Here is what the 2ID commander had to say in response to the recent rape conviction of one of his Soldiers:

The Flippin case, in addition to several other recent violent incidents involving U.S. servicemembers here, prompted protests by South Koreans and calls for changes to the status of forces agreement that some believe gives American soldiers charged with crimes too much protection in their dealings with the Korean criminal justice system.

Cardon rejected a suggestion that serious crimes are an unfortunate byproduct to be expected when you put thousands of young adults together in places like college campuses or foreign military bases.

Soldiers, he said, should be held to a higher standard than the average citizen.

“We’re a different demographic,” he said. “We’re a professional fighting force. We’re expected to act in a disciplined manner when we’re on-duty … and we should be able to act in a disciplined manner when we’re off duty.

“(We) are ambassadors of the United States,” he said. “I have zero tolerance for sexual assault.”

In the wake of the Flippin case, U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. James Thurman temporarily reinstated a curfew for all 28,500 American servicemembers on the peninsula, which remains in effect. Prior to that, troops in South Korea had not had a curfew since July of 2010 when Thurman’s predecessor, Gen. Walter Sharp, lifted one that had been in effect for almost nine years.

Cardon said it was too early to say whether the curfew should be restored permanently because not enough time has passed to gauge its impact on the U.S. military community in South Korea.

Normally, he said, “I operate from a position of trust. I trust our soldiers to do the right thing”

He said the Flippin case, “is clearly not reflective of 99.9 percent” of how soldiers act.  [Stars & Stripes]

I totally agree that Soldiers should be held to a higher standard and I doubt anyone has any tolerance for sexual assaults.  However, that doesn’t mean that sexual assaults and other violent crimes can be 100% eliminated.  Good luck trying to make that happen if that is what the standard is going to be.  USFK needs to focus on getting the crime rate well below the Korean crime rate for major crimes.  I still believe bringing back the Warrior Pass policy for 2ID is a way to reduce the number of incidents.  USFK senior leaders always turn back to reinstating a curfew so why not just keep the curfew in place, but implement a policy where USFK servicemembers that are not causing trouble are not effected by the curfew?

Under the Warrior Pass policy the curfew hours was from 1-5AM on the weekends and 12-5AM on weekdays, but each unit would have a pre-determined number of Warrior Passes, like maybe 50%, that could be handed out by the unit First Sergeant to servicemembers he/she felt were doing a good job.  This allows the First Sergeant to only give passes to those he/she feels is deserving of one and not people likely to get in trouble out in the ville, particularly younger servicemembers who are brand new to Korea and the ville environment.

The Warrior Pass also has the added benefit of creating competition within the ranks to get one of the passes for the weekend from the First Sergeant, which ultimately means increased performance.  The way things are right now, I believe the Warrior Pass is the best way to go, and it wouldn’t require bed checks.

I also believe that if you get in trouble one time in the ville (curfew violation, underage drinking, fighting, assaulting MP’s, etc.) then non-judicial punishment (Article 15) should be taken with a 3 month removal of off post pass privileges, but if a second incident occurs the servicemember should lose off post pass privileges for the rest of their tours.  Remember going off post is a privilege not a right.  Such policies would focus on the servicemembers who cause problems and not just blanket punish everyone in USFK.  I think leaders don’t use non-judicial punishment enough, especially the summarized article 15. This is the very reason why I think some soldiers cause trouble in the ville in the first place when the little voice in their head tells them that they will just get a counseling statement instead of real punishment for incidents. From my experience the vast majority of Soldiers that do not cause problems appreciate it when the trouble makers are held accountable for their actions.