By The Joint Security Area has a new commander who looks like he will be leading the unit some interesting times considering the current tensions with North Korea:
The combined Republic of Korea-U.S. Army battalion that maintains security inside the Joint Security Area held a change of command ceremony here June 8.
Outgoing United Nations Command Security Battalion-Joint Security Area Commander Lt. Col. John E. Rhodes passed the battalion colors to Lt. Col. Edward J. Taylor during the ceremony on the Camp Bonifas Parade Field.
Eighth Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Joseph F. Fil, Jr., who served as the reviewing officer, thanked Rhodes and welcomed Taylor to the most forward deployed battalion in South Korea.
“During Skip Rhodes’ time in command, this battalion has deterred aggression in the JSA, strengthened our alliance and enabled countless visitors … from senior government officials to Korean War veterans … to visit freedom’s frontier,” said Fil, who is also the Chief of Staff for United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea. [USFK.mil]
11:53 am on June 10th, 2010 1
May I have an origonal picture?
To collect this kind of ceremony is one of my hobby.
Thank you!
12:26 pm on June 10th, 2010 2
Gang, you can download the original pictures of everything that the 8th army posts by going to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8tharmy. Click on the picture you want and then click on the "all sizes" icon on the above left of the picture. Then click on "Original" size and "download the original size."
4:01 am on June 11th, 2010 3
The JSA used to be the very best unit in Korea for duty. We were off for 24 hour shifts (1700 – 1700), so we had all night to get drunk, get a "working girl", and then the whole next day to sober up before formation. The duty was great (we were encouraged to enforce our right of free passage anywhere within the JSA), the officers were some of the very best the Army had, and all of the guys were top-notch. Best unit I ever had the pleasure to serve in, and the people I worked with were the best.
7:16 am on June 11th, 2010 4
So you rate your units based on the amount of time you are given to get drunk?
This system may have the metrics needed for success.
9:47 pm on June 11th, 2010 5
Time off to get drunk and recover is the easiest metric to measure. And, for that unit at that time, one of the most important. We needed a way to blow off steam after enforcing our right of free passage within the JSA and the occasional "interaction" with the KPA.
At that point in time, mid 70's, the KPA guards were old enough to beleive the propaganda they were fed. All of the KPA guards there at that time were orphans whose parents died in the Korean War, and guess who killed them? Yep, they were all told Americans killed their parents (maybe we did, maybe we didn't), and if they killed an American they would get a free college education. So, along with the normal brainwashing the North Koreans are subject to, the KPA guards at Pan Mun Jom also got the little bonus propaganda to hate us even more.
This helped lead to some "motivation" on the parts of both sides to try to intimidate the other. For "our side" (but not counting the KATUSA's who made up half the unit), we all had to be over 6 feet tall, scored 110 or higher on out GT score (does the ASVAB still have that?), and we all had to have had a clean record, no ART. 15's or anything else. Then, we all had to have been 'selected' for the oppurtunity to "volunteer" for duty there and have passed an interview with everybody that would be in our chain-of-command. If anybody didn't like us for whatever reason, then the interviewing was over and you didn't make the cut, which still applied even after being accepted into the unit, if somebody in your chain-of-command didn't like you, then were kicked out the unit and sent to 2ID. All of our officers were hand picked with one of their criteria being they had to be eligible for promotion, and most of them were subsequently promoted at the end of their tour.
We great morale and an esprit de corps unlike any other unit I was ever in. We had those ration cards back then and were only allowed 4 cases of beer and bottles of booze each month. When somebody got promoted, say from E-2 to E-3, then they had to buy 3 cases of beer. If they made E-4, then it was 4 cases of beer, etc. So once each month we'd have platoon parties (each platoon was off on a different day), and the number of promotions would get figured out, and then we'd pool our ration cards to get the required amount of beer plus some bottles of anything to finish everything off. At the party (which we called 'Turtle Party'), the people leaving the unit and heading back home would get a silver mug with the unit crest on it and some other engraving (http://bill_ferguson.tripod.com/JSA_Memories.htm about halfway down the page). The cup was filled about halfway with beer, then topped off with wahtever kinds of booze were bought. The guys leaving would have to chug it, then we'd refill the cups for the new guys that just joined and they would also have to chug the mug. We also got burgers and hot dogs from the mess hall so we could have a BBQ at the party (which kind of sucked in the winter), but it was all fun and good.
Along with my turtle cup, another souvenior I got (about 6 months after I left and was stationed at Ft. Dix, NJ) was one of 50 shells fired in commemoration of our bicentennial (July 4th, 1976), probably because I had stand around in a heavy and hot wool Revolutionary War uniform under a blazing sun for about 4 or 5 hours. At least that's the only reason I can think of, as most of the shells went to visiting dignitaries and senior officers.