Tag: USFK

Former USFK soldier and convicted murderer Kenneth Markle who was just recently released from ROK prison, has apparently spoken out over at Lost Nomad proclaiming his innocence in the 1992 murder of Korean prostitute Kum E. Yoon. This murder is the most brutal as well as the most publicly known murder by a US servicemember in Korea and has long been used by anti-US groups to influence public opinion against USFK in Korea.

I can remember a few years back being in charge of a force protection detail at Camp Red Cloud when my soldiers working the front gate called me to come to the gate. I went to the gate and the typical anti-US loons were out there with signs with the murdered body of Ms. Yoon on it as well as the crushed bodies of the two girls killed in the 2002 armored vehicle accident. That was the first time I had ever seen pictures of the brutal murder, that even years after it happened are still sickenly used for political reasons.

Markle says he didn’t do it and we would be surprised if we read the court transcripts. Well then he should scan post them on a webpage and let us with interest in the case read them. He is the one convicted for the murder and thus the burden of proof is on him to prove he is innocent.

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Note: An updated posting about this case can be read at the below link:

• GI Flashbacks: The 1992 Private Kenneth Markle Murder Case

Have you ever wondered why the Dragon Hill Lodge costs so much more than other US military hotels, like the New Sanno Hotel in Tokyo? Well the Stars & Stripes has found the answer:

Standard hotel rooms at The New Sanno hotel in Tokyo and the Dragon Hill Lodge in Seoul look much the same.

Both are in modern, well-adorned hotels that feature multiple restaurants, beauty salons, room service, shops and indoor swimming pools. Rooms at both come with a double bed, a sleeper sofa, television, DVD player and mini-fridge.

There’s one big difference, though.

The Sanno, run by the Navy, is $63 a night for a military business traveler, while the Dragon Hill charges $213 more than three times as much.

Both hotels offer similar and much cheaper  rates to servicemembers on vacation. A private on leave can rent a room at the Sanno for $40 a night, and $59 a night at the Dragon.

Sorting out the price difference, hotel officials say, involves fluid financial pressures that range from international agreements to exchange rates to meat deliveries. It also involves the Dragons unique role in the Armys resort system, according to officials who oversee the Armed Forces Recreation Centers.

Basically the Dragon Hill management is saying that they have to make up the costs of other defense hotels that may not be turning a profit or need to pay for renovations. The Dragon Hill receives such a high number of temporary duty (TDY) visitors that are on government travel orders that the Dragon Hill makes sure they charge to maximum room rates to receive the maximum profit from all the TDY visitors.

However, here is the real reason why the New Sanno Hotel in Tokyo is so much cheaper:

Gorman knows the Dragons business rates cant always compete with those at The New Sanno. Thats mainly because the Tokyo facility operates under a special agreement in which the Japanese government pays the salaries of Japanese workers, according to Charles Cavill, the Sannos director.

The Sanno has 310 workers, 300 of whom are Japanese, he said.

We have the lowest rate in the system of all military resort hotels, he said.

Could you imagine the up roar if USFK tried to get the Korean government to pay the Korean workers at the Dragon Hill? The Korean government won’t even pay an equitable cost with the US for keeping American forces stationed on the peninsula much less do something that would help the average soldier by keeping hotel rates down at the Dragon Hill.

By the way I have stayed at both hotels and both are quite nice. However, I would never stay in the Dragon Hill on my own dime because of the steep prices. I have only stayed there on TDY and was always shocked by the room rates and always left feeling thankful the government was paying for it. The New Sanno I have stayed at while on leave in Japan and would readily stay there again because the room prices are cheap in comparison to other Tokyo hotels of similar quality. The only problem is that you need to book rooms there way in advance because they go fast because of the cheap room rates. Overall I think the Dragon Hill is a nicer hotel than the New Sanno, but not worth the price to stay there on your own dime, while the New Sanno is worth every cent.

Another US Army camp in South Korea is ready to close it’s gates for the last time:

The U.S. military plans a retreat ceremony later this week at Camp Hialeah to mark the close of the post, which has been part of the American military presence on the peninsula for more than five decades.  The ceremony is set for 4 p.m. Thursday.

Located in Busan¿s Nam-gu district, the 133-acre installation served as the main receiving point for supplies, equipment and other goods slated for delivery to U.S. military installations in South Korea.

It was also at the core of the U.S. militarys operations in Busan and provided administrative, medical and other services for U.S. personnel at the Pusan Storage Facility, Pier 8, the Defense Reutilization and Management Office, and Gimhae Air Base, a South Korean air force installation.

The post¿s closing comes as part of an agreement between the U.S. and South Korea called the Amended Land Partnership Plan.

Camp Hialeah is one of the oldest US camps on the Korean peninsula and has in fact been operating since 1950 with the break out of the Korean War.  Camp Hialeah served as the main logistical point during the war to bring supplies into Korea and pushed to the front line troops on the Pusan Perimeter.  Since the Korean War it has remained the first logistical point for supplies coming into Korea for USFK units.

What will be interesting to see is if and when USFK will formerly hand over the facility to the Korean government due to the fraudulent environmental issue between the Korean government and USFK.

USFK is responding to inaccurate news reports in the Korean media about the hand over of USFK bases to the Korean government:

According to a USFK news release, command officials want to explain the camp return process following a week that saw many inaccurate and misleading articles and editorials in various Internet and print media sources.

USFK has closed more than two dozen bases as part of a plan to consolidate most of its forces at Camp Humphreys. Over the past 19 months, the South Korean government agreed to accept just seven of those bases, citing unacceptable pollution levels at the others.

Fridays USFK release stated that those delays result in lost economic opportunities for the South Korean people and cost U.S. taxpayers more than $400,000 a month to guard closed bases. Neither USFK nor South Korean government officials would comment on news reports early last week that the United States was going to stop guarding those bases this month.

The issue with the delays is the environmental cleanup of the bases before return.

Under the status of forces agreement, the United States is not obliged to restore the facilities and areas to the condition they were at the time they became available to the U.S. armed forces, or to compensate the government of the ROK in lieu of such restoration, according to the Friday news release.

In return, South Korea gets the land for free and doesnt have to pay the United States for any capital improvements such as buildings and other infrastructure.

The end state to this is that the ROK not only receives its land for its use, it receives the utility of billions of dollars of U.S. investment over the years free, at the expense of the American taxpayer, according to the release. This is a very, very good deal for the people of the Republic of Korea.

There is an attempt by some to negate the SOFA agreement as it relates to camp returns and to introduce new environmental standards, according to the release.

The release states that U.S. policy requires USFK to remedy known, imminent, and substantial endangerments to human health and safety.

But USFK has agreed to go above those standards by pulling out selected underground fuel storage tanks, removing heavy metal contamination from firing ranges and hiring a South Korean company to run a high-vacuum pump system that targets groundwater fuel contamination at five camps, according to the release.

Inaccurate news reports in Korea? Say it ain’t so? Yes, I’m being sarcastic because the Korean media is well known for twisting facts and printing blatant lies particularly when dealing with USFK. The camp hand over is another one of these issues being distorted by anti-US hate groups and the media to inflame anti-American sentiment in order to stop the camp consolidation at Camp Humphreys. The consolidation of camps at Camp Humphreys will reduce the US footprint in Korea, in turning reducing incidents from happening between Koreans and Americans. The camps where they are now create incidents and also serve as a reminder to Koreans of the USFK presence in Korea compared to the out of the way Camp Humphreys, which the location definitely has a out of sight, out mind quality for being in Korea.

The anti-US hate groups need to keep USFK right where they are at in order to keep the under current of anti-American feelings in the general Korean public. The camp consolidation will be a huge blow to the anti-US hate groups in Korea and they know it and their North Korean allies know it too. The North Koreans want to keep the US camps where they are at, not only because of the anti-Americanism it creates, but also because it keeps the US forces in the Second Infantry Division within range of North Korean artillery. This enhances their bargaining power when it comes to the six party talks with the US.

However, there is another player in this issue as well, China. If the camp consolidation can be stopped there is the very real chance that the US will dissolve the US-ROK alliance which would be a huge win for the Chinese. China would by default once again become the historical hegemon of the Korean peninsula.

Obviously there is a lot riding on the USFK camp consolidation issue and right now USFK is doing the right things to make the camp consolidation a reality while the whole way fighting off the attacks of those who want to stop it, which are many.

Via Nomad, it looks like the latest Camp Humphreys controversy has ended under the following conditions:

Bar owners objected to Taliento decision, saying the agent who ordered the alcohol was of legal drinking age while the agent who paid was underage. They called it a sting operation in which they were set up to fail.

Kim said USFK personnel on Friday admitted fault in the recent undercover investigations. Kim said future checks are to be conducted by U.S. military personnel, members of the merchant association and Pyeongtaek city officials.

And while bars are required to do everything they can to prevent sales to minors, they wont be held responsible for personnel who legally buy alcohol then sneak it to underage buddies, Kim said.

That is actually a pretty weak case for putting a bar off limits by having an underage person buy a drink for a person of legal age. If that is in fact true I can understand why the bar owners are pissed off. However, this “solution” does nothing to solve the problem of underage drinkers because the people who underage drink will now just get their buddies to buy them alcohol instead. If the command really wants to end the problem put breathalyzers at the gate and that would make the people who want to underage drink have to stay at a hotel because they can’t get in through the gate. That is an additional expense for them plus they would have to get a pass from their commander to stay out. If the commander knows this person may possibly be an underage drinker the commander could not give the soldier a pass. Plus that will keep additional drunks out of the barracks where the vast majority of sexual assaults occur because of alcohol.

Then when these soldiers are caught underage drinking they need to be slammed as in losing rank and doing the maximum extra duty in full combat gear to set an example to anyone else who may be underage drinking. That will shift the underage drinking into the barracks where it is easier to monitor if there is a leadership presence in the barracks which there should be. How come I think we will be talking about off limits bar at Camp Humphreys again in another year?

Despite what the anti-US hate groups say the SOFA Agreement continues to work just fine:

Five soldiers were found guilty and sentenced to prison in Uijeongbu court on Tuesday for the Christmas-night assault and robbery of a taxi driver.

Pvt. Kidrem Cortez Porter, 21, received four years in prison, minus 67 days of time served at a Seoul detention center.

Four others received sentences of three and a half years in prison: Spc. Nicholas John Durkin, 21; Pfc. John D. McCall Jr., 21; Pvt. Javon Joshua Reid, 20; and Spc. Ivey Nathaniel Westbrook, 21, who received credit for two days of time served in detention.

You are all military personnel of the U.S. Army and therefore must respect Korean law,lead judge Cho Yun-shin said through an interpreter.

Pretty stiff sentences because I have seen plenty of people do far worse and receive less punishment through the Korean courts, but I really don’t feel sorry for them. Hopefully this will send a message and end these taxi cab related incidents.

This is why 18 year olds shouldn’t be at Hongdae at 4AM in the morning:

The first thing Jasmyn Chambers, 18, remembers from early morning Feb. 25 isn’t the pain of a jagged beer bottle slicing through her face. What struck her first was bewilderment.

She still has trouble understanding why a soldier, or any man, would slash a woman’s face so badly she would need 80 stitches.

“I can’t believe he’s a person that would do that to somebody,” said the Seoul American High School senior.

The accused soldier, Pfc. Christopher Myers, 20, of the 435th Medical Detachment at Camp Humphreys, is charged with multiple offenses including aggravated assault and underage drinking.

This soldier is undoubtedly going to face stiff military punishment and will possibly also be subjected to punishment from the Korean authorities as well. This guy has to got to be quite a scumbag to hit an 18 year old girl with a beer bottle.

Now why an 18 year old girl is clubbing at Hongdae, well that is open to debate.

USFK soldiers dominate the Army’s annual Outreach Awards:

The Outreach Awards recognize the best of the Army’s worldwide public outreach initiatives in three categories: individual accomplishment (series of efforts), ongoing programs and special events.

The judging panel received 25 entries from major Army commands, the Installation Management Agency, field operating agencies and from direct reporting units.

Army Chief of Public Affairs Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks presented the following awards March 6:

Individual Category Winners

1st Place – 1st Lt. Chang, Suk Won of the 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team; 2nd Infantry Division, Eighth U.S. Army (Republic of Korea) spearheaded two triumphs – the Dongducheon “Second to None” foreign language school and the division’s “Angel Run.” Through his programs and his unit’s closeness to the demilitarized zone Change reinforced the urgency of fostering positive community ties and in helping tremendously to sustain the ROK-U.S. alliance.

2nd Place –No, Won Hyon, Community Relations Office, 19th Theater Support Command, Camp Henry, ROK, tirelessly ensured Soldiers experienced a continuous stream of tours, cultural activities and community events. Of the many activities he orchestrated throughout 2005, the two which stood out was the program he created to provide English language instruction to less than fortunate Korean school children. He also coordinated with local television media to tell the Army story to more than 500,000 Korean citizens.

3rd Place –Capt. Sungjean P. Kim, chaplain, 307th Signal Battalion, 1st Signal Brigade, fashioned a highly publicized and comprehensive program between the battalion and the Samseong Won Orphanage which became a shining example of how well Soldiers and children can enjoy each others company. He was represented by a Capt. Marilisse Gonzalez accepted the award at the ceremony.

Ongoing Programs Category

1st Place – “Team 19 Community Relations Program,” 19th Theater Support Command, Eighth U.S. Army, ROK was selected for being the most comprehensive and integrated community outreach program and fosters positive relations which have resulted in increased support between the local Korean community and the Army.

2nd Place – “Baker Reach Outreach Project,” Fort Benning, Ga., was selected for its program which focused on Soldiers and civilian employees who took on the challenge of helping to improve the lives of children from the Baker Village housing area who needed role models, positive activities and people who would take the time to care.

3rd Place – “Fort Polk Community Outreach Tour,” Fort Polk, La., targeted a wide variety of key stakeholders in local communities by providing a unique interactive experience for community leaders who were afforded the opportunity to participate as role-players in a joint readiness training center rotation exercise.

Special Events Category

1st Place – “Community Leader Updates: June 14-15, 2005,” Fort Stewart/Hunter Army Air Field, Ga., was a new community relations approach in which base officials wanted to improve understanding by community leaders of the Army’s mission and how much the Army appreciates the support of its neighbors.

2nd Place – “Watchpup Olympics,” 8th Military Police Brigade, HQ, Eighth U.S. Army (ROK), was the culmination of a long-standing relationship between command Soldiers and the Sung Ro Won Orphanage which proved to be the experience of a lifetime.

3rd Place – “Soo Locks Celebrates 150 Years,” U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit, Mich., focused on the 150th anniversary of the Corps of Engineers responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the locks that supply waterborne raw materials to the Great Lakes region.

Great job by all the soldiers recognized.

The Osan Shakedown Scandal leader’s light 2 year sentence will stand according a US Air Force general after doing all of this:

Davis pleaded guilty to running illicit police undercover operations, accepting gifts and cash from club owners, maintaining illicit sexual liaisons with bar girls, breaking the U.S. military’s curfew that the town patrol had the duty of enforcing, being drunk and disorderly, having sex with women who were not his wife, illegally possessing weapons, illegally keeping an off-base apartment, using racial and ethnic slurs, filing a leave request with false information as to his intended destination and maintaining an improper relationship with a subordinate airman.

He is lucky he didn’t get caught doing BAH fraud as well because he might have actually done some real time.

Let me get this right, this guy gets 18 months for BAH fraud and this guy gets 6 months for adultery, conduct unbecoming of an officer, and giving classified information to a KGB agent. WTF?