Have finally posted to my historical website for Osan AB the photos of Robert Evilsizor, former Commander, Co A, 839th Engineering Aviation Battalion (EAB) (SCARWAF). “SCARWAF” stands for Special Category Army with Air Force” and were the heavy construction battalions who built the runways in WWII Europe as the allies advanced. When Korea broke out, these were the guys who built the air bases from scratch. These folks did some miracles, but not many folks know about what they did.  Like the Navy “Sea Bees” (Construction Battalions), they were the unsung heroes of the war.  They were the predecessors of the heavy construction USAF “Red Horse” units.

I finally transferred the photos from the CD to the webpage. The photos number over 240 and are on a separate page from the 1952 chronicles. All the photos are in color. The new page is at Robert Evilsizor’s Photos.

The reason these photos are so important is that they can trace the continuity of the area’s history from then (1952) till now. The following photos below span over 60 years. The first photo is from the Robert Evilsizor collection and plainly shows the railspur crossing with Hill 170 (where the Main Gate is now) off in the distance in 1952. Notice that there was no village or shanty town in existence then — only the choga-chip homes of the original farmers. The shanty town of Chicol-ni sprouted up in 1953. The road was carved out from rice paddies and built up with a steep drop off on both sides. Even today, this explains why Shinjang Mall is elevated and all the other markets slope off from it.

Railspur from the Kyongbu Railway that leads to the Bravo Gate area. The road crosses the spur and heads to base. Hill 170 to right. (1952) (Robert Evisizor)

The second photo is from Bob Jones in 1964. The coolies used the area then to wait for business. In the 1960s, there were two forms of cargo delivery in Songtan — pony-drawn carts and coolie laborers. At that time, the coolies carried massive loads on their backs using the Choge (A-frame carrier).

A-Frame Corner at Rail Spur (1964) (Bob Jones)

The next photos are ones I took at different times of the same spot in 2009 with the little clothes shop on the corner. The road next to the railspur was resurfaced (macadam) and theun upgraded to bricks to give the mall a more “attractive” look befitting an “international shopping mall.” Further down, the railspur has been turned into flower gardens.
Shinjang Mall Rail Spur looking North (2009) (Kalani O’Sullivan) — Rail has been inactive for over thirty years, but rail right of way retained as a “contingency.”

Shinjang Mall Rail Spur (29 Mar 2009) (Kalani O’Sullivan)

Rails being “upgraded” to fit image of a Shopping Mall (Sep 2009) (Kalani O’Sullivan)

The second set of photos is of the Main Gate area. The first two photos are from Robert Evilsizor’s 1952 collection. The main gate area was the road and a few choga-chip (mudwattle houses) at the base of Hill 170. The shanties would spread from the “main gate” area out towards Milwal-dong and into the Shinjang-2 dong area in 1953 as many Koreans flocked to Osan-ni AB to seek work. The “main gate” then was nothing more than a box for a ROK Army guard in 1952.

Road from base leading to MSR-1. Notice that no shanties or any buildings have been built yet. The shanty town of Chikol-ni has not started. Notice how the road was built up. To this day, the Shinjang Mall area buildings slope away from the main road. The road continued down between Hobak Hill (left) and Jwadong hill (right) across the Kyongbu railroad where it joined the MSR-1 (Main Supply Route 1) that is now called Tanhyeon Road. (1952) (Robert Evilsizor)

ROK guards along road to base. ROK Army was responsible for the perimeter defense of the base. In 1952, this box structure was the “main gate.” (1952) (Robert Evilsizor)

Outside the Main Gate in Chicol-ni (1958) (Unknown)

Only one road in and out of base. Alleyways opened to the side of the main road to access the market place and living areas of Chicol-ni. USAF and ROKAF security police man the main gate. (1959) (Ed Stirling)

Notice that the road to the Bravo Gate had not been cut yet. This would occur in the late 1970s when the base ceded the land back to the ROK to create the road. The town was still called Chicol-ni, though the businesses called it Songtan. (1964) (Bob Jones)

Road leading to MSR-1 (1965) (Harry Tezlaf)

Main street outside of Main Gate (1974) (Ken Shallenbarger)

Main street to MSR-1 with Hanil Church at end (1977) (Unknown: Courtesy 51st FW Historian)

A new gate shack but nothing else changed. (1988) (Frank Scheirer)

New Main Gate edifice built along with a similar structure at the Doolittle Gate. Big edifice, but the gate shack remained about the same size. In the 1980s, Songtan Eup (district) became Songtan-shi (city) and Chicol-ni faded from memory. In 1992, Songtan City was incorporated into Pyeongtaek City and it reverted downward as a sub-unit of Pyeongtaek City — much to the displeasure of many lifelong Songtan residents. Songtan started being promoted by the national government as a “special tourism zone” to placate the dissent. (2001) (Unknown)

Main Gate (2001) (Curley Knepp) — After 9/11, the ROK National Riot Police were stationed permanently outside the gates primarily for anti-American protest control. In addition, barricades were erected to prevent anyone from “running the gate.” Tire shredders were added so no one could “run the gate” from the exit side. Later, automatic anti-terrorist barricades were installed.

Shinjang Mall closed off to vehicular traffic. (2001) (Curley Knepp)

After 7 pm when the shops start closing, the Shinjang Mall turns into a bar row. (2005) (Unknown)

Shinjang Mall from Main Gate (29 Mar 2009) (Kalani O’Sullivan)