This page is graphically intense with long load times due to photos. However, the photos and narratives by the men who served at Kunsan Air Base makes the wait well worthwhile. The opinions expressed are those of the author and in no way represents any official statement of Kunsan AB or the USAF.

For Kunsan AB viewers, the standard rule for dealing with materials on government computers is "If you wouldn't show it to the Wing Commander, you shouldn't be looking at it." The pages dealing with the RECENT history of the 8th FW contains some materials that are NOT complimentary to the 8th TFW. If you are on a government computer, you should use your judgement on viewing these pages.

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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. Neither the DOD, the Air Force, the 8th Fighter Wing nor Mickey Mouse has endorsed any 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.

This site has little in the way of technical information on Kunsan AB's tactical planning, weekly exercises, or technical specifications on the aircraft. Our position is that Kunsan AB has been promising to "kick ass" for over thirty years and not a speck of bomb iron has hit North Korean soil yet. These tactical plans change from week to week, if not daily, but the point is: NO ONE from Kunsan has dropped a bomb on North Korea or shot a MiG from the sky. All the plans are simply plans -- not reality.

HOWEVER, the hard work and ability of the airmen to carry out the war game planning in the face of a hardship tour speaks loads of their caliber and dedication. The PEOPLE is what we want to cover -- not the GAME. The second item we wish to cover is the base which has served the airmen -- who served the mission. Over the years, organizations have come and gone from the face of Kunsan AB -- but the base has always remained to serve. The third item covers those Korean events that affect the life of the airmen or mission at Kunsan. This ranges from main gate protests to the ever-mounting efforts of Korea to wean itself away from American military dependency.

HOW IT WAS!

KUNSAN AIRBASE

8TH FIGHTER WING
(2002)

RETURN TO MAIN TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents (2002)

Winter Returns -- Concerns of Summer drought
Kunsan AB (K-8) MIA from Korean War Interred in Arlington National Cemetary with Honors -- There has been no recognition from the 8th FW. "Red" Harrel was returning to K-8 after his mission over North Korea.
Building 1100 Demolished: The Old NCO Club (1952-1976) -- Its past forgotten, it was simply another old building to be torn down.
Mike Yi of Kunsan AB Miraculously Finds His Korean War Savior -- Mike Yi of the Skill Development Center finds the GI who pulled him from the snowbank at Kimpo AB in Dec 50.
Quality of Life Issues -- Renovations Seabreeze & Rec Center; Best in AF for Loring Club; Sexual Assaults; Kunsan AB Civic Actions
World Cup 2002 in Kunsan -- A rare phenomenon of a nation uniting as one in front of the world's eyes.
Kunsan AB Protests -- Kunsan has been relatively peaceful as compared to 2001 -- though the weekly protests continue. (Links to video footage of 2001 Main Gate protests) However, anti-American sentiment is sweeping the country over the death of two girls near the DMZ and the acquittal of the two soldiers. Massive protests are being manipulated by the NGO groups -- and tacitly supported by the Korean courts who free violent protestors and prosecutors who refuse to file charges. A very effective PR campaign has outwitted the Americans at every turn.
Land Partnership Plan -- Old issue with new twists as the USFK hands back camps "as is" -- skirting the environmental issues.
Not Surprising News: "US Soldiers Avoid Service in Korea" -- Article on a self-evident truth
Korean Defense Service Medal Approved -- President Bush signs bill
Impacts after the 9-11 Tragedy? -- A look at the Korean Viewpoint of the events after 9-11
Sunshine Policy Saved -- 11th-hour negotiations lead to family reunions and opening of railroad line connecting the nations. Though the U.S. and Japan have ceased dialogue over the nuclear issue, the South remains an open conduit to the North.
North Korea Amassing Chemical Weapons, Continuing its Nuclear Weapons Program & Asks for Russian Military Aid -- Same story of why North Korea remains one of George Bush's "Axis of Evil" hit list. The continuing saga of American steps to isolate North Korea.
Cuts in Military Strength Shelved, Cuts in Military Hardware Continue & Growing Rift in Defense Department -- A look at the military program cuts and growing rift caused by Rumsfield's objective to not only modernize the military, but also reign in the Pentagon under civilian control.
War on Terrorism changes to War on Iraq -- A look at the developing "War" to topple the Saddam Hussein regime

Cool Dolphin Award of Excellence:
RoyceArt, Australia (NR)

Some of the awards this site has received. To view our awards, go to Awards .

HOW IT WAS:
KUNSAN AIRBASE
(1974-Present)

8th Fighter Wing

2002:

Wing Commander: Colonel Burton M. Field (1 May 2001- 7 May 2002)
Colonel Guy Dahlbeck (7 May 2002 - May 2003)

Aerial View Kunsan AB (8FW Photo) (Click to Enlarge)

Welcome to Kunsan (2001)
(From R.J. Cupper )
Click on photo to enlarge

Currently the USAF units on Kunsan Air Base are the 8th Logistics Group, 8th Medical Group, 8th Operations Group, 8th Support Group. The Squadrons are the 35th FS, 80th FS, 8th Civil Engineering Squadron, 8th Communication Squadron, 8th Comptroller Flight, 8th Logistics Support Squadron, 8th Maintenance Squadron, 8th Medical Operations Squadron, 8th Medical Support Squadron, 8th Mission Support Squadron, 8th Operations Support Squadron, 8th Security Forces Squadron, 8th Services Squadron, 8th Supply Squadron, and 8th Transportation Squadron.

Associate Units: Air Force Judiciary Area Defense Counsel; American Forces Korea Network; American Red Cross; Army Air Force Exchange Service; Army Corps of Engineers; Army Contracting Command Korea; Contract Air Terminal Operations; Defense 613, Air Force Office of Special Investigations; United States Army 25th Transportation Battalion; United States Army 1 - 43 Air Defense Artillery (Patriot) Echo and Foxtrot Batteries

Wolfpack F-16s (2001)
(U.S. Air Force Photo)
Click on photo to enlarge

2002 News Stories about -- or affecting -- Kunsan AB

Kunsan AB Information - Info, maps, slideshows

Reviews of Books on Kunsan AB

Winter Returns -- Concerns of Summer drought

Kunsan AB (K-8) MIA from Korean War Interred in Arlington National Cemetary with Honors -- There has been no recognition from the 8th FW. "Red" Harrel was returning to K-8 after his mission over North Korea.

Building 1100 Demolished: The Old NCO Club (1952-1976) -- Its past forgotten, it was simply another old building to be torn down.

Mike Yi of Kunsan AB Miraculously Finds His Korean War Savior -- Mike Yi of the Skill Development Center finds the GI who pulled him from the snowbank at Kimpo AB in Dec 50.

Quality of Life Issues -- Renovations Seabreeze & Rec Center; Best in AF for Loring Club; Sexual Assaults; Kunsan AB Civic Actions

World Cup 2002 in Kunsan -- A rare phenomenon of a nation uniting as one in front of the world's eyes
Kunsan AB Protests -- Unlike prior to Sept 11th, 2002 has been relatively peaceful. (Links to video footage of 2002 Main Gate protests)

Land Partnership Plan -- Old issue with new twists
Impacts after the 9-11 Tragedy? -- A look at the Korean Viewpoint of the events after 9-11
War on Terrorism changes to War on Iraq -- A look at the developing "War" to topple the Saddam Hussein regime
Not Surprising News: "US Soldiers Avoid Service in Korea" -- Article
11th Hour Negotiations lead to Family Reunions and Start on the Railway/Road links between North-South Korea -- Suddenly North Korea opens itself to negotiations
North Korea Amasses Chemical Weapons -- Same story of why North Korea remains one of George Bush's "Axis of Evil" hit list
Korea Continues to March to Its Own Drummer -- Korea upgrades its military and seeks technology transfer. However, Korea aims to control its own destiny. Korea now has OFFENSIVE missile capability.

Winter returns
In the year 2002, there was great fear at the beginning of the year of droughts during the summer. However, by the end of the year, the fear was set aside as some major typhoons swept inland -- causing great destruction -- but dumping a lot of water into the reservoirs.

In October 2001, winter returned again to Kunsan, but there was a difference. The drought conditions of the summer of 2001 had taken its toll. "Lake" Eunpa that had frozen over in January 2001 was now without water. The water line had receded far into the lake. In some areas of Kwangju and Chonju, tanker trucks were used to provide water for the populace. Though the drought conditions in the summer of 2001 were bad, it was feared that 2002 would be worse. Throughout Korea there was a great worry that a drought was in the offing for 2002 -- especially in the southern provinces. With every approaching storm front, there was a great hope that a lot of rain would fall -- but they were always disappointed.

Bus Stop near the Sea Breeze
with Golf Course in background
(John Serre)
Click on photo to enlarge

Bunker on the Golf Course
(John Serre)
Click on photo to enlarge

The first heavy snows fell in November 2001, but did nothing to alleviate the drought conditions in the future. There was no change in the reservoirs water levels at Eunpa or Okku Reservoirs. Because of these projected drought conditions coupled with the falling demand for rice, the government announced that in 2002 it would seek to help the farmers convert their rice lands into other specialty crops.
However, the timing of the snowfalls were appropriate for the holiday season. It was a White Christmas in Kunsan with snowfall enough to make American-size snowmen. It snowed again to mark the New Years of 2002. Some rains in January helped to replenish the local reservoirs a little, but they remained very low.
During the Solnal (Lunar New Year) holidays, snow fell on Kunsan starting on 10 February (Sunday) covering everything in a blanket of snow. Very pretty, but dangerous for all the travelers. A national exodus began 9 February with millions of Koreans hitting the road to join their families in their hometowns for the Lunar New Year holidays from 10-13 February. 33.42 million people in 2.72 million cars were estimated to brave bumper-to-bumper traffic jams on the major expressways. Most of the snow had melted by the afternoon, but it added a little water to the reservoirs in the area.
A February Korea Times article stated, "The volume of water stored nationwide in multi-purpose dams and reservoirs is far less than before, and may cause a shortage of tap water in some regions. According to the Ministry of Construction and Transportation yesterday, the water level in four big rivers and 13 dams remains at 35.6 percent of full capacity, even lower than 39.5 percent last year, which went through one of the worst droughts in 100 years." The rainfall has stayed at 62 percent of the average 541mm. The average water level for all multi-purpose dams remained at 83.9 percent of the average. To make things worse, the water level in nationwide reservoirs slid to 72 percent, down from last year's 83 percent. In 283 reservoirs, the water level touched the bottom with water levels lower than 30 percent.

By March, the reservoir near Kunsan AB -- Okku Reservoir -- looked relatively full, but the other reservoirs in the area remained low. Unfortunately, by May 2002 still promised to be a year of drought conditions as March-May rainfall did not bring a lot of rainfall to fill the nation's reservoirs. Then a monsoon in July helped the nation's water reserves a bit by dumping heavy rainfall across the country.
A typhoon in August swept across the country -- instead of simply skirting the east coast as they normally do -- and inflicted a lot of damage to the east coast areas. In the mountain areas, there were a lot of mudslides and cars being washed off the road. The mountain areas, including Chiri-san, had swollen streams and rivers were lapping at the roads in low-lying areas. However, though this was a disaster, the threat of water shortages were set aside for the rest of the year as the reservoirs were filled to capacity.

In November, there was the first dusting of snow and there was no longer any talk of droughts for the coming year. Winter in Korea had come full circle.

Kunsan MIA Interred in Arlington National Cemetary
In late January 2002, a military funeral was held in Arlington National Cemetary to honor SSgt James Vaughn "Red" Harrell of the VMF(N)-513 "Flying Nightmares" who flew out of Kunsan AB (K-8) during the Korean War. The F-3D Skyknight Radar Operator and his pilot, Capt. James B. Brown, were on their way back after their mission over North Korea escorting B-29s to their target on 30 May 1953. They were about two minutes behind some other F-3Ds returning home to Kunsan after checking in, but were never heard from again. Found on a beach in Taean, his remains were interred almost 50 years after he was declared Missing in Action while attempting to return to Kunsan after a mission over North Korea. His pilot's remains have never been found.

(Washington Times)
The story began in July 2001 when some remains were discovered on a beach in Taean -- about 150 miles south of Seoul and about a 150 miles north of Kunsan. The following is the article telling of the discovery of the remains.

July 26 10:49 PM ET
Possible Remains of Soldier Found

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Korean War-era remains thought to be those of a U.S. soldier were flown to an Army laboratory in Hawaii Friday for identification, the U.S. military command in Seoul said.

A 20-minute ceremony was held in Seoul's Yongsan Garrison before the metal coffin containing the remains was sent to the airport for a journey home, said Kim Yong-kyu, a U.S. military spokesman.

The remains were found by a South Korean villager on a beach near Taean, about 155 miles southwest of Seoul, on Monday.

A U.S. dog tag, a 1951 map in English and other items found indicate that the remains belonged to a U.S. soldier killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, South Korean officials said earlier.

The United States fought on South Korea's side in the Korean War. About 37,000 U.S. troops are still stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against communist North Korea.

These remains were later identified as those of SSgt James Vaughn "Red" Harrell of the VMF(N)-513 "Flying Nightmares" who flew out of Kunsan AB (K-8) during the Korean War. Ron Stout, former RO with the VMF(N)-513 wrote, "I was contacted by phone tonight by the grand niece (niece) of Red Harrell who notified me that his remains had been found. The identity of the recovered remains was verified by the military mortuary in Honolulu from his dental records, dog tags, and bits of his flight jacket. Red and his pilot, Captain Brown, went M.I.A. in early May of 1953 at K-8. She was a bit sketchy on details of the retrieval of Reds remains because she was told them by Reds mother via phone and his mom was, as you would expect, shattered by the news. Plans are for him to be buried at Arlington National Cemetary in Washington, D.C. in late January."
Ron continued, "I met Red when we began A.I.O. school at Cherry Point in June,1952. We went to Korea together on the 32nd overseas replacement draft in April,1953. Red was a part of a tight little group that hung around together Harold Ruddy, Frank Pershern, Gerry Marcheso, Dick Schultz, and John (Denny) Byers. Red was the jokester of the group. Strangely, my mind has always blocked out any memory of the circumstances of the loss or Red and his pilot Captain Brown.The same with the loss of Thistlewaite and Westbrook. Ron Harbison tells me that Harrell and Brown disappeared on final approach to K-8 and that squares with the fact his grand niece (niece) told me about his remains being found in sand."
David A. McClung wrote, "My wife Jimmie (niece) was notified by her mother (Red's sister) about the recovery of the remains. Jimmie's mother is the only surviving immediate family member. Jimmie's mother has a book provided by USMC when they visited her on 13 Dec 2001. ... After all these years, we are now flooded with information and for that we are thankful."

(Washington Times)
Ted and Hal Barker at the Korean War Project put out the word for others knowing Sgt. Harrell. "Honoring JAMES HARRELL Key: 12302 Casualty Date: 05/30/1953 Service Number: 1182385 Unit: 513 VMF (N) SQDN 1 MAW"
Though Kunsan AB has not issued any word or recognized this event of SSgt Harrell being interred in Arlington National Cemetary, former members of the VMF(N)-513 mobilized to pay final respects to one of their own.
Ron Stout later wrote, "An enlisted troopers funeral with two generals in attendance and a squadron representative all the way from Yuma, even though the squadron is at Nellis AFB in a serious interservice gunnery competition. If you have never seen the Washington, D.C. Marines render honors then you have missed one of life's most stirring sights. In a pouring rain not one of them so much as blinked. After the rifles volleys they presented the empty casings to the family."

(Washington Times)
Martha Richards, who Ron Stout credits as one of those who rounded up the crowd in attendance, wrote:

"...The funeral for Red was well attended by about 30 people including two Lt Gens retired, Bill Fitch and Keith Smith. I saw a LtCol USMC in the congregation, but did not meet him. There was also a Sgt of some rate which I do not recall I was told there was a retired USAF general officer there, but did not meet him. Two Gold Star Mothers there also.

Prior to the service, Martha??? from Wash Times gave each person a small American Flag. In place of service program was a handout with a picture of SSgt on the front and a family history and story of his disappearance on the inside. He was a handsome kid who was born 9 Nov 31. He's a year and a day older than I.

The service was very touching and his niece, Jimmie, gave a sweet eulogy. The day was warm and overcast. It started raining just as we left the chapel and continued through most of graveside service. I saw a CNN crew filming but no one knows when the clip might be shown.

The family gave a reception afterward which gave some of us a chance to chat. I met your friend Ron and think he is a prince. I had hoped to learn more about the fateful flight and wanted to see the info Jimmie requested from Hq USMC. The items were displayed on a small table and most of the fellows kept the papers circulating. I did not want to linger too long and never got to see them. ...

Martha Cella of the Washington Times wrote the following article on February 2, 2002 about the funeral.

Decades later, Marine returns home
By Matthew Cella
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
A U.S. Marine missing since 1953 was laid to rest at long last yesterday in Arlington National Cemetery.

About three dozen people attended services for radar operator Sgt. James "Red" Harrell, who was 21 when his plane disappeared while returning to its base at Kunsan, South Korea, on May 30, 1953. Sgt. Harrell's niece, Jimmie McClung, eulogized the uncle she was named after as "a man who believed in God and country and chose to join the Marines at a time when his country needed him." She was presented with an American flag, her uncle's dog tags and the belated thanks of a grateful nation.

Mrs. McClung, a 2-year-old girl when Sgt. Harrell disappeared nearly half a century ago, joked about the difficulties she endured going through life with a man's name. But she turned serious to describe the bond she felt it created between her and the uncle she never knew. "I think my uncle would have thought that was quite humorous," she said, "and I also think we would have been quite close."

She said she and her husband had spent years making inquiries into her uncle's disappearance, to no avail.

"Now our search is over," she said, breaking into tears at the pulpit.

Charles Harrell, Sgt. Harrell's nephew, came to honor a promise he made to his father, who died in 1986 not knowing the fate of his brother.

"One of the last things he asked me to do was attend the service if they ever found his brother," Mr. Harrell said.

Sgt. Harrell's remains were found last summer on a beach just miles from the base in Kunsan. The pilot of the plane, Capt. James B. Brown, is still missing.

After the service, the flag-draped casket containing Sgt. Harrell's remains was escorted to the grave site by an honor guard of Marines, who fired a 21-gun salute in a steady rain.

As a lone bugler played taps, the rain lessened. And as the honor guard strode in formation from the grave site, the sun came out.

At least one former Marine could be seen dabbing his eyes.

Three members of Sgt. Harrell's squadron, the Marine All Weather Fighter Squadron 513, nicknamed the "Flying Nightmares," attended the service.

At a reception afterward, Mrs. McClung shared yellowed photographs Sgt. Harrell had sent home decades ago. His squadron mates identified themselves and the other young men that appeared in the photos, stopping with each picture to tell a story.

Squadron member Ron Harbison balanced himself with his cane as he lifted a foot, muddied from standing at the graveside of his friend, to demonstrate the crouch required to fit in the radar operator's seat.

"You've changed," Harold Ruddy said, teasing his bespectacled, white-haired squadron mate, Ron Stout.

Mr. Stout recalled the night Sgt. Harrell was lost.

They were flying separately in Douglas F3D-2 "Skynights," a "primitive" jet that was used to escort packs of about a dozen B-29s on nightly bombing missions into the North, he said.

Returning from a mission deep in North Korea, he recalled a final radio conversation he had with Sgt. Harrell.

"We passed through their sector and had to identify ourselves," he said. "We talked to them on the radio, and Red said they had been relieved and would fall in behind us."

But Sgt. Harrell's plane never returned.

"By any reckoning they were only two minutes behind us," said Mr. Stout, who traveled from Burien, Wash., to attend the service.

Mr. Harbison came from Saxonburg, Pa., and Mr. Ruddy from Long Branch, N.J.

"As soon as I heard about this, I said, 'I'm coming down,'" Mr. Harbison said. To this day, he said, they all still wonder what happened to Sgt. Harrell's plane.

"I'm not saying I think about it every day, but over 49 years, I have thought about it," he said. "It's something you do because you don't know."

"It's truly stressful not to recover a friend's body," Mr. Stout added.

Mike Mankin drove 18 hours with his wife, Ileana, after reading about the service in a Marine newsletter. A former Marine himself, he said he was compelled to come and support Sgt. Harrell's family.

"It's because we don't forget our own," he said.

Hopefully the base will someday recognize this brave MIA from Kunsan AB during a future MIA/POW ceremonies. Though he never did make it back to his home base of Kunsan, he did make the final journey home after all these years. Lest we forget...

POW/MIA Mall
(Christopher Shroyer)
EPILOGUE (SEPTEMBER 2004): In August 2004, 1st Lt Diane Maye, 8th FW/CCP, and Lt. Malakia Thomas wrote to us that the POW/MIA committee was looking for former POWs from the Korean War that now live in the Kunsan area. We could not help in that area, but offered a suggestion that the program dedicate a moment of silence to honor SSgt James Vaughn "Red" Harrell of the VMF(N)-513 "Flying Nightmares" as he flew out of Kunsan AB (K-8) -- and was reported MIA trying while to return to Kunsan. I reminded them that Kunsan AB had not paid any respects to this brave MIA from Kunsan after his remains were identified. The "POW/MIA run" appeared in the newspapers, but I did not read of any mention of any tribute to SSgt Harrell in the program. Hopefully they did find some space in their program to pay respects to a Kunsan warrior MIA for 50 years ... even if he was a Marine.

Kunsan AB Tidbits:

Building 1100 Demolished: The Old NCO Club (1952-1976)
Time marches on and the old gives way to the new. Kunsan AB was authorized $12M under the FY2002 Military Authorization Construction Act. That means a lot of buildings that can be upgraded or projects constructed. The Mini-mart and laundromat services have moved to the newly renovated Seabreeze Mini-Mart -- and now the old building (Bldg 1100) is demolished. Sometimes though, old icons pass on without notice.
People may not know this building's history. This was the site of the old NCO Club that saw the changes from the 3rd Bomb Wing through the caretaker years of the 6175th ABG to the 3rd TFW till the 8th TFW. From 1952 to about 1975, thousands upon thousands of NCOs stood on that ground and enjoyed the camaraderie and fellowship over a beer. For the early years of Kunsan, this was the snack bar that opened at 5am and closed at 10pm.
The building had seen great changes at Kunsan. Though not listed as a Korean War structure (according to the 1999 building listing), it was most assuredly from the Korean War era. The 1954 base map from the 3rd Bomb Wing showed the building in the same location -- with the SAME outlines. (NOTE: Remember that there was NO real property records in Korea until 1957. When they put it together, people simply guessed at the structures and construction dates. On Kunsan AB, there were many errors. For example, there was the persistent myth that the Commander's quarters on Gunsmoke Hill were of Japanese construction. They were actually built by the 63d Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion, 508th Utility Company.)
During Building 1100's years as the NCO Club, Avenue B ran past it from the gym through what is now the BX parking lot. It continued past the Linen Exchange (then an NCO messhall) -- and continued through what is now dormitories straight past the ROKAF across to the south side of base.
People may not have noticed how one had to step DOWN into the building from street-level sidewalk on the south side. This was because over the years, the base had been built UP around it. The streets were leveled with the surrounding areas as new prefab barracks were built. As a result the street-levels became higher than the buildings. Though the exteriors and interior areas were upgraded over the years, if one looked closely at the eaves, one would see the 1950s construction.
Its "sister" building, the Food Court (Bldg 1004), was built at the same time in the Korean War. It served as the old Korean War Post Exchange (PX). The Food Court building has been so greatly modified that it bears no resemblance to its original structure. The snack bar function was added to the Food Court in 1971 when the 3rd TFW had the base. After the BX was built, the building was used as mini-arcade (tailor shop, etc.) and then in the 1990s, Burger King moved in followed by other food concessions. Like Building 1100, the Food Court has the characteristic STEP DOWN entrance from the street level because the base was built UP around it.
Next to the Food Court there are other buildings that are other Korean War buildings demolished in 2002 -- the Barber Shop (Bldg 1009) and the Beauty Shop (Bldg 1008). In the 1952 photo below, Avenue C is to the right running top to bottom from the BOQ area. Along the street at the bottom running left to right is the Post Office (Bldg 1010) at the intersection; the barbershop (Bldg 1009); the PX (Bldg 1000) is the next building over. Note that the Bldg 1008 was not built yet. The NCO Club (Bldg 1000) is just off the picture in the center.

(From the 13th Bomb Squadron Website)
(Click on photo to Enlarge)
Though Bldg 1008 was also listed as Korean War vintage but was most likely built after the war. In the 1970s-1980s, it had been used as a steam room/massage parlor with massages by female masseurs -- and there some very lewd names that were applied to the building and it gained a reputation as an on-base sex establishment. When the steam room at the gym was built, this function became obsolete and the building was converted into a Beauty Shop about 1988.
Building 1100 was the NCO Club from 1952 to about 1976. During the Korean War, the young USAF NCOs sat at their tables talking about home, but NEVER talking about their missions in their B-26s. The Army's 76th Anti-aircraft Artillery folks -- one of the last units to integrate in the U.S. Army in 1952 -- operated a nightly crap game in the club. The VMF(N)-513 Marines, however, got too rowdy (with one Marine shooting up the club with a carbine) and were banned from the club by the 3rd Bomb Wing Commander Col. (later Lt. Gen.) LeBailley.
The "green beer" served was the traditional "3.2 beer" that didn't have any kick, but there was copious amounts of it available. It was shipped in by the boxcar load. As to hard liquor, the enlisted were not allowed to have it. Only officers had access to it. Hard liquor was routinely smuggled in from Japan in B-26 aircraft returning from Miho AB, Japan after REMCO (Rear Echelon Maintenance -- Combined Operations).
After the war, the NCO Club continued its operation under the 3rd Bomb Wing. In 1954, folks of the RAAF 77 Squadron, who lived next door, described it as a "hootch" and a place to "whoop it up" with their USAF NCO friends. During these years, the membership fee for NCOs was $1.00 per month and airmen was a flat fee of $2.00 per year.

NCO Club (1954)
(1954 Welcome Brochure)
(Courtesy Marv Wiedner)
The 3rd Bomb Wing 1954 Welcome Brochure described the NCO Club as follows:

The Noncommissioned Officers Open Mess located in Building 1100 , is a favorite meeting place for top three-graders of King-Eight airbase.

This club features such facilities as a dining room where, for reasonable prices, breakfast, lunch and supper, and a bar where you will find the best in beverages. There are bridge and poker tables, and shuffleboards, located in the NCO Club Lounge. Music is provided by the club's juke box.

Movies are regularly shown during the week, while Bingo is played every Wednesday night. Friday nights is economy nights for all members, when the prices of drinks are greatly reduced. Free suppers and parties are also featured throughout the month. Membership fees are $1.00 per month.

Airmen's Club (1959)
Bldg 1100's appearance similar to this in 1959
(Courtesy Larry Doyle)
In 1954, the 3rd Bomb Wing left for Japan and the 6170th ABG -- later the 6175th ABG -- took over. Soon, the club started looking a little "ratty" as the base didn't spend much time on upkeep. Kunsan AB under the 6175th ABG became one of the forgotten armpits of the Orient used primarily as a contingency base for typhoon evacuations. In 1959, Bob Koester, of the 3rd Bomb Wing (Tactical) from Yokota AB, Japan, told of being on Nuclear Alert on C-pad and going on burger runs to the club and stopping by the bar for a coke that the bartender would "doctor up" for them with a wink. There wasn't much at Kunsan in the way of entertainment except the NCO Club.

Some of the guys in the 366th MMS (TDY)
at the Airman's Club enjoying their time off in 1969.
(Courtesy Michael McFarland)

In the 1960s there were some upgrades to the building as part of an overall project to upgrade base facilities -- such as constructing new two-story cinder-block barracks to replace the plywood Jamesway buildings and building the 9-hole golf course. In 1968, Nate Sturman, of the 6175th ABG WRM tank farm, described the NCO Club as a "pretty nice place" with its restaurant. Ralph Brown described it in 1969 as, "It was located on the corner. ... NCO club was old building with restaurant, slot machines, bar, pool tables, barber shop, shoe shine. Nice people worked there. Occasional shows, live entertainment." When the 3rd TFW took over in 1971, Herman Aki of the 3rd OMS mentioned the "Snake Pit" that featured go-go girls. After the 8th TFW took over in 1974, Wayne Hoff of the 8th EMS talked about the experience of being overseas for the first time and seeing topless dancers in the club. In the 1970s, the main taxi stand was near the NCO club.
However, after over twenty years as the NCO club, it had outlived its usefulness. The base population had grown and a larger club was required.

Go-go Dancer outside Seabreeze (1978)
(Courtesy Ken Wisz)
(Click on photo to enlarge)
Soon, the new Seabreeze NCO Club replaced it around 1976. By 1978 the old NCO Club had faded from memory. After that it became the BX Manager's Office as well as laundromat, electronics shop, shoppette...and later as the AAFES Office and mini-mart. Now it is gone. Like an old soldier, it had done its duty and served well.
Mike Yi of Kunsan AB Miraculously Finds His Korean War Savior
It was a miracle that Mike Yi (Yi Yong-Ku), aged 60, of the Kunsan AB Skills Development Center was reunited after 50 years with his benefactor, Ellis Forgy of Gatlinburg, Tennesse. Ellis was the one who found Mike half-frozen in a snowbank at Kimpo AB. He loaded him on a jeep and took him to Taegu with his unit, the 6164th Tactical Control Squadron. After 50 years, the two have been put back in touch with each other again.

Mike Yi wearing the Mosquito Association cap (July 2002)
(Courtesy Kalani O'Sullivan)
Mike's Story: The story begins in December 1950. Mike was a 7-year old orphan from Kaesong, North Korea whose parents had been killed by the North Koreans. After the Chinese entered the fray, Mike was evacuated to Seoul when the Allies fell back across the 38th Parallel. The Chinese onslaught continued and when the Chinese were on the doorsteps of Seoul, Mike remembers hearing the sound of bombs landing nearby. At Kimpo, he was found half-frozen in a snowbank by three troops of the 6164th Tactical Control Squadron, including a young airman named Ellis Forgy. He was loaded onto their jeeps and taken with them to Taegu where he was adopted as a "mascot."

Click on image to enlarge.
(Courtesy Mosquito Association)

T-6 "Mosquito" of the 6147th TCS at Chunchon (1952).
This is the type of aircraft Mike remembers.
Click on image to enlarge.
(Courtesy Mosquito Association)
Mike fondly remembered a lot of things even though he was only 7-8 years old. At that time in Taegu, he was given the name "Bobby" and he has many memories of the GIs fixing radios on the jeeps and the T-6 aircraft they flew as Forward Air Controllers (FAC). On the back of one of Mike's old photos, the words "Bobby" and "1951" are written.

When talking of the unit, Mike's eyes light up as he recollects his experiences while sheltered by the unit. Ellis Forgy's parents sent him a cowboy holster and guns which he wore every night to the movies. He also remembers the other gifts that the folks in the unit brought back for him after their mid-tour R&Rs. He came to think of these men as his adopted parents.

The photos that Mike Yi has cherished of the
6164th "Communications Squadron" for over fifty years.
Click on images to enlarge
(Courtesy Yi Yong-ku)
After the Chinese were pushed out of Seoul, the unit moved to Pyongtaek (K-6). The unit soon received order to move up closer to the front at Chunchon (K-47) near the DMZ. After the unit was relocated, he was placed into an orphanage at Pyongtaek. He related crying and crying over the loss of these folks as they had become his parents.

Click on image to enlarge.
(Courtesy Mosquito Association)
At Pyongtaek, he came in contact with Dr. McGurry of the 76th AAA from Miami, Florida. The doctor wanted to adopt him legally, but problems at home in the states prevented it.

Later, he somehow became "attached" to Battery B of the 76th AAA. He only remembered a few names from this unit. One he remembered was a Lt. Coolidge of Pyongtaek from battalion-level. When the unit moved to Kunsan (K-8), he moved along with them. This was around June 51. The section he stayed with was Battery B. It was positioned on the south end of the base near the present C-pad throughout 1952. After he got sick at Kunsan AB in 1953, he was sent to the International Orphanage (Catholic) downtown. This orphanage still exists today.
In 1955, Mike was transferred to the Orphanage of Korea in Cheju Island, but because of over-crowding and poor conditions, Mike opted to return to Kunsan's International Orphanage. In 1957, he secured an assistant's job at the Base Hobby Shop in the Photo Section. He attended elementary school and worked at the Hobby Shop at the same time -- fondly recollecting that he has a picture of himself in his school uniform while at work in the Hobby Shop. He worked at the Hobby Shop until he entered the ROK Army in 1959.

Between 1959-1962, he was in the ROK Army. After his discharge, he returned to Kunsan and got his old job back from Mr. Young at the Base Hobby Shop. He has remained with the same job in the Hobby Shop as a lapidary teacher and manager.

He was married in 1970 and has five daughters. One is married, two have jobs, one teaches piano lessons and the last is a college student studying International Affairs. A devout Christian he praises God for his salvation...and of course, continues to be grateful to the GIs who saved his life.

The Miraculous Search: This story actually started when Kalani O'Sullivan received a request from Dean Welter of Texas, formerly of the 8th CES 78-79, to find his old friend from the Lapidary Shop, "Mike Lee" (Mike Yi). Dean mentioned that Mike told stories of being an orphan who was "adopted" by GIs and brought to Kunsan from Pyongtaek. This whetted our interest as we have been involved in a program for years to reunite the American veterans and their Korean friends.

We found Mike Yi was at the Base Skill Development Center. It was surprisingly easy as Kalani O'Sullivan walked into the Skills Center door and asked if there was a "Mike Lee" there and the man behind the counter answered, "I'm Mike." We delivered Dean's message to put the two in contact again. We then offered our services to start a search for his lost benefactors because of our contacts with veteran groups. We felt we might be able to help, but we made him aware that finding his benefactors after so many years was like finding a needle in a haystack. We didn't want to get his hopes up.

In the past, the site has attempted to find Koreans for Americans from the Korean War. Unfortunately, we have had limited success with many disappointments as these older folks had either passed away -- or had reached the age where they moved in with their sons/daughters and could not be found. But the few successes we have had have kept us going. Just one reunion nullifies all frustration of the innumerable dead-end searches.

For all these years, Mike has called the unit the 6164th "Communications Squadron" -- but the key figure was that he remembered the unit designator, "6164th," which made this search feasible. This is amazing as this was 50 years ago. This pinpointed his unit. We made writeups on behalf of Mike in the Korean War Project under the 6147th TCG, 6164th TCS and 76th AAA (SP) Bn and sent out email to various organizations to solicit help. The search for 76th AAA personnel has been negative thus far, but we still have hopes that someone may see the KWP entries. The problems are that finding folks without a first name are near impossible.

However, the contacts with the Mosquito Association took on a life of own. We asked Mike Yi the right questions, followed the leads and asked the right people who asked the right people who asked the right people. We contacted Dick Souza, the locator for the Mosquito Association who was nothing but outstanding in his efforts. Using the time frames we established (Dec 50-Dec 51), Dick went through his membership records and found potential candidates and sent out email or made calls. He researched the yearbook and sent us the photos of "Bobby" in those early years.

Kalani O'Sullivan
(Courtesy Kalani O'Sullivan)
Dick Souza of the Mosquito Association
(Courtesy Dick Souza)
Ellis Forgy is standing to the far right.
(Courtesy Mosquito Association)
Then Ellis Forgy wrote, "Dick, the orphan that I knew and we kept was named Bobby by us guys. He was found in a snowbank in December, 1950 near Kimpo Airbase by myself and 2 other guys. His Korean name was Rehee Yon Goon (sic). He was about 5 years old when found. He said, that his parents were killed in Kaesong by the N.K. The last I saw of him was Dec. 51. He always wanted to go to Texas-America. My parents sent him a cowboy outfit. He would put that on every night and go to the movies. He loved westerns."

We corroborated that Mike was indeed the same orphan they knew as "Bobby" and contacted Dick Souza. He in turn contacted Ellis Forgy. The emotions felt on both sides of the Pacific were maxed out. Both parties, Mike and Ellis, were in telephone contact with each other for the first time after 50 years.

We recommended that Mike be made an honorary member of the Mosquito Association. We mentioned jokingly that he "had already served a year with the unit at Taegu." The response was immediate. In September 2002, Mike will be sponsored as an honorary member (associate member) of the Mosquito Association by Dick Souza and seconded by Ellis Forgy. The action was voted on before the reunion as a formality -- and the vote was unanimous. Mike was inducted as an honorary member of the Mosquito Association. This action further cements the bonds between Mike and his former buddies from the 6164th TCS. At the Mosquito Association Reunion, Ellis Forgy was presented a Humanitarian Award for this belated act of compassion back in Dec 50 and Dick Souza was honored with a presentation for his part in reuniting Mike and Ellis Forgy. Dick Souza stated, "The next thing we have to figure out is how to get Mike to our next reunion."

Mike's search for other American buddies continues. Some of the names he remembered were: Sgt Boseman (Tennessee); Sgt Sutton (Indiana); Sgt Carroway (Texas); and SSgt Hosling who wore glasses. Dick wrote back, "The names although have possible same sounding all I came up with close at this time are: Sgt Boseman -who might have been our George Brotzman possible deceased OH or KY. Sgt Sutton- may be live and well in AZ as Harry E Sutton. Sgt Carroway who may be our late Jack H Calloway who was MSgt at the time died Feb 2000 in FL. As for SSgt Hosling possible Cecil Housley who we never found with last known location out of Freson, CA maybe deceased." In August, former Sgt. Sutton was located in Illinois after his move from Arizona. Unfortunately, his wife had just passed away and he was having problems recalling Bobby (Mike). All his Korean War memorablia was still unpacked, but he said he would try to dig through it to find anything about Bobby (Mike).

EPILOGUE: The following email was received in March 2005: "I came across your web page by accident. I am writing to you in regards to Sgt. Sutton. i.e. Harry E. Sutton. He is mentioned in your article regarding "Bobby". Harry is my brother-in-law. I recall him telling a story about a Korean child that was saved by he and his buddies. I remember him talking about taking the boy with them in the Jeep. Several years ago, I believe he was contacted by the boy (man). Unfortunately, I do not know many of the details. Harry has been living in Arizona until the death of his wife, my sister in 2000. He then moved to Illinois until very recently when he moved back to Arizona due to health reasons. Unfortunately, he succumbed to acute myelocytic leukemia this past week. He will be buried along side of his wife in Cadott, Wisconsin. Burial and military honors will be March 8. Hopefully, this information may help fill some of the "holes" remaining. Very truly yours, Shannon J. Hall"
In addition, the search continues for Americans buddies of other Koreans as well. We can only that they have as happy an ending as Mike's reunion with Ellis Forgy. The truth is that Mike's reunion seems to have had the hand of God involved. It was truely a miracle.

Ellis Forgy receiving his Humanitarian Award from Dick Souza at the Mosquito Association Reunion in September 2002. The album is the same type that Mike received.
Mike Yi receiving his Honorary Membership
Mike was presented his honorary membership by the Commander of the 8th Support Group, Col. Timothy Byers, at a sit-down dinner at the Base Loring Club. The dinner was attended by the Support Group commanders and senior NCOs. Mike and his wife sat at the head table, while four of his five daughters sat to his left beaming with pride over the honor being bestowed on their father. Mike had also invited Mr. Yang, his old boss at the Hobby Shop who gave him his job years ago. Mr. Yang is now an English Professor at Wangwon University. In addition, Mike, who thanks God for this reuniting of him and Ellis, also invited the pastor of his church.

At this point, I believe a hearty thank-you must go out to MSgt Kirkpatrick, First Sergeant of the Services Squadron, for setting everything up. Special thanks to Dick Souza for sending the certificate that made the dinner so special.

A story was published in the Wolf Pack Warrior of Mike's Honorary Member presentation. When I spoke a few minutes to the Wing PA at the dinner, I thought that the story would be about Mike and the Services Squadron where Mike has served for so many years -- along with the Mosquito Association. However, it turned out that the story in the Wolf Pack Warrior on Sept 27 was mostly information from my article above. The story was picked up by Air Force Links and published on the net. The text is as follows:

Kunsan civilian re-connects with Korean War savior
by Airman 1st Class Andrew Svoboda
8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

09/30/02 - KUNSAN AIR BASE, South Korea (AFPN) -- A civilian employee here recently re-established ties with the man who saved his life and the Air Force unit that adopted him during the Korean War.

Yong Ku "Mike" Yi, an employee at the base skills center, received an honorary induction into his savior's unit, the 6147th Tactical Control Group's Mosquito Association recently.

The events that led up to the induction are filled with many of the ideals held in high regard to servicemembers throughout history: courage, willingness to help others and camaraderie.

The ability to have Koreans and Americans who met during the war re-connect, if only through a telephone conversation, is a rare event, said Kalani O'Sullivan, the man who helped Yi contact 6146th TCG veteran Ellis Forgy. When successful, the event is extremely emotional, added Sullivan, a retired Air Force captain now living in Kunsan City who studies the history of units involved in the Korean War. Through this research, he tries to make the reunion of long lost friends from the war possible.

According to O'Sullivan, Yi was orphaned at age 7 when North Koreans killed his parents. In December 1950, he was found half-frozen in the snow near Kimbo by three young airmen, one of whom was Forgy, the man Yi would contact again nearly 50 years later.

The airmen took Yi back to 6146th Tactical Control Squadron at Taegu. There Yi was "adopted" by troops in the unit who named him Bobby and brought him gifts after mid-tour visits to the United States.

After the unit relocated, Battery B of the 76th Anti-Aircraft Artillery took Yi with them. Around June 1951, the unit moved here and Yi moved with them. He lived with the unit at the south end of base, said O'Sullivan.

By 1955, illness caused Yi to transfer to an orphanage on Cheju Island. In 1957, he secured a job at the base hobby shop in the photo section, while simultaneously attending school. He worked there until joining the Korean army in 1958.

After serving four years, Yi returned to his job at the base hobby shop.

The reunion of Yi and his benefactor began when a former worker here contacted O'Sullivan to help him find a friend who had worked at the skills center in 1978.

O'Sullivan visited the base's skills center and found Yi still behind the counter. O'Sullivan then offered his services to search for Yi's benefactor using his contacts with veteran groups.

"The key element came from Mike," said O'Sullivan. "By remembering 6164 [the unit] and T-6 [the aircraft, nicknamed the Mosquito], I put together that it was a tactical control unit and knew where to look."

When Yi and Forgy reunited, emotions on both sides of the Pacific were running high -- their telephone conversation was the first time the two had spoken in more than 50 years, said O'Sullivan.

"For every success like this one, we have many more disappointments," he said. "Older people pass away or cannot be found, and we must deliver bad news. Just one event like this makes it all worth while."

Yi celebrated his induction with a dinner amongst close friends and family including his wife and five daughters,

Good fortune smiled upon Yi, who could not be more deserving, according to friends.

"He's a virtuous man, and was born good," said Pyong Sok Yang, the former skills center manager who worked with Yi for more than 30 years.

"A longstanding part of the Kunsan family, he always smiles and waves," said Donald Montgomery, current club manager.

A grateful Yi is thankful for his personal benefactor, and the benefactor of his people.

"I want to thank the U.S., who helped bring spiritual life back to our country and helped save and enrich Korea," he said.
Since the posting of this article on the web, others have written to thank Mike for the kindness he extended to them during their tours from years past. Harry Howard of Inverness, FL, thanked Mike for the kindness he extended to him during his 1970-1971 tour at Kunsan. This just shows that Mike has been a giving individual and friend of Kunsan's GIs for a long, long time.

EPILOGUE (NOVEMBER 2004): Mike could not make it to the reunion because of the financial costs of such a trip from Korea. However, Mike and Ellis continued to make plans to meet each other. In 2003, Ellis Forgy suffered a massive heart attack and never regained consciousness. He passed away peacefully after a long vigil by his family at his bedside. It was an extremely sad time for Mike to have found his benefactor -- and then lose him so soon. After Ellis' death, Mike has maintained contact with his widow and they are continuing to plan on meeting. But life's little emergencies seem to always get in the way as she lives on the east coast and Mike in Korea. The last plan to meet in California -- halfway between the two -- fell through because of the hurricanes that popped up on the east coast. But the main thing is that Mike and his benefactor's wife, Ruth Forgy, are still in contact.

Kalani continued to maintain contact with Mike as Kunsan vets periodically passed messages to say hello to Mike. Finally in Nov 2004, Kalani relocated to Osan and said goodbye to his old friend.

However, in Osan, the story of Mike continues. In Sept 2004, John Moench, Maj Gen, USAF (Ret), and author of Taking Command, mailed Kalani O'Sullivan some old newsletters from the 314th Air Division at Osan in 1959 for archiving. In Nov 2004, Kalani located the 7th AF historian, Theodore "Jackie" Turner, to transfer the materials for archiving. Kalani opened the packet for the first time in Osan and began reading through the materials in the yellowed newsprint to excerpt any pertinent Kunsan facts.

That is when Kalani came across an article on the Kunsan Hobby Shop back in November 1959. It had been almost 45 years since that article was published. In the article there were photos of a young man that resembled Mike Yi -- perhaps 17 years old at the most -- and an older Korean who must have been Mr. Young, now an English Professor at Hwonkwan University in Iksan. Unfortunately, the young man in the photo was NOT Mike Yi as he had left for the ROK Army in 1958. Mike stated that the Director, Mr. Buckley, had already passed away. However, the photos below give you an idea of the Hobby Shop that Mike has worked at all these years in helping the GIs of Kunsan. "Mike" Yi in 2004 was still working at the hobby shop (on his third extension to his retirement).

R: R-L Mr. Young, Mr. Buckley, and unknown Korean, Unknown A3c L: Unknown Korean with Unk A3c at Print Dryer (Click on Picture to Enlarge)
The photos accompanying the article show Mr. Buckley, the new Hobby Shop Director, who arrived in Sep 1959, an unspecified A3c assistant, and two Korean assistants, Mr. Young and an unknown Korean). The 1959 writeup for the Base Hobby Shop is at 1959: Hobby Shop.)

The following is from The Defender, Vol. II. No. 14, 314th Air Division, Korea, December 9, 1959, "Hobbies at Kunsan Arts & Crafts Helping Airmen in Off-duty times."

KUNSAN, Korea -- "But there's nothing to do here."

This complaint, common to newcomers in Korea, was overheard recently by an ardent hobby shop fan at Kunsan Air Base. The hobbiest literally grabbed his unhappy friend by the hand and led him to the h9obby shop and now the questing man's attitude has done an about face. His big wish now is to have more time because "there are so many things to do."

Kunsan's shops offer leatherwork, photography, model aircraft building, art metal work and woodworking. In addition, there are facilities for persons who wish to paint and to draw and in the near future ceramics (the art of making articles of baked clay) and lapidary (the art of cutting stones) will be added to the offerings.

Direction of the Kunsna Arts and Crafts Hobby Shop Program is the responsibility of Don Buckley, a civilian with over 26 years service to the government. Before coming to Korea in September 1955, Buckley, a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles, completed xis years of employment with the Los Angeles Verterans Hospital as supervisor of Manual Arts Therapy for Rehabilitation.

When talking about working in the hobby program, Buckley says, "experience is not necessary for participation. Any beginner can be well on his way to becoming an expert in one or more phases of the arts and crafts program during his Korean tour."

There is virtually no limit to the products that can be turned out in the shops. Under the direction of Buckley and his staff of comptetent Korean and military instructiors, airmen have displayed finely tooled leather purses, completed "hi-fi" sets that would make the best cabinetmaker take notice, flown model aircrt that look as realistic astheir operational prototypes, copper or brass art bieces that any decorator would be happy to use and painting in oil or watercolor which are fit to adorn any wall.

There is a wide variety of hand and power tools according to their need in each shop. In addition, a well stocked hobby sales store carries everything from model aircraft to blank belts.

Interest in arts and crafts is stimulated by various contests which reward the entrants for their outstanding handiwork. Model aircraft builders have formed their own flying circle and compete among themselves as a means of testing their aircraft and in some cases , original designs.

Shutterbugs participate in regtular tours of the local countryside and then dash back to the "lab" to process their film, print their pictures and compare their "shots."

Boat building recently sailed into the hobby shop picutre. Shop Director Buckley and Maj. Henry D. Gordon, 6175th Support Sq commander, purchased a sailboat kit and set to work on the project. Just last week the Air Force "sailors" launched their boat and successfully sailed it on a nearby reservoir.

An exciting part of arts and crafts interest is how a hobby can grow to become a profitable pastime. Starting as amateurs many hobbietests have managed to earn spending money and more through the sale of their products.

Whether it is a means of implementing an income or just a pleasant means of making time speed by, a hobby will pay off. The bobby program is not confined just to Kunsan but is available throughout Korea and wherever military personnel are assigned.

Quality of Life Issues
Facilities: The old Seabreeze NCO Club has been converted into the laundromat, beauty shop and barbershop -- and the mini-mart with electronics shop, t-shirt sales, shoe sales. The old cashier's cage area has been taken over by AAFES. The old stag bar is now the beauty shop and the upper portion of the old restaurant area became the barber shop. The upper portions of the old game room/slot machine/dance area became a mini-mart for the T-Shirt shop and the electronics repair shop. The Passenger Services Terminal is temporarily located in the lower part of the old dining room of the old NCO Seabreeze Club until December 2002. The PAX terminal renovations to the old facilities on the south side of the base will be finished by then. The lower areas appear to be in the process of conversion into storage facilities. There is a lot of empty space left in the building.

The move of these functions allows the demolition of old cinderblock front structures of the barbershop and beauty shop that supposedly date back to 1951. The old mini-mart structure has been demolished (See the story above about the Old NCO Club.)

The renovations to the Recreation Center in 2001 have upgraded the looks of the facility. When the modular structures were erected in 1971, it was built in three sections with walls separating each modular structure. A passageway connected the three sections. The side closest to the post office was the pool room/game room; the middle section was the snack bar and entertainment area; and the last section housed the tour office (later the video center) and the back room had the travel offices and reading room area. Over the years, a snack bar was added and minor renovations made, but the basic design remained. The latest renovations have opened up the first two sections into one area called the "Home Court" combined the pool tables/game room/entertainment area/snack bar into one area. The new street entrance on Avenue C makes it easier to access this snack bar area. The area nearest the Loring Club houses the video/tour office in the front and the glass-enclosed travel office in the rear. Behind the travel office is a reading area filled with comfortable overstuffed furniture.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers -- Far East District plans to let major contracts in 2002 to connect sewer lines ($1M-$5M); upgrade the dormitories ($500K-$1M); add hardened entry control to buildings ($10M-$25M); and redistribute the loading of the base electrical systems ($250K-$500K). In addition, there are plans to repair filters/clarifiers ($500K-$1M) and install vents in Dorms 618/620/609/611 ($500K-$1M). There are plans to upgrade the water distribution system ($1M-$5M); repair the raw water pump station ($100K-$250K); and repair the water treatment plant ($1M-$5M). There are also plans to repair the sewer lift stations Phase II ($250K-$500K). In addition, there are plans to build a new commissary ($10M-$25M) and Fitness Center/HAWC ($10M-$25M).

By November the new hobby shop was ready for occupation and the items were being relocated. However, there were the ever present complaints that somebody should have (fill in the blank) when they planned the place.

Loring Club Garners Best "Collocated Club" in the Air Force: The Loring Club was named the best-collocated club in the Air Force in June after winning the Pacific Air Forces best-collocated club in May. The Club Manager Don Montgomery stated, "We're here to take care of the members, and this one way of showing we've succeeded in that."

Sexual Assaults in the Barracks: For the past five years, there have been four-five sexual assaults per year. During the early months of this year, the Wing Commander continued to key in on the problem of sexual assaults in the barracks. He stressed that such behavior would not be tolerated. In February 2002, two airmen were convicted in Court Martial Hearings for rape/sodomy for incidents that occurred in the fall of 2001. (See Sexual Assaults in the Barracks: 2001).

According to the Wolf Pack Warrior (8 March 2002), one 8th Security Police Squadron A1C was convicted of "indecent acts and sodomy" and sentenced to 45 days hard labor without confinement. The other 8th Transportation Squadron A1C pled guilty to "rape, forcible sodomy and unlawful entry, a lesser included offense of burglary" and was sentenced to reduction to airmen basic, 2 years confinement and a dishonorable discharge. In March, a 35th Fighter Squadron airman was convicted of rape and sentenced to eight years confinement.

Since the first part of the year, there have been no "sexual incidents" reported in the Wolf Pack Warrior as before. However, there is no reason to believe that the rate of five-seven sexual assaults per year -- that has existed for years -- has disappeared. Most likely it remains low-key and unpublicized as these incidents are bad PR.

Effects of Prostitution Scandal on A-town: America town in recent years has seen a dramatic increase in the Filipina and Russian "entertainers" in the town. The Korean bar girls are slowly aging. An incident in Tongduchon (Camp Casey) may have an affect in the future on the operations of A-town. In 2002, it was found that some women from the Philipines were imported on E-6 visas (Entertainment and Arts) and then taken to Tongduchon (outside Camp Casey) where they were forced into prostitution and confined in brothel-like conditions to prevent their escape. The situation was reported to the Philipine Embassy by their original "broker" -- supposedly because he felt cheated by the bar owner. As a result, the Philippine Embassy has filed a lawsuit on the women's behalf. There has been a nationwide crackdown. An article appeared in the Oct 21 issue of the Korea Times:

Gov't to Ban Employment of Foreign Women in Clubs Near US Bases
By Soh Ji-young
Staff Reporter

Nightclubs and other entertainment facilities near U.S. bases will be restricted from employing foreign women, the Justice Ministry said yesterday.

Foreign women who become victims of sexual exploitation and abuse will also be allowed to remain in the country for a set period of time to file lawsuits and seek compensation.

The ministry will finalize these and other measures aimed at rooting out human trafficking today in a meeting of officials from the police, the immigration office and related ministries.

During the meeting, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism will seek to limit the employment of foreign entertainers to certain facilities such as clubs inside U.S. bases, tourist hotels and foreigner-only facilities. As a result, clubs and bars near U.S. bases that fall short of the ministry's employment standards are expected to be banned from hiring foreign women in the future.

Foreign women who were subject to human rights abuses such as confinement and forced prostitution will also be allowed to extend their stay here to take legal measures and receive their withheld wages.

Other measures proposed include investigations around U.S. military bases into the violation of sex workers' human rights as well as closer monitoring of the companies that hire foreign women.

Last week, the Philippine embassy in Seoul said it will sue an owner of a nightclub on behalf of 11 Filipino women who were forced into prostitution after entering the country on E-6 art and entertainment visas, sparking calls for more effective government measures to prevent human trafficking.

In A-town (America Town), the Korean bargirls are slowly aging and have been replaced by younger Filipino and Russian girls. As A-town is a "special town" with "tourist-clubs" -- supposedly for U.S. servicemen only -- the employment of foreign girls should not be a problem on the surface. However, Tongduchon's "Little Chicago" area with its "tourist-clubs" for GIs-only is where the incident of the forced prostitution happened. Koreans are denied access to these clubs in Tongduchon.

In Kunsan, the situation has been a little different. In recent years, A-town has been placed off-limits many times by the Wing Commander for incidents with local nationals in the clubs. However, there were times when the clubs were off-limits because of demonstrations occurring in Seoul and Kwangju. The clubs were losing money and protests were held at the main gate in 2001 complaining of the unfairness of these actions. To pay the bills, the bar owners illegally opened their clubs at times to local nationals in order to survive. This can become a potential area of major conflict between base authorities and the bar owners association.

But like most of these items in Korea, the authorities only do the enforcement of something when the public attention is focused on it. After a few months when things cool down, the situation usually returns to as it was before. In fact, by November the Koreans had been distracted by other protests dealing with the "negligent homicide" court martials at Camp Casey for the deaths of two girls in June caused by two soldiers in a convoy. (See Kunsan AB Protests for coverage of these nationwide protests and video footage links of 2001Main Gate protests.)
Kunsan AB Civic Actions
Volunteer Program to Assist in English Training: Kunsan airmen continued to support the Kae Chong Orphanage as they have done for the past fifty years and one Kunsan airman was honored at Air Force level for her volunteer work last year. But there are other ways that the base became involved in the community. In March, the Kunsan Board of Education paired Kunsan AB volunteers with Korean English teacher counterparts from the local schools. The first classes were greeted with excitement. Though the children officially start their English language training in the third grade, in reality most start learning English at a much earlier age. Unfortunately, most elementary school teachers do not have the language skills to properly teach English properly.

Through various at-home programs and English institutes, they have learned simple phrases and finally had the opportunity to try out their language skills on a native English speaker. When the children spoke to a foreigner and were understood, they got instant feedback and gratification in using a foreign language. This experience was invaluable to the children. But like most Kunsan "volunteer" programs, it was short-lived.

Cleanup Projects: In the spring, volunteers from Kunsan teamed up with students and ROK military scuba divers to clean up the accumulated trash left on the shores and in the water of Lake Eunpa. Kunsan volunteers have also assisted in cleaning up some of the outer islands in preparation for the summer tourist season. Together with the ROK military and school students, the volunteers assisted in cleaning up the beaches and shoreline of some of the surrounding islands.

World Cup 2002
Preparations for the World Cup: The World Cup Stadium in Seoul was completed on schedule and hosted some preliminary soccer events in preparation for the games in June. South Korea spent about $2 billion constructing 10 stadiums for the 32 games in its half of the tournament.

The new stadiums across the country were opened with a lot of fanfare. In Chonju and Taejon, the foreign community expatriates were given special invitations to attend the opening ceremonies. The stadium in Chonju is to the right as you enter the city from the west and Taejon's stadium is on the left as you drive up the Honam Expressway towards Seoul. Both stadiums were well-lit at night throughout the World Cup games and stood out.

Inchon IAP Complete in 2001
The new international airport at Inchon -- though with some delays -- was opened with great fanfare. There has been a great anticipation of a major infusion of tourist income from abroad -- but the totals weren't announced after the World Cup games were done. Reports were that the turnout were not as great as expected for foreign visitors. However, the games did provide a major boost in the sales of big screen digital and LCD TVs throughout the country as restaurants and establishments tuned into the games.

World Cup Stadium in Chonju
However, there was the ever present threat of soccer violence, the riot police "practiced" in the event such unruly events occur as they do in Europe. The games have been without any of the feared violence. The threat of terrorism also loomed as something that had to be safeguarded for. One Press pass for a British journalist was picked up by a Middle Eastern man causing a slight stir. There were no incidents as seen in Europe much to the relief of the riot police.

Though the games were first thought of as a means to foster goodwill between Japan and Korea, the feelings of "fellowship" never materialized. The hosting of the World Cup in two countries where one hates the other's guts was NOT a good idea. The FIFA organization realized that AFTER they had announced the decision. Next time there will only be two co-sponsor nations when there are "adjoining borders" -- not a expanse of water between. Having both Japan and Korea co-sponsor the games was a bad idea from the start.

World Cup Stadium in Seoul
There was a lot of hype by the Korean government with the TV showing a lot of "foreigners" (though fluent in Korean) on TV to acclimate the people to the foreigners. TV programs all included foreigners who spoke Korean to start the people thinking internationally. Much of the preliminary hoopla was scuttled as the games approached. The state visit by the Emporer Akihito of Japan was scrapped as there were repeated threats of violence. Both Korea's President Kim Dae-jung and Japan's Premier Koizumi promised to exchange visits DURING the games -- but only Kim Dae Jung visited Japan, due to the heated feelings of the Korean populace against the Japanese. Politically, the games were a hot potato.

World Cup FIFA logo
The U.S. Team: The U.S. teams faced a hostile Korean crowd in Korea which booed them from the pitch in each game. Koreans in the stands cheered for the opposition teams, rather than their allies. This was played down in the American press, but many international papers noted that the Korean fans seldom cheered for the Americans. Within the sports arena, there was a lot of hostility towards America's team.

World Cup Anti-American Sign: Death Threats Anyone?
Originally, the team was in Group D along with Korea, Portugal and Poland. Before advancing to the quarter finals, its only loss was to Poland. The U.S. defeated Portugal (#5 world rank) 3:2 and tied with Korea (world rank #42) 1:1. The whole World Cup saw the highly-favored teams like France being sent home in the first round.

Forward McBride in U.S. win over Portugal: 2 June/Suwon
The American team had a lot to celebrate about its performance during this world cup by advancing to the quarter finals. Before the game with Mexico in Taejon, there appeared on the mailroom's bulletin board, notices from scalpers offering tickets for the Taejon game at exorbitant prices. Actually tickets were being sold for all the American games at about half the asking price from newspaper sources. The U.S. was not a team most-wanted-to-see list. After it defeated Mexico 2:0, the U.S. advanced to the quarter finals on 21 June in Ulsan. However, the game went without much fanfare in Korea. Even on the U.S. Army MWR site, the only mention was about a Latino watching the game on base and rooting for Mexico because of his "roots."

Even in the U.S. there was a problem with a lack of enthusiasm for the World Cup games for the U.S. teams. The FIFA site stated, "Despite reaching the semi-finals of the first FIFA World Cup\x99 in 1930 and beating England 1-0 in the 1950 FIFA World Cup, football struggled to find popularity in the United States while it flourished elsewhere in the world." It continued, "Largely confined to the east coast and in selected other pockets, the sport was seen as a mark of foreignness, which made it unpopular with the masses but a source of pride for newly arrived immigrants. Due in large part to the game's growing popularity, the United States became only the second North American nation to host a FIFA World Cup in 1994, which turned out to be a huge popular and financial success. The American team also reached the second round of the tournament before going out 1-0 to the eventual champions, Brazil. The 1998 FIFA World Cup France, however, was a disappointment after the side finished last, but it is a mark of how far football has come in America that the team qualified to participate in their fourth straight World Cup in Korea/Japan." However, the sport is still growing in America as the most popular youth sport in the country. But the adult fans haven't caught on...YET. The following is an excerpt from the U.S. News on June 22nd. Though the interest in the games were growing, but it still wasn't a big deal for Americans. Most Americans view the Detroit Red Wings victory or the LA Lakers NBA Championship as reason to take to the streets to celebrate. But Soccer? No way.
Playing With the Big Boys
Will the U.S. squad's world-class showing turn the sport around?

BY MATTHEW BENJAMIN
Minute 17 was the defining moment. American striker Landon Donovan took control of the ball near midfield and made a darting run toward the German goal. The 20-year-old speedster threaded the ball through one towering defender's legs, glided past another, and launched a low, arcing shot at the left corner of the cage. Picture perfect. The only thing more perfect was the diving touch by goalkeeper Oliver Kahn that deflected the ball away from the net.

On the other side of the globe from the World Cup in South Korea, an early-morning crowd inside Washington, D.C.'s Lucky Bar erupted in disappointment. But it was disappointment mixed with pride that an American squad could actually hold its own in the late brackets of the competition and threaten one of the world's most venerated soccer powers. Taken as a whole, the Americans' Cup performance signaled that the United States finally may have earned its soccer stripes abroad and that the world's most popular game might finally be emerging from second-class status at home. Said U.S. coach Bruce Arena after the 1-0 loss: "I think we demonstrated to the world that the United States belonged here."

It was a shock to many soccer experts that the United States even made it to the quarterfinals, joining perennial powers like England and Brazil and leaving behind such favorites as Argentina and Portugal. It was a shock at home, too, where many still consider soccer little more than healthful weekend exercise for their kids. The U.S. team's dismal last-place finish in the 1998 World Cup seemed to confirm that this was not a sport for adults to waste Sundays watching -- much less getting up in the wee hours of the morning to tune in.

But this time was different. Instead of a squad of tender neophytes, the United States sent a team of confident professionals, many of whom compete in the best leagues on the planet: captain Claudio Reyna of England's Sunderland and defender Tony Sanneh of Germany's Nuremberg, among others. They've brought to the U.S. squad international styles that get results, including the highly physical "bully-ball" of the English Premier League and the patience of Germany's Bundesliga.

Homegrown. Even more important than the foreign leagues, however, is the homegrown Major League Soccer. Founded six years ago, the 10-team league is now churning out young talent at a prodigious rate. Indeed, eight of 11 starters against Germany have MLS experience. "There's no question a domestic league is absolutely essential to the success of a national team," says Ray Hudson, who coaches the MLS's D.C. United and hails from Newcastle, England, a place where soccer and moms don't mix.

What's more, American players are now turning pro as teenagers, as they have in the dominant soccer nations for many years. Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley, another member of the national squad, did so at age 16. At 20, both are now veterans and being courted by big European clubs for big bucks.

That's by design. Desperate for young talent, the U.S. Soccer Federation in 1997 created Project 40 -- a program that plucks the 40 best American youngsters out of high school or college to begin intensive training and placement with professional teams. It has already paid off, placing three players on this World Cup team and many more in the MLS. And the pipeline is full. Youth soccer participation grew 10 percent in the 1990s, a decade when many kids were deserting team sports in droves for skateboarding and other "extreme" sports. "Our soccer camps are selling out," says Jan O'Connor of US Sports Camps, which serves 42,000 campers a year in 44 states.

Just as important is the quality of American coaching. Commentators rated Brooklyn native Bruce Arena nearly perfect in his strategy and player selections during this Cup. And Arena is not unique anymore. "Coaching here is really taking the same leaps and bounds as the quality of players," says Dave Dir, former coach of the MLS's Dallas Burn and now an analyst for ESPN2. It's the same at the grassroots level. "There are more [youth] coaches now who know the game, as opposed to a mom or dad who just organized and did fundraising," says Andrew Ransome of ProExcel, a professional coaching group.

And the fans are growing in number and knowledge. ESPN, which initially agreed to air this Cup as a service, is ecstatic about the surprising audiences the matches have drawn. Nearly 2 million U.S. households watched the Mexico-U.S. match (and many more on the Spanish-language Univision), despite the fact it kicked off at the ungodly hour of 2:25 am. Kevin Bogardus, a 21-year-old D.C. summer intern who watched the Germany match at Lucky Bar, speaks with ease about through balls and offside traps and concludes: "We finally have players who know what they're doing."

Does all this add up to an American hoisting the World Cup trophy in the near future? Hardly. Teams have reached the quarterfinals before, only to fall back into mediocrity. The MLS, so crucial to U.S. success, lost $250 million its first five years and continues to hemorrhage money. Nor are its attendance numbers anything to brag about. Some believe that scores like Friday's 1-0 may never satisfy the bulk of American fans.

When it comes to soccer passion, the United States is light-years behind. As the disappointed Lucky Bar crowd emerged into the morning sunshine after the match, it revealed none of the despair and loathing that the Italian and Russian fans succumbed to following their own defeats. But most agreed that the American team's success will go a long way in making U.S. soccer at least a bit bigger, even if it happened while most Americans were sound asleep.

With Andrew Curry, Lucian Kim, Stefan Lovgren, and Joellen Perry
The U.S. was the heavy underdog in its match with Germany. Even the U.S. coach, Bruce Arena, admitted that the German team was physically bigger. However, he planned to use his team's speed to their advantage. He said, "We're not going to get any taller or any thicker overnight ... so we're going to have to make up for it with a little bit of quickness and some brains and some positioning of the ball." The hopes relied on Landon Donovan and Brian McBride in attack as the leading U.S. scorers in this World Cup. During the game, it was evident that his strategy was at work by the amount of shots taken by the U.S. team. Unfortunately, most were wide of the mark.

The Germans scored first and then kept the game bottled up. The Americans lost 1:0 and were eliminated. But as the game ended, most there left in an upbeat mood, aware they had seen an exciting game. That includes the American players. "I think we played well," said U.S. forward Clint Mathis. "It took a while to get going, but once we did we had a lot of chances." German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn gave the USA a ringing endorsement: "I'm impressed with the power of the Americans. They had two less days to prepare. We tried everything we could," he said. The Americans are justified to be proud of their team.

There was a negative note. A major Korean newspaper, the Korea Times, sanctioned the posting of an inflamatory BBS on their newspaper website. A Bulletin Board Service (BBS) link was posted under the FIFA soccer article. It contained some of the foulest language against Americans/foreigners and was exactly the type of racist, illogical diatribes used by Anti-American Korean activists. Most of it seems to be accusations and counter-accusations of folks having a "flame-fest" -- rather than really discussing soccer issues. What was sad was that a major Korean newspaper was supporting this type of uncensored BBS from its front page -- but who said Korea was the home for responsible journalism?

Korea's Team: There were high hopes for the Korean team which imported a new coach, Dutchman Guus Hiddink, but the team's "warmup" games were lackluster and initially hopes for a Korean victory seemed very unlikely. However, the Korean people all hoped that the Korean team would make the final 16. Everywhere was heard, "Pil-sung...Fighting!!!" -- Win...Fight!!!.

First Win for Korea in 48 years: June 4th/Pusan Asiad Stadium
From the onset of the games, Korea's soccer rage reached fever pitch. In Korea's first game, every television set was set to the game...no one moved. Korean fans dressed in red -- with painted faces and infectious enthusiasm filled the stadium. The Red Devil, the team of supporters for the Korean national squad, had organized cheering squads across the country, bringing hundreds of thousands of people out on the streets for Korea's World Cup games. The Koreans originally were in Group D with the U.S., Poland and Portugal. South Korea used a fast attack and pressured for the full 90 minutes for a morale boosting 2-0 opening match win over Poland for their first victory in six World Cup appearances dating back to 1954. After this game, the criticism of coach Guus Hiddink disappeared and suddenly he became a national hero.

Korea is a power team with a aggressive attack style. To many Koreans, a great game was the one between the U.S. and Korea more for its emotional significance. Fears were that violence would flare if the US beat South Korea in Taegu. Latent anti-Americanism came to the fore. Government officials tried to cool the situation and President Kim Dae-jung even lunched with the nation's fanatical fans, the Red Devils, to urge restraint. Despite this, some Red Devils took part in anti-US demonstrations before and after the game.

The U.S. player Mathis scored the initial goal, but later the Koreans tied it 1:1. At the scoring of the goal, the scoring Korean player, Ahn Jung Hwan, did an imitation of ice-skating -- to taunt the Americans over an incident in the Winter Olympics where a Korean skater lost his gold to an American for a foul. (SEE 2002: Kunsan AB Protest: Depth of Anti-American Feelings) That portion of the games continues to be shown over and over whenever there are replays of the World Cup games. The game ended in a 1:1 draw -- but to Koreans it was a victory where they could tweak the American noses.

Ahn does his dance...
Of the unusual taunt, Stuart Roach from the BBC wrote on 10 June: "The animated goal celebrations which followed Ahn Jung-Hwan's equaliser for Korea in the 1-1 draw against the United States may have looked a little curious to anyone outside Korea. But the sentiment was clear in this part of the world. Despite official pleas not to degenerate into anti-American goading, the Korean team had been keen to put a sporting record straight. The disq