. Officials suspended the game for about five minutes following the incident.
8th Army spokesman Col. Shawn Stroud said the soldier has been released to his unit and is being investigated by South Korean police. A Jamsil police officer said police could smell alcohol on his breath. His name was not released.
The soldier is expected to be charged with obstruction of work, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine up to 15 million won (about $13,700). The officer said the soldier is unlikely to receive the stiffest punishment, and similar disturbances have resulted in fines or suspended sentences. [Stars & Stripes]
If your kids go to middle or high school over Yongsan Garrison expect your kids to have a different school schedule next year:
Osan American Elementary School students say the Pledge of Allegiance at Osan Air Base, South Korea, on Aug. 25, 2014. Department of Defense Dependents Schools began the new school year this week.
Department of Defense Education Activity middle and high school students in Seoul will attend classes on a “hybrid” schedule next year that combines traditional seven-period days and block-scheduled days within a single week, officials announced last week.
The change will mean more time in the classroom and fewer mix-ups at Seoul American High School over which classes students should be attending on a given day, principal Kathleen Reiss said.
The school now operates on a block schedule, with “A” and “B” class schedules alternating daily.
“It’s constant confusion now,” Reiss said. “There’s not a day that goes by that somebody doesn’t ask me, ‘Is this A day or B day?’ ”
Under the hybrid schedule, Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays will be seven-period days. Wednesdays and Thursdays will be block-scheduled days, with a built-in seminar period used for assemblies, makeup tests and other instructional purposes. [Stars & Stripes]
You can read more at the link, but I love the picture the S&S decided to add to the article.
