From My Service in Korea, I Learned…
Every Veteran has a story. Share the lessons, friendships, experiences, and memories that made your service in Korea meaningful.
What Did You Learn From Serving in Korea?
KDVA's “From My Service in Korea, I Learned…” series gives those who served in Korea a place to reflect on their experiences and share the lessons that stayed with them.
Every Korea Experience Is Different
Some served during periods of heightened tension along the DMZ. Others served at camps, bases, headquarters, airfields, and communities throughout the Korean Peninsula.
Yet across generations, many Veterans share similar memories of the Korean people, friendships formed during their assignments, lessons in leadership, and a deeper understanding of the importance of the ROK-U.S. Alliance.
KDVA invites Veterans from every rank, service, assignment, and generation to add their story.
One assignment can create lessons, memories, and friendships that last a lifetime.
These first-person stories preserve the human experience behind decades of service on the Korean Peninsula.
Why These Stories Matter
Personal stories preserve history, connect generations, and help others understand the experiences behind decades of service in Korea.
Preserve History
Personal experiences preserve the human side of Korea's history and the generations who have served there.
Connect Generations
Stories connect Veterans who served decades apart through shared places, experiences, missions, and friendships.
Strengthen the Alliance
These memories help others understand the personal relationships and experiences behind the enduring ROK-U.S. Alliance.
Read Stories From Those Who Served
Explore firsthand stories from Veterans whose service in Korea spans generations. Discover the people they met, the places they served, the friendships they formed, and the lessons they carried with them long after leaving Korea.
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – David W. Dinges, Jr.
I was a Specialist Fifth Class stationed with B Company, 55th Maintenance Battalion at Camp Humphreys (K-16). I was awarded a 3-Day Pass and decided to use it for a…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Colonel (Ret.) Ira Tagawa
Serving with Compassion in Korea As the red-tailed Northwest Airlines plane made its approach to Kimpo Airport in November 1966, I gazed out of the window and saw snow-capped mountains…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned …Pam Sargeant McMillan
This year, 2026, marks the 50th anniversary of my arrival in Korea. In 1975, “Join the Army—See the World!” was the Army’s recruitment slogan. As the patriotic daughter of a…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – David Dorman
From My Service in Korea, I Learned – David Dorman, (SFC, USA, Ret.) Served at Camp Hovey/Camp Casey (HHC, 2nd BCT, 2nd Infantry Division), 1995–1996 When I stepped off…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Paul Hooper
From My Service in Korea, I Learned – By Paul Hooper My name is Paul Hooper. I am a retired USAF Command Pilot and Major. My first assignment out of USAF…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Samuel Perryc
From My Service in Korea, I Learned – By Samuel Perry I was working as a teacher in a small rural school in southcentral Kentucky when I received my invitation to…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Kenneth Hissong
From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Kenneth Hissong I was sent to Air Police Tech school and assigned to Strategic Air Command Headquarters at Offutt AFB. Due to…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Michael Peck
From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Michael Peck In 1968, during one of the most tense periods of the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula, I served in…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Gregory Asher
From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Gregory Asher From my service in Korea, 1976-1977 I learned just how strong the bond of camaraderie, caring, and concern for your…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Walter Gary Westernoff
From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Walter Gary Westernoff From my service in Korea, I learned the meaning of responsibility, vigilance, and commitment to something larger than myself.…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – COL Bruce Cotterman U.S. Army (Retired)
From My Service in Korea, I Learned – COL Bruce Cotterman U.S. Army (Retired) Fifty years ago, August 1976 the DMZ hostilities in post war Korea ramped up due to…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Joel Reynoso
All in all, my experience underscored the significance of our mission in South Korea: upholding a strong alliance to maintain regional security, deter aggression from North Korea, and encourage economic…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Lawrence Hooser
From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Lawrence Hooser I was part of the amphibious force of the U.S. Navy during the early part of the war. I served on…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – COL Kee Jeong
From My Service in Korea, I Learned – COL Kee Jeong It doesn’t come up often, but I can still remember the few times my aunts (now in their 80s)…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Harold H. Nicklas Jr.
From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Colonel Harold H. Nicklas Jr. (US Army Retired) The Army assigned me to Korea after a few weeks of Berlitz Korean language…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Mike Napolitano
From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Mike Napolitano I actually started learning about Korea before I ever set foot in the country. As an Air Force 1st Lt.…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – James R. Kinney
From My Service in Korea, I Learned – James R. Kinney As an enlisted Air Force Chinese linguist trained at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey, California,…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Brian L. Goldbeck
From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Brian L. Goldbeck Seems I was destined to serve in Korea even though my first assignment in the mid-1970s was shifted from…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Larry Smethers
From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Larry Smethers In September 1967, I was drafted into the Army and ordered for basic training at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Fort Polk…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – David Teichman
From My Service in Korea, I Learned – David Teichman From my service in Korea, I learned just how strong the bond of camaraderie, caring, and concern for your fellow…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Charles Webb
From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Charles Webb My service record in the Air Force was from September 1950 to May 20 1954 during that period of time, I…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – John Eory
From My Service in Korea, I Learned – John Eory Yobo seo. I arrived in Korea in October 1970 as a new 2LT and became an infantry platoon leader at…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Garry Owen
What I learned from my service in Korea. From November 2002 to April 2004, I was assigned as an M1A1 Abrams Tank Platoon Sergeant in Blackfoot Troop 4th Squadron 7th…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Tony Williams
FROM MY SERVICE IN KOREA, I LEARNED… Tony Williams March 2002-08 (1-43 ADA & 35TH ADA) January 2014-18 ( 8TH Army G6) I served in the active US Army for…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – David Erbstoesser
FROM MY SERVICE IN KOREA, I LEARNED… PFC David Erbstoesser I walked into the Recruiting Office in Bismarck, ND, and signed up for a 3-year enlistment from 12 June 1962…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Tracey Huff
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Tracey Huff I served in Korea from December 2002 to January 2004. What I learned from serving my country on the Korean peninsula was…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Eric Rodley
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Eric Rodley I was born and raised in California, in the Bay Area. My family moved to Oregon during my freshman year of…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Peter Thompson
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Peter Thompson I enlisted in the Army in April 1958 and did basic training at Fort Dix, NJ. After basic training, I spent…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Sawvel Family
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Dr. USA SFC (Ret) William Sawvel & USAF Sgt Ronald Sawvel Walking down the dark hallway towards the TA50 storage room, I felt…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Richard Hernandez
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Richard Hernandez I deployed to Korea as an 18 year old Army medic and was assigned to 2/72 Armor, 2nd Infantry Division, August…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Ray Butler
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Ray Butler After graduating from OSUT at Fort Knox, Kentucky, I received orders to go to the 2nd Infantry Division, C Company, 2/72…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Robin Hill
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Robin Hill In August of 1989, I was promoted to Captain in the Air Force Nurse Corps. Two months later, I found myself…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Rocky Burkhardt
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Rocky Burkhardt When I received orders to go to South Korea in 1967, I thought it would be like going to jail for…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Ricky James
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Ricky James 567 Medical Ambulance, 43 RD MASH, Uijonbu, Korea I arrived in Korea in early September 1969 after completing basic training and…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Ben Tiseo
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Ben Tiseo Learning Not To Panic I was stationed in Korea from Nov 1966 to Dec 1967 during a period referred as the…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Darrell Lake
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Darrell Lake I left McCord Air Force Base at 3:00 AM on January 17, 1968. I arrived at Kimpo Air Force Base in…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Gerald Simpson
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Where do I begin this tale of serendipity, discovery, enlightenment, affection, and redemption which has had life-altering consequences, an edification challenging my deepest…
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From My Service in Korea, I Learned – Tom Flaherty
From My Service in Korea, I learned… It was spring of 1967 I was 20 and getting off a plane at Kimpo International Airport in Korea. Riding in the back…
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John Loghry – From My Service in Korea, I learned…
From My Service in Korea, I learned… John Loghry As a young kid, this was the very first time I had ever been out of the US. It was a…
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Mark Campbell – From My Service in Korea, I learned…
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Mark Campbell, Chaplain, Lt Col USAF (Ret) From my service in Korea, I learned that a nation’s deep commitment to high standards allows…
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Jim Collins – From My Service in Korea, I learned…
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Jim Collins I was privileged to serve in 2ID/Korea for my first assignment in the Army, 1977-78, and my first Aviation assignment in…
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Bob Henault – From My Service in Korea, I learned…
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Bob Henault I arrived in Korea in April 1974 at Osan AFB and was transported to Camp Coiner and was further assigned to…
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Michael Matson – From My Service in Korea, I learned…
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Michael Matson My time in Korea started in Dec 82 when I was sent from CSC 2/39th Inf Ft Lewis, Washington to CSC …
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Stan Fisher – From My Service in Korea, I learned…
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Stan Fisher I have been to Korea three times. The first was as a surprised and reluctant U.S. Army enlistee. I left 18…
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Oscar Russell – From My Service in Korea, I learned…
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Oscar Russell (1991-1992) Before deploying to Korea During 1991, I was with the 3rd ACR. We were deployed to Kuwait in support of…
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Enoch Ibarra – From My Service in Korea, I learned…
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Enoch Ibarra US Navy (1976 – 1978) My first visit to Korea came shortly after my twenty first birthday, on assignment as an…
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Richard Hayward – From My Service in Korea, I learned…
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Richard Hayward 1974 to 1976 I enlisted in the US Army and served my entire enlistment assigned to Camp Kitty Hawk, JSA, Joint…
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Eiji Teragouchi – From My Service in Korea, I learned…
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Eiji Teragouchi 1965 – 1966 During my time stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado, in January 1965, I received orders to relocate to South…
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Dave Nutter – From My Service in Korea, I learned…
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Dave Nutter 1970’s & 1980’s My Name is Dave Nutter, I retired from the Army in 1993 as a SFC with 20 years…
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Robert Jenkins – From My Service in Korea, I learned…
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Robert E. Jenkins March 1953 – December 1956 My name is Robert E. Jenkins. I served in the U.S. Navy in the Korean…
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Bill Castro – From My Service in Korea, I learned…
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Bill Castro From my service in Korea, I quickly learned how to become a man of Men. Let me explain, I was 18…
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Daniel McPharlin – From My Service in Korea, I learned…
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Daniel McPharlin 7th Infantry Division, 1st Battalion 31st Regiment HHC Recon platoon As an infantryman serving with the 7th Infantry Division in the…
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Song Pak Stisher – From My Service in Korea, I learned…
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Song Pak Stisher “Resiliency through Building Cultural Respect, Trust and Friendship” As a newly commissioned Second Lieutenant in 1990, my first assignment in…
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David Benbow – From My Service in Korea, I learned…
From My Service in Korea, I learned… David Benbow My service in Korea with Charlie Company, 3/23rd Infantry, 2nd Infantry Division, Feb 1968 to June 1969 taught me to love…
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CMSgt (Ret.) Ron Eubanks – From My Service in Korea, I learned…
From My Service in Korea, I learned… CMSgt (Ret.) Ron Eubanks What I learned from my eight years in Korea would fill volumes, but I will touch on just a…
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Lt Col, USAF (Ret) Aaron D. Trimble – From My Service in Korea, I learned…
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Lt Col, USAF (Ret.) Aaron D. Trimble From my service in the Republic of Korea I learned what it meant to become inextricably…
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CPT Kim Rybak – From My Service in Korea, I learned…
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Kim Rybak I am a former dependent and my father served three times in Korea. The first time he went, he met my…
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MSgt. (Ret.) Michael Betzer- From My Service in Korea, I learned…
From My Service in Korea, I learned… Michael R. Betzer MSgt. USAF (Ret.) I arrived at Osan Air Base on 28 October 1974. I was assigned to the Weapons Control…
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SGM (Ret.) Joseph Terry- From My Service in Korea, I learned…
From My Service in Korea, I learned… SGM (Ret) JOSEPH TERRY May 1996-Nov 2017 The dates you see noted above are correct! I served my last 9 ½ years on…
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Bill Derby – From My Service in Korea, I learned…
Bill Derby, US Army 1966-69 From My Service in Korea, I learned… the strength, determination and willpower of the human spirit. The second our Boeing 707 door opened at Kimpo…
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Art Smith, Jr.– From My Service in Korea, I Learned …
Art Smith, Jr. 1967-1968 There is so much to tell you about this great trip but there are two stories that I would like to share. Arrival – we just…
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Deirdre Flynn Harrison – From My Service in Korea, I Learned …
Deirdre Flynn Harrison 1985-1986 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.…
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John Romias – From My Service in Korea, I Learned …
John Romias 4/1954 – 8/1955 I enlisted into the U.S. Army in October 1953 after graduating from St. Anthony High School on the island of Maui, HI, to get the…
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MG William Thigpen – From My Service in Korea, I Learned …
MG William Thigpen The value of teamwork and “what right looks like” MG William Thigpen, U.S. Army South Commander, served in the Republic of Korea as a tank and mortar…
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Staff Sergeant Allen Wheeler – From My Service in Korea, I Learned …
By Staff Sergeant Allen Wheeler From My Service in Korea, I learned… My name is Allen Wheeler and when I was in Korea from 1966-1968 I learned that it is…
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Sgt. 1st Class (Ret.) Vincent L. Abril – From My Service in Korea, I Learned …
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…
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CSM(Ret.) Diahann J. White – From My Service in Korea, I Learned …
Command Sgt. Maj. (Ret.) Diahann J. White “Unveiling the Lessons of Diversity and Camaraderie” “From My Service in Korea, I Learned … Unveiling the Lessons of Diversity and Camaraderie” Throughout…
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COL Chris Martinez – From My Service in Korea, I Learned …
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…
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Mr. Rick Bogusky – From My Service in Korea, I Learned …
Rick has over four decades of military and national security experience. He served 24 years on active duty with the US Army as both an artillery officer and foreign area…
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Colonel (Retired) Norm Spivey – Video Interview
US Army Colonel (retired) Norm Spivey served three tours in Korea including battalion command from 2012 to 2014. He currently works within the missile defense enterprise. From my service in…
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BG Daryl O. Hood
Daryl O. Hood – BG 대릴 O. 후드-준장 My experience as a platoon leader in 2nd Infantry Division (2ID) allowed me to learn from great leaders that focused on “the…
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Major General Michel M. Russell, Sr.
Major General Michel M. Russell, Sr. From my service in Korea, I learned that if you have never visited or lived in the Republic of Korea (ROK), it may be…
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U.S. Army Colonel (Ret.) Norm Spivey
US Army Colonel (retired) Norm Spivey served three tours in Korea including battalion command from 2012 to 2014. He currently works within the missile defense enterprise. Norm Spivey 미 육군…
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BG Kevin D. Admiral
BG Kevin D. Admiral, Armor School Commandant, served in Korea as a company commander and the Executive Officer to the Commander of United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, US Forces…
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COL (Ret.) Matt Segal, US Army
I served as a unit commander commanding a postal unit in the 2 ID as a 2LT/1LT in 1973/74. This was my first trip out of North America, and I…
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Brigadier General Milford H. Beagle, Jr. (Beags)
Brigadier General Milford H. Beagle, Jr. (Beags) From my service in Korea, I learned the value of what “We Go Together” truly means (Katchi Kapshida). The bond and connections that…
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MG Charles R. Hamilton
MG Charles R. Hamilton, Assistant Chief of Staff G4 had multiple tours in Korea which positively influenced his career. Over the course of his career, MG Hamilton served as a Company Commander, a…
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Vice Admiral Brad Cooper
English Video Interview: https://youtu.be/ZpeBtuxBO2M Korean Video Interview: https://youtu.be/wqtcyJp16vI Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Korea, 2016-2018 From my service in the Republic of Korea, I had the most…
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MG Brian Mennes
MG Brian Mennes, 10th Mountain Division (LI) and Fort Drum Commander, served in the Republic of Korea as a company commander and the Deputy Commanding General-Maneuver, 2nd Infantry Division. Later this…
