I was born and raised in California, in the Bay Area. My family moved to Oregon during my freshman year of high school after my father retired from AT&T. I enlisted in the U.S. Army infantry on August 29, 1989. At that time, Ft. Benning was the place to be for basic training as an infantry soldier, it was the home of the infantry. After graduating from basic training and advanced infantry training (AIT) in December of 1989, I took one month of leave. I flew from Portland, Oregon to Seattle, Washington, then to Seoul, Korea on January 14th, 1990.

About one week after arriving in Seoul, I can’t remember how many of us, but about a bus load of us were sent up north to Camp Casey. I was at the “turtle farm” for about two weeks when I was assigned to Charlie Company, 2/503 Infantry, 2nd platoon, Camp Hovey. Camp Hovey was a smaller Army base behind Camp Casey. When I arrived at my assigned unit, the unit was preparing for its rotation on the DMZ, I had arrived at just the right time. Our unit prepared by conducting mock combat patrols during the day and night. One particular night we had to lie in a mock ambush for two hours as if we were on the DMZ, it was so cold. I remember thinking to myself how exciting it was, but how miserable it was at the same time. Once on the DMZ, our platoon’s first phase was the patrol phase. We spent 30 days conducting day recon patrols, then night ambush patrols. One memory I have is the constant sound of North Korean and South Korean propaganda. At that time, the DMZ had very large speakers spread out all over different areas from both the North and South. The speakers were used for each side the blast their propaganda towards each other. I remember one day patrol where we were taking a patrol break, and the North Koreans played their national anthem 75 times in a row. This was driving us crazy but that was the point, the propaganda was meant to annoy and harass each other. The South Koreans played a lot of American music, this too was meant to annoy the North Koreans. Funny story is when I came back to the United States, if I heard a radio playing in the background somewhere, I would always think it was propaganda music, kind of funny.

My time spent in Korea was sort of unique. With 2/503 I did my three-month DMZ rotation from February 1990 to May 1990. At that time, the U.S Army started a reduction in force in Korea. The 2/503 was deactivated around June of 1990 so about a handful of us were sent to 5/20 Infantry (Mechanized) who relieved 2/503 on the DMZ. I was assigned to Charlie Company, 5/20 Infantry when 5/20 was starting their guard post phase. Each unit rotates through three assignments on the DMZ. Each phase on the DMZ is one month, patrol phase, guard post phase, and quick reaction force (QRF) phase. After my rotation with 5/20 on the DMZ we returned to Camp Casey in August. In December of 1990, I was given orders for Ft. Carson, Colorado, but the orders were rescinded due to the first Gulf War in August of 1990. Everyone stationed in Korea after January 1990 was involuntarily extended for an additional year due to the first Gulf war. I stayed with 5/20 Infantry until August 1991 when 5/20 Infantry received the Bradley fighting vehicles. Due to this restructuring, a group of us were given new orders for Alpha Company 1/503 Infantry on Camp Howze.

During my time in Korea, I visited many temples and had the opportunity to witness several traditional Korean weddings. These ceremonies were fascinating, showcasing the deep-rooted culture and pride of the Korean people. It was clear to me that they held a strong respect for their heritage. One of the most striking experiences was seeing the older generation still working in the rice paddies. I watched as elderly men and women carried their farming tools and equipment on their backs, yet they walked just as swiftly as we soldiers did while carrying 50 or 60 pounds of gear. I also had the privilege of speaking with many older Koreans who expressed their gratitude for the U.S. military’s role in keeping their country safe. When I was in Korea in 1990, many of them still remembered the war—some had fought in it, while others had lived through it as children. I often sat in restaurants just outside the base, listening to their stories. I believe they appreciated that a young soldier like me took an interest in their experiences and the history of their country. I found it all truly fascinating.

I have so many memories of Korea, and I wish I could write them all down. I spent eight years in the Army, but out of all the places I was stationed, Korea was my favorite assignment. My time there wasn’t perfect, but it was the best experience I had as a young soldier. I’ve told my family many times that if my only military service had been the two years I spent in Korea, I would have been completely satisfied. I had always wanted to experience an overseas assignment, and choosing Korea was one of the best decisions I made. The U.S. Army no longer patrols the DMZ; after the Cold War ended in 1993, we handed that responsibility over to the South Korean Army. Still, I feel honored to have been part of such a historic mission. In all, my time in Korea was from January 1990 to January 1992. I was honored to take part in a historic assignment at the DMZ, protecting freedom’s frontier along the southern boundary of the Korean Peninsula.

I enlisted in the Army in April 1958 and did basic training at Fort Dix, NJ. After basic training, I spent 8 weeks at Fort Gordon, GA, attending MP school. At the end of this training, all but one man was sent to Korea. We flew from Augusta, GA, to Seattle, WA, where we spent most of a week waiting for a troop ship to take us to Korea. The ship stopped in Kodiak, AK, to drop off some families and then on to Yokohama, Japan to drop off more passengers and give us a few hours of shore time. Then it was on to the port of Inchon and debarkation. We were trucked up to ASCOM city to await assignment. After a few days about 24 of us were sent to Hq & Hq Company, US Army Port Inchon. This facility was based on Wolmido Island which is off the coast of Inchon harbor.

I enlisted in the Army in April 1958 and did basic training at Fort Dix, NJ. After basic training, I spent 8 weeks at Fort Gordon, GA, attending MP school. At the end of this training, all but one man was sent to Korea. We flew from Augusta, GA, to Seattle, WA, where we spent most of a week waiting for a troop ship to take us to Korea. The ship stopped in Kodiak, AK, to drop off some families and then on to Yokohama, Japan to drop off more passengers and give us a few hours of shore time. Then it was on to the port of Inchon and debarkation. We were trucked up to ASCOM city to await assignment. After a few days about 24 of us were sent to Hq & Hq Company, US Army Port Inchon. This facility was based on Wolmido Island which is off the coast of Inchon harbor.

At that time this facility was responsible for moving all the troops and material in and out of the country. Since, at that time, the Inchon harbor was undeveloped and tidal elevation changes could reach 30 feet, all troop and material movement was handled by various watercraft and barges operated by members of this company. Military Police assigned to this unit would be doing guard duty at various locations around the port. Since this island is offshore and the predominant weather in the winter comes down from the north, the temperatures get very cold. Doing duty outside in this weather just standing around was not something to look forward to.

When we arrived on the island the personnel sergeant called me in and asked if I would be willing to take the job of the post mail clerk. Since this would be an inside job I jumped at the chance. This job consisted of going to the main post office on shore twice a day, collecting the bags of mail for our units, and returning to the island to sort and distribute it at mail call. In addition to this, I also had other duties which included

assisting the training sergeant during Saturday training sessions. The company commander had a specially prepared Jeep for his transportation, and I had the job of driving him to his various duties. One of these was to go to Seoul on payday to exchange script dollars for Korean won to pay the indigenous help on the base.

 I would put on my M1911 45 caliber pistol, the commander would get the money bag with the cash, and off we would go. After a stop at the officer’s club for lunch, we would go to the exchange. The money that would fill a small satchel on the way up would fill two duffel bags on the way back. In 1958 and 1959 Korea was a proud country but it had seen the ravages of war. Many people had little or nothing. The roads, what few of them there were, were still torn up from war. There were no private automobiles, and the only businesses were small shops selling necessities. I had the opportunity to return to Korea in 1983, just 24 years after I had left. I was amazed to see the transformation. There were superhighways filled with cars. Beautiful buildings and hotels filled the city, and it was obvious the people were prospering. I was taken aback to be thanked as a representative of a country that had assisted them in creating a modern, prosperous society. My service in Korea is a part of my life that I am most proud of.

Walking down the dark hallway towards the TA50 storage room, I felt like I was in an episode of The Twilight Zone as a homogenously bouncing glow peeked out from under the door crack of every other soldier’s room. From the nearly synchronous noise of reporter dialogue, I realized we were all watching the same thing – two commercial jets had just crashed into the World Trade Center buildings within twenty minutes of each other. In South Korea, it was 11 pm on September 11th, 2001, and half of our soldiers were still enjoying the night out in town while the other half of us stayed in. The purpose for gathering my equipment while I had no idea what would happen next. I knew it wasn’t good when the first aircraft hit, I briefly wondered, “Now, what idiot was flying that plane?” It was as I watched the second plane collide on live television that I instantaneously knew… we were going to war.

Serving in the Second Infantry Division under the command of Major General Russel L. Honoré (aka “The Ragin’ Cajun”) – a famously animated leader who seemed to enjoy torturing us with regular 3 AM sirens to respond to an imaginary Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) surprise invasion – I was thoroughly convinced staff duty would be beating on our doors at any moment. Except, this time, the threat would be real. While that alarm never came, the last several months of my time in South Korea included my unit moving up along the Imjin River and pulling guard alongside our Republic of Korea (ROK) Army counterparts, in the event North Korean leader Kim Jong Il decided he would take advantage of our distraction. I realized that even developing conflicts thousands of miles away had a global impact on, not just the United States, but our partner nations. I also realized just how much of a dedicated ally South Korea was.

I remember hearing stories as a child about how my grandfather, already a WWII veteran and then a flight engineer for a major airline, helped to transport ROK Army soldiers (and their family members) from South Korea into Vietnam to fight alongside American counterparts. At 320,000 the Republic of Korea sent the largest contingent of any U.S. ally in the war. While deployed to Afghanistan in 2013, I often walked past a tiny ROK compound situated along the outer perimeter of Bagram Airfield – near what later became the site of an intense firefight against breaching Taliban fighters. We recently heard that ten thousand soldiers of the number one enemy of South Korea joined in the fight in Ukraine alongside one of our own largest opponents, the Russian Federation.

In 2021, Admiral Philip S. Davidson, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), testified before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) intended to invade Taiwan by 2027. If ADM (Ret) Davidson’s testimony was accurate, the threat to South Korea is irrefutable. In vicinity alone, North Korea, an ally of China, is the only country by land separating the PRC from ROK. During the 20th century, DPRK assisted the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the Chinese Civil War; and China reciprocated by sending 260,000 of its own soldiers in to reinforce the North Koreans in the Korean War.

From a U.S. perspective, South Korea (and Japan) sit close enough to the Bering Sea and Arctic, an extremely important strategic region, that Chinese and Russian vessels heading towards or leaving the Northern Sea Route are likely to come near the peninsula, if not stop at  Busan  (South Korea’s largest port and a major global logistics hub). Chinese military and commercial vessels (who regularly impede on sovereign territorial waters) leaving ports in Dalian, Shandong, and even Shanghai are likely to be seen by South Korea before leaving the Yellow and East China Seas.

As far as the largest elephant in the room, China and North Korea both pose a nuclear threat to the United States, as well as South Korea and Japan. Should China invade Taiwan, and should the U.S. and its allies become involved, both South Korea and Japan would be perfectly positioned to give early warning and rapid logistical support. However, there must always be give and take.

During the 2024 ROK-US Alliance Conference, I listened with intense concentration as General (Ret) Leem, Ho-Young eloquently and accurately mentioned that the U.S. must realize that South Korea has needs and expectations of its own, which cannot go ignored. While rapidly developing technology has made it easier for mortal enemies to achieve global reach, there are just four kilometers of concertina wire and landmines that separate North and South Korea and, according to RAND Corporation’s Arroyo Center, there are nearly six thousand North Korean artillery systems within range of heavy population centers that could kill more than ten thousand civilians within an hour. The people of South Korea are in constant threat of attack with hardly any warning. Yet, they have never ceased to be a staunch ally of a nation over five thousand miles away (to the continental U.S.) on the other side of the Pacific.

Taking into consideration the Department of Defense’s model on the instruments of national power (Diplomatic, Information, Military, and Economic – DIME), we simply cannot afford to ignore the needs of South Korea, in addition to our own, and the extreme advantage of having them as an ally in realizing strategic effects against China.

Generally speaking, we are culturally dissimilar; we come from different backgrounds and experiences; our immediate needs and expectations may differ; and our ideas for achieving victory might be distinct. However, our reliance on each other is undeniable. With today’s adversaries simultaneously threatening our individual homelands, we must expand and reinforce the alliance and collaboration between our two nations.

Dr. USA SFC (Ret) William Sawvel with His Father, USAF Sgt Ronald Sawvel (Panmunjom JSA, 2024)