This story should sound familiar:
Military Judge Col. Gregory Gross sentenced Kevin Sowers to 18 months in prison, forfeiture of all pay and a rank reduction to E-1, with credit for 141 days served in pretrial confinement.
A rape charge against Sowers, who is attached to the 2nd Infantry Division’s 1st Battalion, 15th Field Artillery, Bravo Battery, was dropped prior to Wednesday’s trial after the alleged victim declined to testify.
Sowers says he stole from two soldiers’ bank accounts and defied his commander’s orders after falling for a bargirl working in “The Ville†outside Casey’s main gate in Dongducheon. The woman became Sowers’ fiancee.
It should sound familiar because this scenario has been playing out for years and making some headlines recently. I call these guys juicy addicts because these girls in the club are like drugs to some people. These soldiers act just like drug addicts the way they are caught stealing other people’s property and commiting crimes to finance their juicy habit. Read the whole thing and see how as always immediate families that really suffer from these things.
4:41 pm on May 14th, 2007 1
It’s sad but there’s nothing you can do. You can talk to these young (and not so young) troops till you’re blue in the face but it won’t do any good. The girl is always “different” or she “really loves him.” The sad part is, by the time the guys find out the truth, it’s too late and they’ve ruined their careers and lives.
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5:17 pm on May 14th, 2007 2
I have a theory on this which may or may not work. I have always felt that by putting clubs with foreign national juicies off limits that would limit the juicies to just Koreans which would mean less juicies overall because now a days Korean women don’t really want to do the juicy girl thing due to better economic opportunities now a days compared to into the past. With less juicies that means less soldiers that will be able to fall in love and be extorted.
An additional side effect of putting foreign national juicies off limits would mean that USFK would not have to worry about human trafficking in the ville because it is very unlikely that Korean women would be human trafficked into a USFK ville area.
I think it is worth trying instead of maintaining the status quo.
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6:33 pm on May 14th, 2007 3
I see one problem with that – the juicy bars were originally set up for a variety of reasons, and one of those was cheap and easy sex for soldiers in one central location with the idea it would keep them away from the “nice” girls.
Let’s face it…whether anyone wants to admit it or not, young (and some old) guys need sex. If the juicy bars are placed off-limits, do you think the cases of sexual assaults, both on and off-post would increase?
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6:36 pm on May 14th, 2007 4
[...] They never learn, do they? Feel free to add your thoughts to my on-going discussion with GI Korea. [...]
8:46 pm on May 14th, 2007 5
The juicy bars are far from cheap any more and I don’t think the sexual assaults can get any worse then they are now anyway. By doing away with the foreign national juicies the club owners would actually have to spend some money to fix up their clubs instead of relying on the easy juicy girl money. I really believe bad behavior from soldiers is influenced by what they see in the ville. The first thing these soldiers see is the ville and all the cultural and integration they got at the replacement company about how great Korea is goes out the window in a hurry when there is a half naked Phillipina on his lap telling him how much she loves them while he is drinking all his cheap booze.
Then when they commit alcohol related incidents and sexual assaults everyone wonders why they happen, but as leaders we promote alcohol and sexual assaults by the culture USFK leadership allows to exist in the ville. It is the same thing with underage drinkers, we allow these underage guys into the ville that is a culture that promotes alcohol yet we wonder why the blotter has so many underage drinkers?
Improving behavior of soldiers I believe has partly to do with improved leadership but also with changing the ville culture as well. It is no longer Korea of the 1980s yet in many way the attitude in the ville is still that way and it needs to change.
This probably is a bridge to far for camps like in 2ID that are closing down but if the relocation happens doing something like this in the ville outside Camp Humphreys maybe a way to get a fresh start with the ville culture and by telling the club owners this now they can prepare for it when the relocation happens.
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10:38 pm on May 14th, 2007 6
How about just not worrying about it? Seems to me that this guys crime is not having sex with a juicy girl-its stealing things that were not his. He got caught is paying the price.
Why is it Soldiers who don’t do that and whose only crime is a quick piece of ass, have to get lumped into the same category as a thief? Maybe, just maybe, if folks did not make such a big deal abut the “ville”-then market economics could take over and folks would let it die on its own because fo the fact the cost per scrump has gone up to unmanageable levels. Particularly when the guy can take leave and go to Thailand without the thought police chasing him.
Its like the Garden of Eden-tell a guy he can’t do something and he wants it more than if it was just left alone.
You know what’s different now? There are so many women in the armed forces now. And they don’t like it that the men might actually go out and cheat. So they pushed to outlaw any thing fun. End result- a lot more sex inside the fenceline than outside it. with a lot more trouble in tow.
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11:10 am on May 15th, 2007 7
whatever happened to Rosy Palm and her 5 sisters? They are cheaper and a lot less potential trouble. Maybe the Army could come up with some kind of training program for that.
but seriously folks….why do we get so worried about these incidents (other than the obvious bad press…which the troops are gonna get even if they close down the villes and restrict the troops to their barracks when they are not working)?
Am I wrong in assuming that the USFK crime rate is lower than that of the general Korean public as well as the US public?
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12:32 pm on May 15th, 2007 8
Kinda makes me wonder what they got working under the hood, though…..(being a Christian prude who never partook of such (or really needed to pay somebody))….
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3:51 pm on May 15th, 2007 9
I am partial to Skippy’s darwin theory, all thats happening is its a way to filter out those who are not the brightest bulb in the marquee.
However as far as pratical action, the first I would propose is to get the Korean govrenmnet to do something immigration wise. They can reduce the number of “entertainer” visa given out each year. You could also conduct raids on the villes with Immigration Police. I know there are vested interests involved, but more pressure at senor levels may overcome this.
Second, based on what I have seen as an outside civilivan in this problems, I think the USFK needs a more agressive education campaign on the issue. For example the current language in use is “Human Trafficing”, what kind of buerocratic nightmare is this? Granted its technically true, but the main images it springs up in the average mind (and again we are not talking about the brightest bulbs) is smuggling and/or moving people. What is needed is more agressive wording to make clear to the dim USFK policy and ramifications of the addiction.
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7:39 am on May 16th, 2007 10
As an old soldier now retired, I can say this was no problem before the third party females came along, and political correctness forced most with any power to fear speaking the truth.
Someone else said it, get the gready koreans to stop the influx of third party females. Get the locals to fix up the clubs.
Lower the drinking age to that of the local population. If he/she/it, is old enough to kill, then should be old enough to drink. (If Pelosi can wear a head scarf because it is the local custom, then our people can drink at the age of the local custom.)
lastly, of course, make it a three year tour or bring them home.
I remember a time when coming up with a proper course of action was not a big deal.
What happened?
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10:00 am on May 16th, 2007 11
Before I say anything, I want to be absolutely sure you are saying what I think you are saying. Are you saying that Sowers is a victim? If so, a victim of what?
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11:03 am on May 16th, 2007 12
I know I’m going to get a lot of flak about this and I don’t think its going to happen, but I think the Army/Government should legalize prostitution. If they brought it on base, provided a clean environment (both inside and out), and had AAFES or MWR control it so that money would be put back into the community, then sexual assault and this kind of behavior would be reduced.
I cite Germany as an example for legalized prostitution. In Iraq, there were some female soldiers making money on the side, until they were busted which shows that they were willing. And just to be all Equal Opportunity…there should be a couple of juicy boys…for the ladies or *GASP* guys (there were man-on-man sexual assaults in the desert).
I’m not saying it is right, but I just believe in moderation. If they’re going to have a church on base, then the alternative should be provided. If they’re going to show 7th Heaven on AFN, then they need to show porn after midnight, you know, to balance things out.
I think I just made everyone who read this either puke from disgust or laughter or disgusting laughter.
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11:11 am on May 16th, 2007 13
Jeff,
I’m not sure who you are referring to but I have never said the guys that commit crimes are victims. They are prosecuted and sentenced just as they deserve to be. The real victims are the guys getting their stuff stolen and the families of these guys that get in trouble not to mention the major disruptions it brings to their units.
I maintain that the ville culture is a partial reason why you see blotter report incidents occur. I have had Koreans tell me that GIs treat Korea like its a third world country and I always respond, well what do you expect when the ville right outside the gate is a third world country. Bringing up standards in the ville along with improving leadership apathy which I think is caused by the one year and go back home system in USFK is a way to improve overall conduct of the soldiers.
The USFK crime rate is overall better per capita compared to the general Korean population but the steady trickle of high profile incidents is undermining the US-ROK alliance. Like I said before this may be a bridge to far now but the USFK relocation to Camp Humphreys is a chance to get a fresh start with the ville culture as well as instituting three year tours to improve continuity in leadership within the ranks as well as bringing families over.
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1:08 pm on May 16th, 2007 14
Sowers is a SYMPTOM of the vast leadership and PC failures that I became aware of around 1997. It was worse in 2002 till my retirement in 2005. I couldn’t wait to leave what the army had become. I saw EO and PC cr-p in my last years that was unbelievable. From NCOs and Officers alike.
Something should have happened to Sowers before it went that far. Something that would not have been PC perfect.
Sowers a victim?! You must think me retarded.
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2:07 pm on May 16th, 2007 15
I totally agree with much of what you said, but it is the last sentence that intrigues me. You wrote:
“Read the whole thing and see how as always it is the victim’s immediate family that really suffers from these things.”
I’m just trying to clarify who you are referring to as the “victim.” It seems from the context that you are referring to Sowers as the victim. If so, I have a lot to say about that. If you are referring to someone else as the victim, I probably have comments about that as well.
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6:02 pm on May 16th, 2007 16
Jeff, good catch I didn’t realize I misphrased that and I stand corrected. I meant to say the families are the real victims and have corrected it, thanks.
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7:58 am on May 17th, 2007 17
I couldn’t care any less about this POS. A military is a direct reflection of a countries society. This person brought with him into the army values from his upbringing that directly reflect his society. I have no respect for someone that is a thief or a liar. Sure his family suffers, but thats life.
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2:59 am on May 18th, 2007 18
[...] water between the two countries. At the group’s general meeting in Monaco on Thursday, [...] Another Juicy Addict Convicted This story should sound familiar: Military Judge Col. Gregory Gross sentenced Kevin Sowers to 18 [...]
5:11 pm on August 21st, 2008 19
I am a juicy addict.
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5:13 pm on August 21st, 2008 20
I’m 28 and addicted to the nightlife with my juicy. I miss work often but shes worth it. Please help me decide should i stay with the flip or get wit the russian. I need help.
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