2001:

The local base populace turned out to pay respects to their comrade. Almost the entire base turned out for the memorial service. Much sadness was expressed as the young pilot had plans to announce his engagement to a young Army Lieutenant, Courtney Kyos. He had bought an engagement ring and was going to present it to her when they took a vacation together. With great sadness, she spoke a eulogy for him at ceremonies held at Kunsan AB.

The farmers near the crash site also held a memorial service for the pilot. ``That was really touching,'' added Col. Field.

The following is an article that explained the cause of Lt. Murff's accident.

Investigators conclude cause of crash near Kunsan was spatial disorientation

By Jim Lea, Osan bureau chief

The fatal June 12 crash of an F-16CG Fighting Falcon in South Korea probably was caused by spatial disorientation, an Air Force accident investigation board has concluded.

Spatial disorientation happens when a pilot loses track of his relationship to the ground, the report stated. It is a problem in night-formation flying and can reach a point "where the pilot is unable to either see, interpret or process information from the flight instruments," the report said.

"By clear and convincing evidence, the cause of this mishap was the pilot's failure to maintain spatial orientation," states the report, which was received Friday.

1st Lt. Randolph E. Murff, 26, of the 35th fighter squadron, died in the crash 35 miles east of Kunsan Air Base.

Murff was on a night-training mission wearing night-vision goggles when the accident occurred. He had flown three times previously using goggles, the report said.

Murff was flying as wingman in the two-plane formation, with an instructor pilot flying the other plane. At 20,000 feet, the instructor pilot began a left turn and Murff followed. He continued turning for the next 23 seconds, apparently not realizing his plane had gone into a steep inverted dive. He then apparently realized his predicament and began attempting to correct it, rolling quickly right and left and creating G-forces from 2.5 to 8.3.

The plane went into a 58-degree dive, traveling at more than 600 mph, dropping at 850 feet per second, the report states. Murff attempted to eject one second before the plane plowed into a rice paddy. The ejection system worked properly, but there was not enough time for the parachute to deploy fully or for the pilot to be released from the seat harness.

Murff, a native of Bellair, Texas, was killed instantly, the report said.

Channelized attention probably caused Murff to become spatially disoriented, investigators concluded. The report defined that as a pilot focusing conscious attention on some things and ignoring others. The report said "evidence indicates" Murff's goggles were in use and functional.

The F-16CG lost in the crash was valued at $27.8 million.

In April 2002, the F-16 model between the BX and the Arcade had Lt. Murff's name added to the cockpit detailing. Lt. Murff's parents were present at the unveiling of the tribute.

Protests at Kunsan Air Base:

Riot Policeman

However, the on-going protests over SOFA and base land use continued as well. With the advent of spring, the protests started out in earnest. The local TV did a special on the Reverend Mun Chon-Hyun, a Catholic priest, who is spearheading these protests not only in Kunsan but throughout the Cholla area. He is at times characterized as anti-American, but in reality he is ANTI-WAR and dedicated to the idea that life is sacred.

Reverend Mun is basically a human-rights activist who cares deeply about his cause. He started his efforts during the days of Park Chung-Hee when dissention was dangerous to your life. Nowadays, he basically feels that the Americans have overstayed their welcome and it is time to return the Koreans their land that has been denied them for fifty years. Minister Mun is an expert promoter who has learned how to effectively manipulate the TV news by staging seemingly "violent" protests for the TV camera, but they were really nothing more than orchestrated scenarios. We are not saying that he is not a dedicated leader and a true believer in his causes because he definitely is. He fearlessly walks in front of the police lines, jabbing their shields with his cane and shouts his protests. He is in the forefront, but he also knows that the Police would never attack an old man with a cane -- especially while suited up in full body armor and the proceedings are being taped.

Rev. Mun in face-to-face confrontation with Police (Apr 2002)
(Click on image to enlarge)
(From Tongil.news)

The INP site has some excellent footage of the protests that have been taking place in the Cholla area by the combined groups of activists in 2001. The protests deal with a wide gamut of issues from the environment; to saving the tidal flats; to protests over lost jobs; to protests over Japanese "collaborators" who were to be buried in the national cemetery as patriots; to protests over the comfort women. The reason is that Reverend Mun has made a coalition of the protest groups to build strength in numbers.

Click on the following links to view the videos

Protest Video March 1, 2001 (Protest to Repeal the National Security Act) -- Protesters feel the Act is what is separating the country and prevents the free meeting of the Korean people on both sides of the border.

Protest Video March 3, 2001 (Protest Kim Dae-jung for Failure to Support their Protests: Koa Department Store/Chonju)

Protest Video March 8, 2001 (Women's Day: Protest for Women Rights: Chonju KOA Department Store) -- Addresses such issues as inequality in pay and promotion in the Korean workplace; Comfort Women

Protest Video March 10, 2001 (Dongsan/Korea Telecom Labor Protests at Government Offices & Kunsan Streets)

Protest Video March 15, 2001 (Protest Saengmangun Tidal Reclamation Project)

Protest Video March 22, 2001 (Puan - Protect the Tidal Flats: Catholic Mass) -- Protest to protect the tidal flats as a bird sanctuary and for the preservation of coastal ecology

Protest Video 2 March 23, 2001 (Kunsan AB (Migun) - Nuclear Missile Defense Treaty/Theater Missile Defense protest) -- Protest to support peace on the peninsula and objection to the NMD

Protest Video March 23, 2001 (Kunsan AB (Migun) - Kunsan City Main Police Station) -- Protest continues at 12:00 when the protest became violent when one protestor suffered a riot police-inflicted injury; Rev Mun moves the protest to the Police Headquarters in Kunsan City until the morning.

Protest Video April 3, 2001 (Dongsan Company: Chonju)

Protest Video April 14, 2001 (Daewoo Auto Assembly Plant: Violent Demonstrations) -- Protest turned extremely violent; footage shows injured being dragged away unconcious

Protest Video April 16, 2001(Kunsan House Office: Protest over hospital refusal to pay wages)

Protest Video April 21, 2001(Protest to restore Kaejong Hospital: On-going protest starting in 1999) -- Kaejong Hospital eliminated with the new Wonkwang Hospital in Naun-dong assuming all health care for Kunsan City. Workers lost their jobs and want to be reinstated.

Protest Video May 8, 2001 (Kaejong Hospital Dissolved: Seoul Protest to Government to Reestablish the Hospital)

Protest Video May 29, 2001(Korea Telecom (Hanguk Tongshin): Kunsan City)

Protest Video May 31, 2001 (Korea Telecom (Hanguk Tongshin): Kunsan City: Protest over labor dispute)

Protest Video June 7, 2001 (KOA Department Store: Chonju)

At times, the local news footage appears to have been staged for TV cameras. It seems that both sides agreed that the protestors would only shake the fence -- and nothing more as there are no riot police there to break their heads. Also it didn't appear likely that the group would attempt to climb over the barbed wire topped fence without gloves or protective clothing.

During the March 23, 2001 protest outside the main gate, the intent was a "Peace Protest" -- with shouts of "Go Peace." The impetus for this protest was George Bush's announcement that he would abrogate the existing treaty with Russia and start pushing for Nuclear Missile Defence Treaty and later with a Theater Missile Defense. The protest was peaceful during the daylight portion, but at 12:00 at night, the events turned ugly. It appears that a protestor tried to breach the gate and had his face bashed in. The protest moved to the Kunsan Main Police Station, down near E-Mart across town, and the riot police once again formed there. The videos Protest Video 2 March 23, 2001 (Kunsan AB (Migun) - Nuclear Missile Defense Treaty/Theater Missile Defense protest) and Protest Video March 23, 2001 (Kunsan AB (Migun) - Kunsan City Main Police Station) documents this protest.

At times the local TV news does use old footage of the September 25, 1998 protestor break-in at the Main Gate to dramatize a news demonstration report. During that incident, 40 protestors from the Kunsan Citizens Association (KCA) began an anti-American demonstration outside Kunsan Air Base. While USAF Security Forces entered the visitor's center area to accept a letter from the protestors, two protestors of the KCA brandished crowbars and broke the lock of the locked main gate. The rest of the demonstrators stormed the gate and forcefully entered the base. Riot police blocked the intruders and a struggle ensued for 45 minutes. During this time the KCA protestors defaced the shack at the main gate and the street in front of the gate shack with red paint.

The rhetoric from the Korean side seemed a little strong. It said, "With the five demands of the Civilian Movement (SOFA revision, rent payment, eradication of crime by the U.S. soldiers, revocation of gratis land - land around the base that the U.S. army does not pay rent for, but which cannot be used by anyone else - and noise damage solution), we assemble in front of the main gate of Kunsan U.S. Military Base every Friday at 2 P.M...." Their arguments were filled with faulty logic and unrealistic expectations. For reviewing the multiple Human Rights issues Koreans were involved in, go to Peace.Net .

However, there has been growing support for some of these arguments within the Korean judicial system. Recently, the Korean courts sided with the litigants that noise damage had occurred at the Pilsung range and the Korean government was held liable.

One must also remember that the protests at Kunsan's main gate espouse a lot of causes, but the root issue really deals with land use. The land owners around the base stand to become instant millionaires if their demands were met. However, there were not many who fit this category and they need others to join their protests to be taken seriously.

In the past, the college students readily joined the protests. In fact, in a booming economy, the students would make up the bulk of the protestors. However, lately jobs have become scarce and the students in Kunsan were studying hard to compete for jobs. Thus the majority of the protestors at this time were adults who have fallen on hard economic times. In Kunsan there have been some serious problems with the automotive/truck companies being reorganized. Many people have been laid off to make the companies more attractive to foreign buyers. These have culminated in noisy protest marches with riot police confrontations. I have witnessed the protest marchers going down University Avenue (Taehak-ro) with banners aflutter denouncing Kim Dae-Jung for their ills. This was a strange sight for me as Kim Dae-Jung used to be Cholla area's favorite son.

Fair Weather Protestors: Another thing about the protestors is that they were really "fair-weather" protestors. If the winter weather was lousy, only the riot policeman stood shivering in the cold on Fridays. However, during spring the protests picked up when the weather became nice. For example, one day in May, the weather and temperature were perfect. I went to the beach with the kids...but the protesters took advantage of the fair weather and showed up at the main gate. Of course, they had previously notified the MBC TV station so that their protest was on the evening news.

At Kunsan AB in the spring, the riot police normally arrived in three green buses with screened windows. The convoy was led by Korando "landrovers" with lights flashing. They arrived at the base around 12:00 where they were discreetly hidden on a side street. The gates were closed. Soon traffic policemen position cars at the intersections of streets leading to the main gate and direct traffic to the North Gate. All base entry functions moved to the North Gate. At the main gate there were only two riot policeman...but the bulk of the riot policemen were only a few hundred feet away hidden on a side street. There was no use providing camera crews with unnecessary footage unless there is a real violent protest.

As the season changed to summer, the riot police presence decreased to one bus of riot policemen. During the hottest months of summer in July and August, protests dropped off significantly. In September 2001, there was a sudden change in the protestor's strategy. The protests suddenly changed to EITHER Wednesday OR Friday. This meant that there were TWO potential protests per week. By making their protests unpredictable, they had just increased the workload of the riot police and base security forces two-fold -- without having to increase their numbers at all. The riot police and security forces ALWAYS have to show up in anticipation of a POSSIBLE protest, but the protestors don't have to show up if they don't want to. A very smart strategy.

Strategy of Combining Protest Groups: A USAF news article from the 8th Fighter Wing summed up what I've been saying for years about the protests. The article does make a point that other groups have joined the protests simply to have increased numbers at their protests. Like everywhere in Korea, a protest isn't taken seriously unless there were significant numbers involved. If they pose a threat, so much the better for camera crews. The 8th FW article is as follows:

South Koreans continue protests against U.S. forces stationed on peninsula

by Capt. Chris Karns
8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

05/03/01 - KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea (AFPN) -- Fists pumping and shouts of "Yankee go home" filling the air is a common scene across the peninsula. Armed with rocks, bottles and picket signs, a small segment of the Korean populace regularly participates in weekly demonstrations protesting against the nearly 37,000 U.S. forces stationed at military installations peninsula-wide. The reasons behind organized demonstrations vary. In the past, news reports cited dissatisfaction with the current Status of Forces Agreement, encroachment on Korean farmland and alleged U.S. military contamination of the environment as concerns.

Others state Americans have worn out their welcome.

For years U.S. military installations on the peninsula have experienced scheduled, scripted and mostly peaceful weekly protests outside their gates.

At Kunsan, regularly scheduled protests led by a Korean minister, Mun, Chong-Hyon, have occurred since 1997. The protests usually occur Fridays 2 to 4 p.m. at the installation's main gate. The local demonstrators protest against American military force presence, SOFA revisions, reparation for U.S. military use of Korean land, relocation of the munitions storage area and alleged U.S. Forces Korea environmental pollution, among others issues, said Maj. Bo Schupp, Air Force Office of Special Investigations Detachment 613 commander.

In an attempt to bring legitimacy to their cause, local protest groups join together and recruit other people to support them, making a small group look larger, more organized and more powerful. In fact, the Kunsan main gate is usually one of several sites where this group protests on Fridays, Schupp said.

"This is a give and take situation," Schupp said. "Many of the protestors support (Mun) in exchange for supporting their demonstrations. Most of the protestors don't dislike or have a problem with Americans, they just realize that larger numbers draw greater attention, and they need the numbers to help fight their cause. If you take all those people out of the equation, we only have about 40 protestors." Mun tends to recruit from companies experiencing layoffs such as Kia Steel Company, Daewoo Motors, Ikson Glass and the KaeJong medical center. They travel across the peninsula staging rallies and making arrangements to support one another's causes, said Ku Song-Kil, AFOSI Detachment 613 Korean investigator and counter intelligence specialist.

"When the economy is not doing well and the weather is good, expect more protestors," Ku said. "Protests are very dependent on (South Korea's) economic situation."

With warmer weather, Korean universities nearing semester's end and the summer months approaching, protests are again expected to increase in size and possibly severity, thus posing an increased threat risk to troops on the peninsula.

"These demonstrations pose a very real threat to U.S. military servicemembers across the peninsula," said Col. Philip Breedlove, 8th Fighter Wing commander. "Although we have an outstanding relationship with our Korean friends, there is a very small segment of people who are capable of causing harm to our people. People need to remain vigilant and take the threats seriously."

Extra precautionary measures are taken to ensure safety. A 3-to-1 ratio of Korean National Police is one example, Schupp said. In addition, 8th Fighter Wing security forces and OSI special agents remain ready inside the military installation fences.

"Usually the protests are scripted and very well orchestrated," Schupp said. "It's like going to the opera, following the program and knowing what's coming next."

However, despite strong security measures and a "script", the local AFOSI detachment commander warns U.S. troops to exercise caution and expect the unexpected especially when it comes to local student groups, such as those from Namchon-yon. The Namchon-yon student groups have a history of being more violent than regular protest groups.

"The students are more active and more violent," Schupp said. "They tend to push and shove and throw paint, eggs, shoes, bottles and garbage. They throw anything they can get their hands on. The key to remaining safe is avoidance. Know when a protest is scheduled to happen and stay away. If you're at the wrong place at the wrong time, you may get hurt. Therefore, remain alert and avoid unfamiliar areas." The 8th Fighter Wing commander warns troops not to let the actions of a few negative protestors color opinion toward the Republic of Korea and its people collectively.

"The overwhelming majority of our Korean friends appreciate what we do and our presence on the peninsula," Breedlove said. "These people have a right to protest. We can be proud that we've conducted ourselves professionally and have done nothing wrong. We can't allow a few protestors, many of whom are joining the protests to gain support for another cause, to skew our perception of Korea as a whole. However, we do need to remain professional and alert at all times." (Courtesy of Pacific Air Forces News Service)

The 11 September bombing of the World Trade Center and the possible terrorist threat brought the protests at the main gate to an immediate halt. Any protest would be swiftly put down as the riot police were no longer armed with bamboo batons, but with automatic weapons. Until the terrorist crisis is over (or atleast after the uproar has died down), the protests at the main gate were over. But the onset of cold weather has also brought about the end to the protest season. The cold weather was starting to set in in September. As was said before, the Kunsan variety of protestors seem to keep "businessmen's hours" and were only "fair weather" protesters.

However, there were reports that protests have started again at the base in late October. The weather is still cool and now that the sense of "normalcy" has returned to Korea with the reopening of the bars, the protests have also resumed...atleast until the cold winter weather sets in.

Activists on the Internet: As a sidenote to anyone who should run across one of these Anti-American activists on the web, they are very sophisticated. Some use Japanese pseudonyms (i.e., Inoue Hiro) and/or give the "impression" (though they never state it outright) that they were American-Koreans supporting the Korean cause. However, these are home-grown Korean activists. They were out fishing for American or international supporters who can be converted to their way of thinking.

This is a relatively new tactic. In the past, these folks normally stuck to the Korean newsgroups or had strictly Korean-language sites trying to seek Korean convertees to their cause. However, these activists were now taking their messages to the web on an international scale. Many of the Korean activist sites -- especially the environmental groups -- now have "English" buttons for translations of their materials.

As to the Anti-American activists, make no bones about it -- you are either with them or you are their "enemy." If you call them a Korean "activist" to their face, they will immediately attack your "blind" view of patriotism -- and question your intelligence level. If you are of a military background, they will call your defense of Korea a "farce" -- as they view the American presence as being forced upon Korea unwillingly by America. They will then start to insult your cultural insensitivity, your family background -- and your mother if they have time. These are highly-educated individuals who have good English grammar and their colloquial American usages indicate long-term associations with Americans. The only suggestion I have if you unwittingly run across these individuals on the net is to hit the "delete" immediately to any of their emails.

If you are from the typical military background as I am, you will only end up feeling a great irrational sense of anger -- like wanting to grab an M-16 and go hunting. These folks are the same types you find on Usenet who use "four-letter" foulness to cover up their inability to defend their positions. Whenever you ask for proof, they will claim that "you" (as American military) have covered it up or destroyed the evidence. Their tactic is to attack YOU personally to cause you to become flustered and cloud your reasoning with anger. The best defense is to not fall for their bait in the first place.

Militant Anti-American Groups: Some of the more militant Anti-American groups reported in an Aug 2001 Pacific Stars and Stripes article were:

The National Federation of Student Councils : commonly known as Hanchongnyong, the group protest the U.S. military presence in Korea. The federation is said to have the most potential for violent anti-American protests.

Maehyang-ri's Spring : A group dedicated to the village of Maehyang-ri in Kyonggi-do. Residents, mostly elderly citizens, say they feel their lives are in danger from the bombing and firing exercises executed at Koon-ni range, which is run by the Air Force. Noise pollution is also a concern for Maehyang-ri residents. Member numbers were not available.

Civilian Gathering for Regaining of the Territorial Rights in the Kunsan U.S. Military Airbase (REGAIN) : A group dedicated to amending the SOFA, investigating crimes by U.S. soldiers, and recovering the land used by the Air Force in Kunsan. Approximately 100 people.

People's Action for Reform of Unjust U.S.-South Korea SOFA Agreement : A group dedicated to amending the SOFA. This group plays the role of an umbrella for many other organizations. Working with about 127 other women's, religious, civic and farmers' organizations, People's Action for Reform of Unjust ROK-U.S. Agreement links various problems with the U.S. military with the move to amend the SOFA.

One Korea : A group demanding the removal of the U.S. military from South Korea.

National Campaign for Eradication of Crime by U.S. Troops in Korea : A group committed to seeking justice for victims of crimes by U.S. soldiers. Holds one-hour protests in front of the main post gate of Yongsan Garrison every Friday. The organization has about 80 members.

Green Korea United : An environmental organization with a separate department for U.S. base environmental problems. Approximately 10,000 members.

Though the organizations above are non-Communist, it is probably true that there are North Korean sympathizers hidden in some of the groups. North Korean "juche" sympathizers have infiltrated student and other opposition groups in the past -- and North Korean agents continue their efforts to recruit members to their cause. In January 2002, Kim Dae Jung publically apologized that "some" Koreans -- meaning the groups above -- don't approve of the U.S. in Korea, but affirmed that the U.S. was needed to ensure stability on the peninsula.

Kim Dae-Jung

Potential of North Korean Spy Networks in Protest Groups: However, a parting remark that probably the base defense specialists will disregard -- because there's probably nothing they can do about it anyway -- that is the North Korean spy network. (Go to North Korean Defector and Spy Operations to learn more.) As food for thought, why would North Korea risk a lot of its DPRK Special Forces, when a few deep-cover cells of North Korean spies could paralyze the base by cutting communications, infrastructure, and power? It is so much easier to do the damage from within...rather than from without. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the base power comes into base at a central location and that the base water is pumped from Okku Reservoir through an unguarded pump station. A C-4 charge here and some poison/baccilli there and you have a real mess.

Before one poo-poos that deep-cover spies could not possibly exist, let me relate an old war story. I was at Udorn RTAFB, Thailand when Ho Chi-Minh, the god-like North Vietnamese leader, died. When I went to work, I was awe-struck to see the amount of folks wearing black armbands in mourning over his death. The Coke-girl outside my shop, the ladies at the snackbar, the house-girl, the bus driver, etc. They were North Vietnamese refugees pushed south during the French colonial days. I'm not saying they were Vietcong. I'm only saying they we thought they were Thais...NOT Vietnamese. It's a sobering thought that appearances can't be trusted.

A historical reminder: The Cholla provinces were the home of the Communist guerillas prior to the Korean War. When the Military Government of the Occupation Forces tried to wipe them out through the use of the Korean Constabulary, they fled into the Chiri Mountains. Though it was declared that the Communists were all wiped out, many guerillas escaped to fight another day. Then during the Korean War, the Kunsan population of Kunsan increased from 40,000 to 100,000 overnight. The North Korean refugees moved into the area. There were numerous cases of "spies" being caught and executed during the Korean War on base. After the war, many North Koreans had nowhere else to go, so they remained in the area. At Kunsan AB, North Korean spies were found working in the K-8 clubs as late as 1959 --and summarily executed. The area has always been a hotbed of unrest against the established regime -- with the best example being the Kwangju Riots of 1980 occuring just down the road. In addition, the last North Korean infiltrators in the Cholla area were chased down and killed in the hills above Sochon -- 22km from Kunsan in late 1992. The infiltrators' mission was to make contact with the local cells. These North Korean cells exist in the local area...and to think that these North Korean deep-cover spies are not working on Kunsan Air Base would be a foolish mistake.

People stationed at Kunsan would be wise to review their own operations with respect to spy networks. (Go to North Korean Defector and Spy Operations to learn what North Korean spies are sent to accomplish.) It is up to the base to decide whether there are any North Korean spy threat on Kunsan AB or not. That's their job. However, if there are deep-cover spies were on Kunsan, they'd never know who they were. They've had over 50 years to get their deep-cover operations down pat.

---

Sept 11, 2001: America Under Attack

September 11: After the attack on the New York World Trade Center Towers and the Pentagon people in Korea stood in shock and disbelief. However, there had been an increased alert on a possible terrorist attack in Japan and Korea circulated in the previous week. So in one sense, the base was immediately prepared for action. There was an immediate base lock-down. All military were immediately recalled to duty and all leaves cancelled. Only emergency services remained open on base and Non-DoD personnel (Korean workers) were furloughed. The military throughout the world was put on alert status for possible war.

Throughout America there was a pervasive sense of shock and the outcry for reprisals. The Korean government swung into action also and immediately sent the para-military riot police companies to the bases around Korea. No one knew what was going to happen next. The bases remained in a state of high alert.

An expatriate, Kalani O'Sullivan, was teaching classes in his school, when his daughter told him about the attack. At first, what she said did not make sense -- airplanes crashing into buildings in New York. Then the airplane crash into the Pentagon. This kind of news was too macabre to be true. It had to be wrong...he could not believe his ears. Then he turned on the Korean TV station and saw it with his own eyes. There were reports of the Pentagon being hit. Then reports of other aircraft being missing. News was sketchy and confused in the initial hours. The only thing he could murmur was, "This means war!" America's homeland had never before been attacked. Yes, there was the War of 1812...yes, there were a few novelty attacks by the Japanese on the California coast in World War II...yes, there had been threats of a Cuba Missile attack in the 1960s...but NEVER had America been attacked in modern history.

And where was President Bush? He was in Florida and suddenly he was on his Air Force One and disappeared. The newscasters didn't know. Americans were starting to panic as to the reports of Washington being attacked. They needed reassurance, but it was not until hours later that second hand news was broadcast that the President was enroute to an undisclosed location. Finally at 1:04 pm in a speech at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, President Bush announced that security measures were being taken and said: "Make no mistake, the United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts." President Bush left Barksdale AFB for Offutt AFB, Nebraska. The Navy dispatched aircraft carriers and guided missile destroyers to New York and Washington. Around the country, fighters, airborne radar and refueling planes scramble. The North American Aerospace Defense Command went to its highest alert. No one knew if further attacks were imminent.

Kalani finished his classes and went home to watch the news on AFKN for the rest of the night -- not sleeping with his eyes transfixed on the TV. The news on Korean TV was still patchy as conflicting reports were received from America...translated and rebroadcast. No one knew who had caused the attacks nor why. There was a lot of suppositions and the newscasters started to show the wear of long hours of constant broadcasting.

Throughout America, military planners were dusting off old contigency plans -- dating back to the Cuban missile crisis -- over what to do during attacks on the homeland. Aircraft went on full alert throughout America. USAF F-16s in bases from Hawaii to Nevada to New York were uploaded with air-to-air missiles and readied to shoot down civilian aircraft in case of a second wave of suicide attacks. After the Pentagon was hit by Flight 77, F-16s were overflying Washington and New York to shoot down any aircraft entering their airspace. The air avenues into the continental U.S. were locked down. All inbound flights were diverted to Canada or Alaska. At 4:30 pm EST President Bush left Offut AFB, Nebraska for Washington.

As Kalani O'Sullivan, watched the news on AFKN at home, the only thing he could feel was horror at the sight repeatedly played of the aircraft crashing into the twin towers -- and a demand in his gut for vengeance. There was nothing political correct in his mind about statements of "justice" -- the only thing he wanted was retribution. There was only a feeling within his gut that there must be retribution -- swift and terrible on whoever caused this.

However, he could also sense from the horror that something strange was happening. He had seen the American people pull together in emergencies and disasters before. This is an American trait -- but he had never seen it on a national scale. He suddenly felt that what he felt thousands of miles from America -- all Americans felt no matter where they were.

September 12: Slowly tales of the heroic actions of the police and firefighters in attempting to rescue the people from the towers emerged. Slowly the numbers started to appear at first as estimates and then as real statistics. The numbers in the "thousands" were staggering, but no one knew exactly how many were in the building and how many escaped. It numbed the senses to talk of deaths in the "thousands"...and a suicide bomber choosing these targets simply because they would exact such a toll. There was nothing symbolic in their action. We were talking of cold-blooded premeditated murder on a scale that rivaled Nazi war criminals. The scenario was too horrible to put into words. How could human beings do such an act? In the end, the death toll was around 3,300 helpless souls lost.

Finally the full details of which planes were hijacked on September 11 were released. None of the facts about the hijackers were known at the time. Later it would piece together that of the four teams of hijackers on Sept. 11, each had five members except the one on United Airlines Flight 93, which had four.

United Airlines Flight 93: Boeing 757 departed from Newark, NJ, at 8:01 a.m. local time, bound for San Francisco, with 38 passengers onboard, 2 pilots and 5 flight attendants. United Airlines confirmed that Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania.

United Airlines Flight 175: Boeing 767 aircraft, departed from Boston at 7:58 a.m. local time, bound for Los Angeles, with 56 passengers onboard, 2 pilots and 7 flight attendants. An FBI source confirmed that Flight 175 struck the north tower of the World Trade Center.

American Airlines Flight 11: Boeing 767 with 81 passengers, nine flight attendants and two pilots, hijacked after takeoff from Boston en route to Los Angeles. American Airlines confirmed that Flight 11 hit the south tower of the World Trade Center.

American Airlines Flight 77: Boeing 757 en route from Dulles Airport near Washington, carrying 58 passengers, four flight attendants and two pilots. An FBI source confirmed that Flight 77 struck the Pentagon.

At the same time, the heroics of individuals began to emerge on the news. Selflessly 200 firefighters and 78 policemen died in the collapse of the towers while trying to rescue others. The story of the passengers on the ill-fated aircraft over Pennsylvania who knew they were going to die and started the attack on the terrorists with their statement, "Let's roll." The plane crashed in a field in Stony Township, Pa., after passengers fought back against the hijackers. Stories of the cell phone calls from the stewardesses and people on the planes to their loved ones or others in authority showed courage, devotion to duty, love and compassion. The human side of the tragedy started to unfold.

One of the best slide-show montages of the tragedy can be found at Protest and Politics. The horror relived in those pictures that are etched in our memories.

World Trade Center Destroyed

September 13: By 13 Sept some sense of normalcy was supposedly returning to Korean bases. The Korean people were starting to voice their sympathy for the tragedy in the U.S. Korea declared a day of mourning for the tragedy in America. Non-DoD workers were told to report to work according to AFKN. Kalani O'Sullivan stated, "I called to base and was told all functions had returned to normal. However, when I went to the base, Korean cars were parked outside the base. It was apparent that normalcy had NOT fully returned. There was a long line of cars leading into the base." He wrote in an email on the 13th, "Went to base today and saw all the cars parked outside the base along side the road for blocks...these must have been the Korean workers on base. Their cars weren't allowed on base. Saw the RoK Air Force out in force with helmets and weapons. Saw the Riot Police in black with automatic weapons guarding the intersections. Sat in line waiting to enter the base and noticed the trucks with RoK Army in battle gear ahead of me. Turned around and came home."

After the initial shock, the Korean news broadcast interviews with the people on the Korean Air Lines 747 that was bound from Seoul to the U.S. It was intercepted by U.S. fighters off Alaska and forced to land in Alaska. The fighters were ready to shoot down the aircraft if disobeyed. The people on the flight remembered the KAL 007 flight shot down by Russia with total loss of life -- and were scared witless. As all flights into the U.S. were cancelled all the folks returned to Korea...after a long delay on the ground. For the first few days, international traffic into the U.S. was completely shut down. The impacts to those in Korea awaiting PCS'ing home was horrific as they were basically stranded at port.

At first some people were talking of Iraq setting up these attacks, but Kalani O'Sullivan instinctively knew that no "civilized" nation would ever sponsor such an attack -- even Iraq. This was an attack of fanatical terrorists -- on the same scale as the bombing of the Marine Barracks in Lebanon or the Palestinian Hamas suicide bombers in Israel. This was a terrorist attack but in the intial days of the horror, no one knew. International spy agencies pooled their information to try to solve this riddle.

But even in the first days of the horror, Kalani was asking the question that millions of others were asking: What was the CIA doing? What was the FBI doing? Why were these highly-touted investigative agencies unable to provide some warning of these horrors? Though no one wanted to start finger-pointing, it was there. Both political parties stood behind the President and all America rallied around their leader in the initial days. The finger-pointing would happen a lot later. America was under attack and everyone rallied round the flag!!!

September 15: President Bush named Osama bin Laden as the prime suspect for the September 11th attack. He told the American people to "get ready for war." Some of the details of the Al Qaeda terrorist network began to be made public over TV and people started to get an uneasy feeling that they were going to be fighting shadows. At the same time there was a rebirth of patriotism throughout America as "flag-waving" suddenly became fashionable. American flags in stores were all sold out.

The base remained on high alert with the cars being checked at the front gate using a high-tech scanner along with dog sniffers and individual searches. It took about a hour on the weekends and an hour-and-a-half during the weekdays to enter the base. Most workers on base parked their cars outside and caught the bus. Personnel entering the base was not hampered -- only vehicular traffic. It was faster to get to work by bus than by car.

September 17: The New York Stock Exchange reopened to great fanfare -- more as a statement that the attack would not cripple America -- trying to project a business as usual atmosphere. However, the share prices plummented. The U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank both cut interest rates by .5 percent to head off recession. In Korea, there was great concern that the Korean Stock Markets would falter as well.

September 19: The U.S. dispatched more than 100 combat support aircraft to various bases in the Middle East and Indian ocean areas. A large naval task force was deployed to the region as well.

The round-the-clock coverage of this one event started to burn people out. One could sense that people wanted a return to normalcy -- even though there was a realization that was slowly sinking in to America that they were NOT SAFE anymore. For the first time, terror had struck at the homeland.

Though the Americans were experiencing a change to their pysche, the Koreans who live with this fear of imminent attack daily from North Korea, there was no change in the outlook. The best way I could put it would be that common Koreans felt that this was an AMERICAN problem -- not a world problem as President Bush made it seem. Though the Americans thought the rest of the world would see it exactly as they saw it, they were suddenly aware that they were basically alone in this fight.

Another thing Kalani O'Sullivan remembered was his anger at the American AFKN TV shows downplaying Ossam bin Ladin's Saudi Arabian origins -- because of our "friendship" with the Saudis. The amount of bin Ladin's wealth was a mystery -- though the TV referred to him constantly as a millionaire -- and made a big deal of the Saudis taking away his citizenship. It is rather striking that the Saudis took away his citizenship in 1998 -- long after he was recognized internationally as a terrorist -- more as an act of expediency when Bill Clinton was going to attack Afghanistan Al Qaeda terrorist bases -- rather than a true act of solidarity against terrorism.

Kalani's personal opinion was that as the tale unraveled, they would probably find direct links to financial aid to the Saudis. He somehow could not bring himself to trust the Saudis -- who say one thing to the American "infidels" and another to their brethren at the mosques of Mecca. His days with AWACS in Saudi Arabia taught him that the Saudis friendship with the Americans only extends far enough to protect their precious oil fields. Later on, America would see for themselves this blatant attitude when their Finance Minister tried to "buy" America's acquiescence on sharing some of the blame for the attacks.

September 20: British Airways cuts 7,000 jobs and grounded 20 of its aircraft. Other airlines were certain to follow suit as air travel had fallen dramatically in America. In a few more months, many airlines were seeking Chapter 11 protection to reorganize. Some tried to blame the increased security at the airports, but the truth was that Americans still did not feel safe in flying after the events of Sept 11th.

September 21: On the 21 Sept the USFK announced that personnel could shop downtown between 5AM-10PM, but all bars still remained off-limits. Slowly things were returning to normal, but according to the USFK Commanding General, General Schwartz, "things will never be the same." Heightened security will continue for an unknown period...but in the meantime, many of the bar owners in A-town were silently suffering from the loss of business. Though they understood fully why this was happening, they wished the curfews would be lifted.

September 24: After 24 Sept, the base main gate reduced the level of its vehicle entry inspections. The vehicle inspections were similar to the Yongsan spot inspections with mirrors and cursory inspections. Procedures for entry into the base greatly speeded up. However, all barriers and riot police with rifles still remained in place. The bars off-base remained off-limits.

October 2: After fiddling with various names -- some of which were set aside such "Operation Just Cause" etal -- "Operation Noble Eagle" and later "Operation Enduring Freedom" started in Afghanistan. On 2 October, the U.S. struck at Afghanistan with limited air strikes. However, very little changed in Korean operations. However, there was a heightened awareness that the possibility of terrorist reprisals for the strike. The base remained on a heightened alert.

October 5: Army National Guard patrols began work at dozens of U.S. airports. THEN CAME THE ANTHRAX SCARES!!! Bob Stevens, a 63-year old Florida man died from anthrax inhalation. Later it would reveal that many newspaper offices and Congress was targeted. Other cases of anthrax exposures were identified. Also were the increasing complaints of "mysterious white powder" throughout the nation when it came to mail. Instead of being taken as crank calls, suddenly all states set up agencies to investigate these complaints. America was still in the grips of hysteria.

In response to the Anthrax threat in Korea, the US was in a bit of a quandary. The vaccine manufacturer had proven unreliable and there were insufficient quantities to go around. The high risk units (Afghanistan) would receive the dosages, but the Korean units were put on a hold. Instead, the USFK announced that new equipment to detect biological agents at its military installations in South Korea in preparation for possible bioterrorist attacks. Actually, the equipment was already in place around Kunsan AB with the sensors from the ChemCo contractor. These sensors detect chemical agents and a whole group more, but their ability to detect biological agents is unknown. The sensors are tied to the Disaster Preparedness Center in Bldg 566. However, one wonders what good is detection, if you have no prevention or protection.

On the Attack in Afghanistan

October 10: During the Chusok holidays in October, the normally bustling A-town bars catered to strictly Koreans. American forces continued to strike military targets in Afghanistan, but the focus for Americans was quickly turned to the Anthrax scare.

Though it was a big news story in Korea, the Chusok holidays and other national interest stories crowded America's concerns aside. For the first time, it could be seen plainly that the fight on Terrorism in the Korean general public's eyes was America's problem -- not Korea's. Though one won't find it in print, the general attitude was that Korea had done nothing to Osama bin Ladin's group and therefore had nothing to be fearful of. All the hate in the Arab world was focused on the U.S. and Korea did not want to share in the limelight with America. Though the Korean government said the right words in dealing with the fight on terrorism, the general public did not view it as THEIR fight. This was America's battle.

October 12: On 12 October, the entry onto base had been somewhat relaxed with only an ID check, though the base gate was closed to prohibit a straight-through terrorist run on the gate. As for A-town, the bars remained off-limits though the A-town restaurants were open for servicemen. Shopping downtown was authorized.

October 13: On 13 October, President Kim Dae-jung visited Kunsan Air Base for a quicky window tour before heading to Chonju -- a showing of solidarity with America in its fight on terrorism. President Kim had personally ordered the Riot Police to protect the bases from possible terrorist attack. The tour was a really quick tour -- all the terrorist barriers were removed and his limousines and bus group zipped through the base. Kalani O'Sullivan smirked that Kim Dae-jung's entourage driving through the base as 60km hour didn't really instill any sense that the terrorist crisis was over. Kalani also noted that it seemed like every motorcycle traffic cop between Kunsan and Chonju was assembled at the front gate to guide Kim Dae-jung to Chonju.

October 22: On 22 October, it was reported that the off-limits on bars in Korea had been lifted, but that it was limited with a curfew from 10pm-5am on Saturdays. However, to the bar owners any respite was welcome after enduring the loss of business for so long. (The curfew is indefinite, but GIs must be out of the clubs by 9:30 every night. Discretion of the curfew hours was left to local commanders.)

October 30: By the end of October, Kunsan had returned to "almost normal" with a return to checking ID cards at the gate for entry -- instead of the car-by-car inspection. However, the gate terrorist barriers were still up and the Humvee with the machine gun pointed at the gate still there.

November 10: The state of alert continued ith a heightened sense of possible attack, but there was a definite relaxing in the tension at the main gate. Gone were the long lines of cars and entry was speeded up. Once the attacks against the Taliban were well under way in Afghanistan and no terrorist reprisals were experienced in Korea, the security community started to relax. Right or wrong, the operations at Kunsan AB started to resemble "business as usual."

December 10: Operation Noble Eagle and later Operation Enduring Freedom continued in Afghanistan. The initial idea that this would be a Collin Powell-type of operation with quick in-quick out options faded into a Donald Rumsfield sort of quagmire. Rumsfield started "hinting" that U.S. forces would be needed for years to come to establish "stability" in the country. Kalani O'Sullivan couldn't believe his ears. Shades of Bill Clinton!!! This was a "nation-building" operation...something George Bush said the US would NEVER get involved in again.

December 15: By mid-December, the ID checks were starting to get a little sloppy as Kalani O'Sullivan would pass through the gate and some GI would "forget" to render the normal salute for retired officers. Everything else though seemed to have returned to "almost normal" -- except for the anthrax scare which had created additional overseas mail procedural problems. There was no Christmas Mail from school kids anymore -- but rather open letters were posted on the post office walls from the kids.

End of December: In the U.S., there were growing voices demanding a Congressional Inquiry of 9-11. The finger-pointing had started. There were cracks starting to show in the previous months of solidarity of purpose as a nation.

The protests came from the radical left. The radical left were claiming that Bin Laden, his family, the Carlyle Group and the Bush family were linked. There were claims that the war in Afghanistan was over oil or natural gas with a pipeline from Russia through Afghanistan -- versus any war against the Taliban. There were claims that Bush and Cheney were linked to this oil connection (along with destruction of the opium trade). The dissidents Democrats started to come out of the woodwork. (See 9-11 Unanswered Questions.) There were claims that the CIA continued to fund terrorism even as the US claimed to fight towards the end terrorism in the world. Whether you believe in the claims or not, the point is that the honeymoon between Bush and America's radical left was over by December 2001.

---

RETURN TO MAIN TABLE OF CONTENTS

Return to Top

---

For comments or inputs, contact Kalani O'Sullivan .

---

NOTICE/DISCLAIMER: The content of this page is unofficial and the views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of anyone associated with this page or any of those linked from this site. All opinions are those of the writer and are intended for entertainment purposes only. Links to other web pages are provided for convenience and do not, in any way, constitute an endorsement of the linked pages or any commercial or private issues or products presented there. The DOD, the Air Force, the 8th Fighter Wing or Mickey Mouse has endorsed none of this site. All Air Force links are publicly accessible through the worldwide web. If there is any discrepancy between eye-witness accounts and OFFICIAL DOD records, this site opts to lend credence to the eye-witness views.

---

Return to Top

19 June 2001 Links Purged: June 5, 2000 HTML Toolbox

---