By Staff Sergeant Allen Wheeler

From My Service in Korea, I learned…

What did you learn from serving in Korea? Let us know –

Please email us your story and photos to KDVA.MyServiceInKorea@gmail.com.

READ MORE STORIES HERE.

By Sgt. 1st Class (Ret.) Vincent L. Abril

“Cultural connection beyond the big picture”

From My Service in Korea, I learned why the ROK-US alliance has remained so strong since the Korean War. I felt accepted and loved through the many military and civilian relationships I built over three tours, totaling eight years of service on the peninsula. I learned to embrace and love Korean culture. I learned firsthand how the resilience and determination of the Korean people led them to become one of the world’s economic powerhouses and exporters of culture through music, film, and food. I also learned so much about myself through interactions with military and civilian friends and family who accepted me as one of their own.

My journey to Korea began in Puerto Rico in 1999 when a huge opportunity knocked at my door at the San Juan Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) when an army career counselor told me I could serve in Korea after committing to joining the active army. I could not believe my ears. I had heard so much about the Korean War from elders on the island who served in the 65^th Infantry Regiment during the war. I was overwhelmed with excitement, so I signed a contract that day to seal the deal.

I arrived in Korea for my first assignment with the 20^th Support Group in Daegu. A couple of months later, I was sent to the port city of Busan, as I joined the 4^th Quartermaster (Airborne) Detachment, where I served for over two years as a maintenance foreman working exclusively with Korean Nationals. During this time, I met my wife through my platoon sergeant. She was a Korean National employee herself, working for the Morale Welfare and Recreation (MWR) division on base. After tying the knot, we spent the remainder of our time traveling across the peninsula before receiving orders to Heidelberg, Germany.

Fast forward seven years, and we received orders back to Korea in 2010. This time, I returned to Korea with my own little family. I was assigned to the 2^nd Combat Aviation Brigade, where I traveled the peninsula, covering stories about the successes of our servicemembers and the ROK-US alliance as the brigade’s public affairs manager. During this time, our son was born. My wife worked as a bank manager on base, and we both immersed ourselves in the Korean and military communities before departing in 2014 to Fort Bliss, Texas.

While in Texas, we missed Korea very much. To our surprise, my branch manager offered us another opportunity to serve in Korea. Without hesitation, we made it official and landed right back to where it all started in Daegu. I was assigned to the 19^th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, serving as the commanding general’s public affairs manager for two years before finally being approved to retire from the army.

Julie and I moved our family to Suwanee, Georgia, in 2019 after retirement to be close to a large, vibrant Korean community where we enjoy the best of both worlds. When I look back on it all, Korea has played a significant part in my life. When we say “Katchi Kapshida,” some may take it as another cool phrase, but we lived it every day where the rubber meets the road with our military and civilian counterparts and family members. Whether living in a highrise apartment forging relationships with our Korean neighbors or sleeping in a tent together during military field exercises, indeed, “We Go Together.” We are beyond grateful for the opportunity to be a part of history as we lean forward in the foxhole together, deterring aggression and maintaining an alliance that has remained incredibly strong for over 70 years.

What did you learn from serving in Korea? Let us know –

Please email us your story and photos to KDVA.MyServiceInKorea@gmail.com.

READ MORE STORIES HERE.

Command Sgt. Maj. (Ret.) Diahann J. White

“Unveiling the Lessons of Diversity and Camaraderie”

COL Chris Martinez

“The Gift of Generational Freedom”

I had the great fortune to serve in the Republic of Korea (ROK) twice during my military career. In 1998, I was assigned to the 102^nd Military Intelligence (MI) Battalion (BN) at Camp Essayons in Uijeongbu. Although the unit and the installation no longer exist, the organization took great pride serving in the Alliance, which at the time, was the most forward deployed MI BN in the U.S. Army.

Fifteen years later, I returned to the ROK and was afforded the opportunity to serve in Seoul. Unlike the previous assignment, I was married with children. I took advantage of the experience, sharing the value of service to one’s nation and our family’s legacy on the peninsula with my spouse and children. I recall researching and revealing my grandfather’s service during the Korean War to my son Preston who was three years old at the time. I disclosed heroic stories about my grandfather – a senior noncommissioned officer and infantryman who experienced some of the fiercest fighting in the Iron Triangle before the Armistice was signed on July 27, 1953.

With Preston so young, I thought he would benefit from visual cues to reinforce the values, stories, and lessons I tried to instill in him. As a result, I frequently took him to visit the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul. Although called a Memorial, it is a remarkable museum with a tremendous exhibition of historical relics and records related to many wars fought in Korea and abroad. It is absolutely grand. Although it is possible to walk all the indoor and outdoor exhibits in a day, it’s nearly impossible to stop at every display and fully appreciate its significance in one visit. Hence, Preston and I visited the Memorial about once a month, each time discovering new treasures.

During our visits, I gained an appreciation what I call “The Gift of Generational Freedom.” Words cannot express how special it was to experience the freedom of walking through the Memorial with Preston, holding his hand, and sharing with him the experiences of my grandfather on the same hollowed grounds he bravely fought on 60 years earlier. On one occasion, Preston and I had the opportunity to visit the Memorial with my father and brother, an Army Lieutenant Colonel retired and National Guard Lieutenant Colonel respectively. On that very special day, three generations experienced the “Gift of Generational Freedom,” honoring the legacy of my grandfather’s service and the powerful Alliance he contributed to that stands ready to deter aggression and defend the Republic of Korea today.

On that day, we discovered a magnificent outdoor exhibit titled The Clock Tower of Peace. It is a remarkable 15-foot bronze statue. From its base stands a tower of military rubble from the Korean War consisting of damaged tanks, artillery pieces, vehicles, and vessels. Atop of the pile are two young girls, possibly sisters torn apart by the war, each holding a clock. One girl stands strongly, holding a clock on her shoulder that displays the current time. While the other girl lays weakly on the pile, reaching for her sister with one hand while sorrowfully resting her arm on the other clock. Her clock is cracked and lies still at 4:00, June 25, 1950 – the date and time The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) invaded the ROK.

Initially, the exhibit struck us as a stark and dreadful reminder of how the Korean War separated thousands of families, most of whom have not reunited in 70 years. These families remain deprived of “The Gift of Generational Freedom” – the very gift I experienced with three generations of my family on that special day. But as we examined the exhibit more closely, we realized it was not complete. Several meters from the base of the tower, sat a third clock, identical to the two on the tower. It was in pristine condition, protected in a glass case, and resting at 4:00 with no date. On the day of reunification, the sculptor will complete the exhibit by raising the third clock to the top of the tower, replacing the broken one and synchronizing the two aloft in perpetuity. The exhibit, in its entirety, is a symbol of hope for when Korea will be made one and its families made whole – whole to experience “The Gift of Generational Freedom.”

Gifts are not free nor should we take them for granted. Service Members, like my grandfather, paid the price in blood and treasure 70 years ago so we can experience “The Gift of Generational Freedom” today. In total, 36,516 U.S Service Members gave their last full measure of devotion for freedom on the Korean peninsula. Their service mattered and we must not forget them. From my assignments in Korea, I learned the best way to honor their sacrifice is by ensuring our service  – as individuals and an Alliance – preserves and strives to afford every man, woman, and child the opportunity to experience “The Gift of Generational Freedom.”