By It is definitely not a good time to be stationed at Camp Humphreys. Now the Area III commander COL Michael Taliento is in the cross hairs of all the business owners of Anjeong-ri which is the city that lies outside of Camp Humphreys.
Gar from the Bass Hole provides this scoop:
The quiet little town of Anjeong-ri just got a lot quieter. The base Commander has decided to put off-limits approximately half the bars in town, including Family Mart. That’s right, Family Mart. Why you might ask? Good question. Apparently an undercover and underage CID agent was able to purchase alcohol at the now banned establishments, so they’ve been put off-limits. Is this fair? You tell me.
The Anjeong-ri residents are having none of it and all joined together last night in a rare show of solidarity to shut the town down. They also hung a huge banner at the top of the street near the walk-through gate, which clearly expresses their opinion of the situation.
I can understand the command’s frustration with under age drinking especially with all the recent bad press of USFK soldiers. However, IMHO what should be done is that the ville should be off limits after 1900 to under age soldiers. Why punish everyone on the camp and piss off the locals when you could solve the problem of under age drinkers by not letting them in the ville to begin with? It isn’t like this group of soldiers is being punished because they shouldn’t be down in the ville drinking to anyway. Carding of soldiers as they leave the gate into Anjeong-ri and random checks of ID cards down range would be the way to implement this policy. Then slam those who are caught breaking this command policy.
Plus it is foolish to piss off the locals when there support is needed if USFK hopes to have the land deal to expand Camp Humphreys succeed. The protesters are currently targeting the back area of Camp Humphreys not the front gate area because the business owners would have none of that. There are other ways just like I suggested that will keep the locals happy and the people who are of age and not causing problems to go down to the ville.
Once again, I can understand the command’s frustrations but there are better ways to handle this then punishing everyone. Then again it could be worse for the people of Camp Humphreys, they could be commanded to not drink at all, like all of us up here in 2ID land.
(Hat Tip: Nomad)
It is the sad reality. No mistake...
8:54 am on February 18th, 2007 1
This is no fun. Korean-American like me who comes to Korea only for exercises from CONUS needs to get out during the Exercise. That is the only time that I can go out for shopping and meet some of my relatives. (Yes, I do not sleep until EndEX.)
8:57 am on February 18th, 2007 2
I'm sure Family Mart does in fact adhere to the drinking age. THE KOREAN DRINKING AGE. It's not thier job to police soldiers. More buffoonery and ass-hatery from the command.
8:58 am on February 18th, 2007 3
Oh as if that is not fun enough (no drinking. Some unit leaders are confining their soldiers to post for the duration of UFL here on CP Carrol. Regardless of rather they are rear-d or what have you.
I swear I thought that box of stupid that Commanders, CSMs and 1SGs have been eating would have been finished by now. Guess CP Carrol ordered seconds though.
9:01 am on February 18th, 2007 4
It is the way of the field grade to slap a tourniquet on a paper cut.
10:43 pm on February 26th, 2008 5
[...] without the servicemembers’ business. As we have seen in the past in Korea, restrictions highly anger the Korean business owners and they will beat down anti-US groups that try to protest outside US military installations that [...]