Deirdre Flynn Harrison – From My Service in Korea, I Learned …

I received my orders to Korea in September 1985. My first emotion was shock because I didn’t even know we still had troops stationed in Korea. The only thing I knew about Korea was what I saw on the tv show MASH. I had no idea of what to expect, so Korea was a blank canvas to me and I went with an open mind and heart.

I was assigned to Camp Stanley and Camp Red Cloud. At first, I was in culture shock. The conditions in Uijongbu were a little rough but as time went on I saw that living conditions for the locals weren’t that easy either. Even though the local Koreans didn’t live in the best of conditions I found them to be happy and hard working. Most of us were young and the older Koreans took us under their wings and helped us along our paths in Korea. They made us feel welcome and sometimes like family. I learned that Koreans were very kind people and the younger people were fun and they showed us around and teaching us some Korean customs and culture. Mostly KATUSA’s taught us.

I noticed that changes were happening in Seoul. Seoul had modern amenities. The were really building up and getting ready for the 1986 Asian Games. You could just tell that Korea was on the precipice of something really big. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that the little old Korea would grow up to be such a powerhouse. I shouldn’t have been surprised at all the progress that I witnessed when I revisited Korea in 2021 because I learned that Koreans were industrious, hard working people with plenty of dreams of a better South Korea. I learned from Koreans that adversity can make you resilient and stronger in every way.

I also didn’t know anything about the Korean War. I learned so much about the history of Korea when I was stationed there and even after I moved on to different duty stations and life I learn more about Korea. Whenever an opportunity presents itself for me to give a lesson about Korea I embrace it and make others excited about learning about Korea too. I love to share what I have learned about Korea to others.