HOW IT WAS! KUNSAN AIRBASE 8TH FIGHTER WING (1976-1989)

• 1976 -- First Team Spirit; Tree Cutting Incident; Operation Paul Bunyon; Heightened alert
  
• 1977 -- Helicopter shot down; ROK upgrades; U.S. grassroots movement to leave Korea
  
• 1978 -- Infrastructure; Phases; C-pad; Off-base (A-town); Phantom Phyxers (Maintenance)
  
  • 8th TFW FOL (Taegu): 497th TFS "Hooters" (Feb 78-Jan 82)
    
  

• 1979 -- Jimmy Carter withdrawal from Korea; Assassination Park Chung-Hee; Overthrow of govt by Chun Doo Hwan
  
• 1980 -- Student Unrest; Kwangju Riots; Turtle ship fraud; Creation of Combined Forces Command
  
  • Political Unrest & Assassination of Park Chung Hee
    
  • Student Unrest & Kwangju Riots
    
• 1981 -- Conversion to F-16A/B; SR-71 fired upon; Troop withdrawal plan shelved
  
• 1982 -- Aircraft Generation Squadron; Pilot lost; 497th TFS transfers to 51st Composite Wing (Osan)
  
• 1983 -- EMS Phase Dock; KAL007 downed by Soviets; North Korean bombing in Burma
  
• 1984 -- Security Police; CRS Engine Shop; Team Spirit 1984
  
  

• 1985 -- ROK military upgrades; ROK relations thaw
  
• 1986 -- EMS Phase Dock; Korean conscription; ROK military upgrades showing results
  
• 1987 -- F-16 fatality; North Korea bombs KAL airliner
  
• 1988 -- Seoul Olympics; Protests at Main Gate; Cost sharing in Middle East
  
• 1989 -- ROK military upgrades; Copyright Infringement Accusations
  

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Acknowledgement: Thanks to HQ PACAF History Office and the 8th Fighter Wing History Office for their source materials. Another excellent site used to trace the history of the 8th Fighter Wing is 8FW Lineage of the Air University.

1976:

Retreat ceremony (1976) (Courtesy Philip Hom)

Many AFSCs were opened up to women in the mid-1970s. Thus by 1976, the once cherished all-male domains of the flightline and the Security Police were open to females -- though the "combat arms" positions were still closed. Philip Hom wrote, "They were well established with the AMS, FMS, and OMS troops by the time I arrived in Oct 76. ... Well sometime late 1976 three of these beret wearing women cops (LE or law enforcement types) showed up at our little base on the Yellow Sea. Penny was one of them. She was a cheerfull petite person. I met her when she was on the gate leading to the munition storage area. At times she could be found at the guard desk in the BX, checking ration cards, the main gate, or with a Korean SP at the Magum site. As for the other two, well they were arkward to approach and hard as nails. One of them later became pregnant and became a fixture at the BX guard desk."

Security Police: Penny (1976) (Courtesy Philip Hom)

Philip went on, "I remember taking this photo, just as the gate was about finished. However, when I saw it after the base commander accepted it, I remember the lettering were painted over and no exit messages were left in place. I can't find a photograph of the back of the gate showning it all white."

New Main Gate from Interior (1976) (Courtesy Philip Hom)

8th Munitions Maintenance Squadron Philip Hom wrote, "When I arrived to Kunsan in Oct 1976, I in-processed thru the 8th MMS orderly room, but I raised a few eyes as sat there doing my paperwork. It is not everyday one would see in an US Air Force uniform an American of Asian American heritage but with a short last name (I'm a pake, but from New York City)" (NOTE: "Pake" is Hawaiian-slang for Chinese)

Ms. Kim: 8MMS Orderly Room (1976) (Courtesy Philip Hom)

Philip continued, "Ms Kim was our local hire admin type. She did most of the typing of the annual performance reports on enlisted and officers. She was an excellent typist. However she would type the report with all the typos as she needs someone else to proofread the APR/OPR. But she is a fast typist, capable of typing word for word, letter for letter, mispelling and all. Today she would be on a word processor."

He went on, "My office was in the other leg of the H shaped building with the orderly room. Just as in the dorm, we had a local national which we all chip in to pay him. He would do the cleaning, make the coffee, and do other simple work in the orderly room and in our safety and training section. Our helper (I don't like the term "houseboy"), Mr. Park, is the husband of Ms. Kim in the orderly room. Both would arrive to work together and go home together. They invited me to their home several times to have dinner. I met their little son, Mr. Park's mother and his sister, a nursing student. It was one of many invitation for dinner by the local civilians from the base." (EPILOGUE: Ms. Kim Pok Su worked at the 8th MMX until her retirement. She then found another job at Yongsan Garrison for the 34th Supply where she was still working as of 2003.)

Philip Hom: 8MMS Barracks (1976) (Courtesy Philip Hom)

Philip said, "It wasn't hard getting used to Korea. Up to this point I had spent 5 years living in dorms. I considered myself one of the lucky ones compared to others. I had a room in which air conditioning and heating was controlled by me, and not dependent on some themostat in the hall (which someone would always adjust to his liking). The latrine and shower were at the end of the building whereas the other dorms were in the middle (it took awhile to get used to seeing a GI and his yobo coming out of a shower stall)." (NOTE: "Yobo" means husband/wife, but became a term for a "rented wife" or live-in girlfriend. Most lived in the shanties around A-town.)

He went on, "The best of all was my roomie had a "yobo" offbase and they were "shacking up" which was considered normal. So I had a two man room all for myself, in a dorm, which was across the street from the post office, next door to the base theater and next to the women's dorm. An easy walk to anywhere on base." This is the current location of the multi-story dormitory built in 2000.

First Team Spirit: On June 7, 1976. the Team Spirit Exercise was first carried out. This type of exercise had been carried out for years in Korea testing the forces from Japan, Okinawa and stateside. However, this was the first time they were tied together into an all-encompassing scenario that tasked various units in the war skills that they would be expected to perform in the event of an invasion by North Korea. Instantly, North Korea rattled its sabre threatening violence. It continued to rattle its sabre for the entire time that Team Spirit was in existence.

Tree Cutting Incident: On Aug. 18, 1976, two U.S. Army officers attempting to cut down a tree in the demilitarized zone were attacked and killed by North Korean border guards. Known as the "tree-cutting incident," it triggered a quick build-up of forces as tensions with North Korea increased. The 12th and 67th Tactical Fighter Squadrons from the 18th TFW were temporarily assigned to the Wolf Pack as augmenting forces until easing tensions sent them home to Kadena, Japan on Sept. 6, 1976. (Note: This TDY of the 18th TFW units is not listed in the Air University records.)

12th Fighter Squadron

67th Fighter Squadron

The Tree-cutting incident is described at the VFW Post 7591 Site has a description of the incident.

The Attack Begins

On Wednesday 18 August 1976 at 1040 hours in the morning, a United Nations Command (UNC) work force of five Korean Service Corps (KSC) personnel accompanied by and UNC security force, including the Joint Security Force (JSF) Commander, Captain (P) Arthur G. Bonifas of Newburgh, New York, First Lieutenant Mark T. Barrett of Columbia, South Carolina, and one Republic of (South) Korean Army (ROKA) officer started to prune a large tree in the vicinity of UNC Check Point #3. This tree partially obscured the view between UNC Check Point #3 and UNC Check Point #5. In addition the unpruned tree was also blocking the view of the "Bridge of No Return" from "Freedom House." Shortly after the KSC work force arrived at the tree and began to cut it back, (North) Korean People's Army (KPA) personnel appeared at the work site. For a short time, the KPA security force observed the pruning without apparent concern. Suddenly, the KPA security force commander demanded that the JSF commander cease pruning or there would be trouble. Captain Bonifas did not order the operation stopped. Senior Lieutenant Pak Chul of the KPA, seeing that he was losing control, took off his wristwatch, wrapped it in his handkerchief and put it in his pocket. Another North Korean rolled up his sleeves. Lieutenant Pak then shouted "MI KUN UL CHU KI GI CHA." Translated, it means, "Kill the U.S. Aggressors."; the UNC security force was attacked by a superior force of 30 KPA guards wielding pick handles, knives, clubs, and axes. Senior Lieutenant Pak jumped on Captain Bonifas from the back forcing him to the ground where Bonifas was beaten to death. 1LT Barrett was also attacked. The KPA soldiers used the mattox and axes the tree trimming detail was using prune the tree as weapons. The North Korean attack was broken up when a UNC soldier drove his 2 1/2 ton truck into the fight and over Captain Bonifas to protect him. The UNC Security Force then withdrew but not before two American Army Officers were murdered and, a ROKA officer, three Korean Augmentees to the US Army (KATUSA) and four US enlisted men were wounded.

Later on Aug 21, a force of Americans -- without ROKs -- entered the area unannounced with a truck and a number of American soldiers armed with mattocks (axe handles as weapons are not authorized in the DMZ). From Operation Paul Bunyon, Gary Travis stated, "Engineers would cut down the poplar tree near the south end of The Bridge of No Return and Checkpoint Three. The bridge was site of POW exchanges in 1953 as well as the return of the surviving crew of the USS Pueblo, which was captured in 1968. Our battalion would have other companies in orbiting Hueys and our own Alpha co. would be near the worksite to provide immediate backup in case of any interference from the North Koreans." He continued, "Lest we cause an international incident, our people had axe handles and if necessary would use riot-control tactics. The rifles were on a stripped-down truck atop sandbags. The sandbags were used to deaden any mine explosion...the truck would be to the rear of the troops. The NK's had automatic weapons and would be able to inflict heavy casualties before our people got to their weapons. Thanks a lot, Kissinger." The tree was cut down and the troops left the area. The North Koreans took no action. (NOTE: Camp Bonifas was renamed for Capt. Art Bonifas.)

Most significant, but not often mentioned was that the hotline between Seoul and Pyongyang was cutoff in August 1976 as a result of the Tree-cutting Incident. This hotline would not be resumed until 1995 after a nuclear standoff brought North Korea to the brink of being attacked. President Kim Yong-sam requested that the hotline be reestablished to prevent a future disaster.

Life in Korea in 1976: We have included here an account by Gary Travis about his life on the DMZ in Operation Paul Bunyon. Though he was up north, the excerpts give one a fair idea of how life was anywhere on the peninsula in the "old days" of 1976. However, we remind you that what he says is true of that time -- and does NOT apply to the modern Korea which is a completely different world. Our comments are in Gold.

Gary Travis wrote:

Cultural interaction took place on many levels, not just the obvious one: American versus Korean. There was also American versus American and Korean versus Korean. To put it another way, all people do not think alike. If you do not make allowance for this, you can soon find yourself in trouble up to your brass. (NOTE: The typical GI of that era thought of himself as arrogantly "better than" the local Koreans. The Koreans were dirt-poor, while he as a GI was "rich" in comparison. In the country, mud-wattle farm houses with thatched roofs (choga chip) were the norm. Those who hated being in Korea, hated the Koreans as well. Somehow many GIs disregarded the fact that Korea had 4000 year-old history simply because of the poverty they saw around them. Gary Travis commented that "We worked with the White Horse and the Tiger Battalions and had nothing but the highest respect for them. ... Of course, as always, there were a few idiots who personified the old "Ugly American" concept." We agree that those who worked with the ROK military or associated closely with the Korean people usually ended up respecting them. However, most GIs throughout Korea did not interface with Koreans except in bar situations and their actions and attitudes typified the "Ugly American." Gary went on to mention his opinion of the civilians. He stated, "As for civilians, the average farmer was what would now be called "MacGyver"...when we described something as "kimchi-rigged" it was out of a sense of amazement rather than contempt." This Korean-trait Paul S. Crane described in his book, Korean Patterns (1967). Crane talked about the Koreans remarkable sense of self-confidence, "He will often push just beyond the limits until something snaps. He will next take it apart, explore the contents, and make a patch job. From then on he can keep it going just under optimum performance with putty, rubber bands and bailing wire.")

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The ROK's were truly curious as to how all the various versions of Americans managed to get along...and mostly we did. Just like an old Hollywood movie, we had at least one of everything you could imagine. However, Japan and Korea historically have been essentially homogeneous... in other words, they looked "Japanese" or "Korean" in a racial sense. (NOTE: A homogeneous race is "one blood" and must be racist by definition in order to retain their purity. Their outlook will seem cruel to others but it is the only way the race can preserve itself as a homogeneous race. Half-breeds are ostracized and only Korean names are accepted. A Chinese family who has lived in Korea for generations will never stand a chance of climbing the social ladder unless they "purchase" a name from a Korean family and are added to the Korean's family register.)

This led to unfortunate situations for those having mixed blood. Whenever we were out in the boonies down south of the Imjin river, it wasn't unusual to see Amerasians, young kids, trying to get by as peddlers or beggars. In Korea there are many orphanages but generally these kids were rejected by nearly everyone (this was also the case in Vietnam). One young boy had bad sores on his face and one of our medics gave him some medicated soap which of course went straight to the "aji-ma" ("grandma" who bossed this particular group of urchins) to be sold elsewhere. (NOTE: In those days, street urchins were normal. Everyone was poor and an extra mouth was simply abandoned. Children were dropped off at orphanages if they were lucky. Others were simply abandoned in a train station. Survival was rough even in the 1970s...and prosperity didn't really come to some measure to the lower classes until the mid-1980s. Beggars were very common in the streets and train/bus stations.)

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Also, you could negotiate to acquire a "yobo" who would in various ways make your one year sentence more bearable...essentially, a hired maid/girlfriend/common-law-wife. Everyone does what they feel they must do to survive. In those days, many Korean women wanted to marry an American so they could get Stateside (the laws in this regard are much stricter now). Some guys actually did get married & it worked out. Others just got a "butterfly" - they were used to get from Korea to the US after which their true love vanished into an Asian neighborhood of one of the many US cities with large non-native populations. However it turned out, one thing was constant: Koreans in general had a very low opinion of these women and their families often disowned them. (NOTE: This is a fact of life that follows the tradition of the "camp follower" from the Roman legion days. The "yobo" was no different from any other poor location that the American military has set up shop. With the affluence in Korea, most of the Korean aging bargirls on American bar rows are now over-30. The new bargirl breed are Filipinas and girls from the Soviet Union.)

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THE GRUNT'S VIEWPOINT...WEATHER

The number one factor influencing the grunt's existence out in the boonies is weather. Hot or cold. Wet or dry. I learned to deal with all of these...not that we had any choice.

Even for those from humid climates of the US, Asia is a new environment. If you are in a pup tent you must remember to keep the flaps open. Otherwise, the combination of heat & humidity can kill you if you don't wake up. This is not hyperbole...it is the truth.

These same factors also affected the nature of driving out in the countryside. Sometimes, coming around a hill or a curve, the sudden stench from the fertilized rice paddies would hit you so hard that you'd nearly lose control of the vehicle. (NOTE: Human "night soil" as fertilizer has been eliminated throughout most of Korea, but the "pig poop" manure will still make your eyes water. During the 1970s, it was not unusual to see kimchi pots along the rice fields sides. These were for "night soil" for fertilizer.)

As you may have heard, it rains in Asia. However, this rain makes even the legendary downpours of Texas look a lot more like a lawn sprinkler than a rainstorm. When it ends and the Korean sky is blue again, you dry completely in hardly any time at all...during monsoon season. But if you get rained on at other times...

Winter, as you may have heard, can be rather hard to ignore in Korea. Loved that Manchurian wind. Morale can be negatively influenced when the water in your canteen is frozen solid. As for your feet, you rapidly lose all feeling in them. The really fun part comes when you finally get a chance to warm up again...that's when your cellular structure protests its recent abuse by causing pain at levels which truly defy description. (NOTE: Kunsan's winters are not as severe, but from a person who has worked in snow over one's head in lots of different countries/states, I can swear that Kunsan has the coldest winters I've ever felt. It's the only place that I got scratched corneas in a blowing snow storm which blinded me for a week. The high humidity coupled with the wind will bring the chill factor to below zero in a hurry. Kunsan's cold is a cold that cuts to the bone. For the past fifty years, every GI who has been at Kunsan has remembered its biting cold.)

Physical exertion was a hazard in heat or cold. Sweating in winter gets your clothes wet so of course you're colder...although you must move about to some extent in order to stay warm enough to avoid frostbite. In summer pushing yourself too hard could cause you to pass out.

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THE GRUNT'S VIEWPOINT...STUPIDITY, #2

There were some "cultural differences" that NEVER made any sense to us. In other words, if you've seen by your experience that something often has unfortunate consequences, why go there again? Two items in particular do well to illustrate this point.

First, brass. Historically, this has been extremely useful around the world. No less so in Korea. The problem is the method of acquisition...for decades, the people have searched for old shell casings expended by rifles and artillery. Problem is, some percentage of those artillery rounds were "duds" and are prone to be antisocial if disturbed. Despite a long history of deaths and injuries, this practice continues. (NOTE: The tourist fascination with Korean brass stimulated this need for the brass. Brass buckles, brass candlesticks, brass bedposts...supply and demand. The bottom line is in the 1970s, these kids were just trying to survive. Which is better -- the risk of dying from an unexploded round or the certainty of a slow death from starvation?)

Second, Japan v. Korea. When Jimmy Carter spoke of removing the Second Infantry Division from Korea, many in the region were concerned about the "power vacuum" that would result. A Japanese general suggested that their army could therefore take over any abandoned American military installations. I wondered if this guy made some money by letting NASA use his head as a vacuum chamber.

Contrary to what you think you read and hear newswise, the simple fact is that Japan and Korea only SEEM to get along. In reality, there is NO love lost between them. In real life, this is not difficult to understand. (NOTE: In the 1990s after Korea entered a state of affluence, it openly stated its "hate dialogue" with the Japanese. Anything Japanese was automatically bad and removed. Including pagodas, buddha images, etc. The biggest one was the destruction of the Korean National Museum in Seoul because it was at one time the Japanese built center of government in Korea. Though historically significant, it was torn down by popular Korean demand. But hypocritically, they retained anything that they liked of Japanese origin by simply ignoring that fact.)

Japanese occupation of Korea ran from 1910 to 1945. During that time, they pretty much stripped the place clean. Literally. Virtually all trees were cut down. Women were also sent to Japan. To this day there is a Korean community in Japan and discrimination is a word they know VERY well. (NOTE: As to the trees in 1975, there was only scrub pines in Kunsan and the hills were denuded. Korea was the bleakest country around. A national law was passed to prevent the cutting of trees. Arbor Day was invented for all kinds of people to go out to plant trees. Trees are provided free to communities to reforest their hills. The Chonju Paper Company was given the national contract to reforest Korea. It has succeeded magnificently...though all the hills trees seem too straight in their rows. People stationed in Korea in the 1970s can't recognize the same hills they served on now because of all the trees.)

The basic aftermath of these things is twofold: in Korea no one pretends it didn't happen and in Japan most people still DO pretend it didn't happen. This is only slowly beginning to change. Although all peoples have the same basic needs survivalwise, people do not THINK alike. This is not racist. This is simply a fact. Americans traditionally think in terms of other countries' compliance with OUR wishes. In Japan they have a word for foreign pressure...gaiatsu. In fact, the word gaijin means foreigner (that is the more polite translation). Undoubtedly, China, Korea and Vietnam each have terms expressing these same concepts. (NOTE: In 2000, the Koreans started to attack the way the Japanese presented the history of Korea in their teaching manuals. It became an international source of friction in 2001 between the two countries. Nations such as China have also objected to the way that Japan has presented the "truth" of World War II atrocities.)

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Then of course there was teamwork between Koreans and US Army units on the DMZ. Many vets from the early 1950's still have a negative impression of ROK troops. They do not realize how times have changed. Although not known by the general American public, Korean units deployed to SE Asia during the Vietnam mess. (NOTE: The subject of the ROK in Vietnam is a sore-memory to most. In recent years, there have been films glamorizing the trials and horrors experienced during that war. However, these are all fiction. I have known many ROK Vietnam War vets. None talk of their experiences there. It's too painful. As to the negative impression some people have of ROK military, they still exist but by and large, the US military personnel have nothing but the highest respect for the caliber of the ROK military. One thing that people need to realize is that times have changed dramatically from the 1970s ROK military. The ROK military in the 1970s were still being trained by the US and using mainly American provided-equipment. In 2001, they fly Korean manufactured KF-16 jets and have Korean-manufactured Main Battle tanks. They are pumping out their own subs, destroyers and cruisers in their shipyards. They are NOT inferiors in any way militarily. They are the American equals -- and in Korea, probably superior fighters on their own turf with the latest military hardware.)

Communist forces had standing orders that if they found themselves engaged by ROK units they would, basically, reverse course and run like hell. Which is what anyone with half a brain would have done, since the Koreans were known to take "souvenirs" from their defeated enemies. In fact, the Korean liaison at our battalion wore what was called the "white badge"...their equivalent of our army's Combat Infantryman's Badge.

Korean units had colorful names like The White Horse and The Tigers. These were the type of guys that you definitely would rather have with you than against you. When the charges were being placed at the choke points prior to Opn. Paul Bunyan, these dudes would wave and grin like crazy whenever we passed their positions. They weren't the least bit concerned...in fact, like many of us, they were hoping to get a chance to say "hi" to the Commies. It was sort of like the legendary Gurkhas. Their attitude is, if you've surrounded them, you've done them a favor because they can shoot in any direction. (NOTE: Gary Travis added, "The contempt was reserved for a lot of the KATUSA's...they were supposed to be the best of the best but in many cases their families paid off someone to keep them out of ROK army...with the result that most of any contempt they felt directed at them was actually coming from their own fellow citizens. We were lucky enough to get some good ones, however." Unfortunately, this negative opinion is still the case today. The Katusa tests are based primarily on English fluency, but many Koreans say that the majority of the Katusas got their positions from bribery. True or not, the fact that there are too many documented cases of bribery to exempt sons of wealthy or politically-connected families brings the whole military classification system into disrepute.)

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Other things that would get you "cut off" from the group without possibility of redemption were involvement with drugs or the black market. Everyone was issued a Ration Control Plate (looked like a credit card), on which were your name and USFK (United States Forces Korea)...it was used for routine purchases at the PX (Post Exchange). If you wanted appliances or electronic/photographic/audiovisual equipment, you had to obtain an LOA (Letter of Authorization) signed by an officer at your unit. (NOTE: Black marketeering is still with us, but now the Koreans are becoming more selective as to what they buy. Now that American goods have entered the Korean market, mainly alcohol and luxury goods are in demand. As to durable goods, now most Koreans buy Korean products where they can be assured of its quality. "American" products are usually made in Mexico.)

The criminal element is never very far from the surface anywhere in Asia. Back then, you could order a hit on someone for only 10-20 $US...and it WAS done. Traditional Korean homes used "ondol" heating system, in which piping under floor tiles carried heat made by burning shaped coal. The drawback was that you had to test this system's integrity by burning something smoke-producing such as paper to check for leaks. Otherwise, the carbon monoxide would send you to la-la land permanently. The Stars & Stripes carried a story about a senior NCO who expired in this manner. The hootch's windows weren't in a slightly open position for safety and this guy was no cherry...he'd been to Korea before. (NOTE: As to the criminal element in the 1970s, one had to worry about the "slickee boys" who would steal anything that wasn't nailed down. Koreans had a rather philosophical outlook to theft in those days. If you wanted to keep something, you protected it. When you pointed out that it was inside your locked apartment, they gave you a strange look. Nowadays, there are burglars and thieves, but Korean's don't refer to them as "slickee boys" anymore. The impression is that the "slickee boys" thefts of old were understandable in their attempts to survive, but the current crop of thieves are simply doing it to get drug money. During the 1970s, many GIs lived downtown in hootches in Kunsan's A-town. There were cases of carbon-monoxide poisoning if people didn't keep the window cracked. However, most of the GIs have now been moved on base so this is no longer a major problem. In addition, only the oldest of homes have a charcoal ondol system anymore. Most have transitioned to LPG or kerosene boilers.)

1977:

Wing Commander: -- Col Thomas S. Swalm, 7 Mar 1977-18 Mar 1978

Philip Hom wrote in 2003, "The attachment is a photo of the new front gate in 1977. I was assigned to the 8th Munitions Maintenance Squadron from Oct 76 to Oct 77. I used my hobby of photography to pass my time away." Though the guard shack has been replaced with a modern oriental motiff version, the same entrance structure remains to greet visitors some thirty years later.


Front Gate (1977)
(Courtesy Philip Hom)

Aircraft Maintenance One person from back then was Rick Dunn who returned to Kunsan in 2000. He wrote, "I am back, twenty some years later. I was a young one striper when I arrived here in 1977, I am back as a Senior. This is a great place to start a career and then be the last overseas tour before one retires. It has changed tremendously here, but over the years what has not. What is amazing is the fact that I am back in the same squadron - WHODAT? JUVAT!"

Don Pugh on Kunsan AB and A-town Yahoo user group stated:

"I arrived in May of 1977 and the first Korean word I learned was Yoboseyo. Forgive any spelling mistakes I may make. I was in my dorm room the night they had the recall for the "Whore War" which occured after an airman killed a "business girl" and set her hootch on fire. The A-town bus was called the "smoker". The drinks were: Crown (preimum) and OB (regular) beers, Soju (diesel), makli (crude, and illegal rice wine), and Ginsing (diesel fuel and dirt.) When you were feeling like high society, you drank Peach Oscar (shampane). The trick was to find a bottle age more than six months. A hard age to find. The boxes that the Ginsing came in were clearly labled to cure you and to make you "horny." I don't remember the prices or exchange rate of most drinks, but I do know that a beer went for 100 won."

"As I recall, at Kunsan, the land was off limits for 3 miles around the base. I remember getting off work at 2300, catching the smoker at 2330, hitting the first, and many times, the only bar by 0000, then catching the 0015 smoker back to base. That is until I moved down there. I lived inside the wall for a few months, then moved outside the wall East of the town. A group of us lived in a compound so the parties continued until the wee hours of the morning."

Later he recalled living in A-town, "That sounds like the one I lived in. They had just built the row of hoochs on the right side of the gate and my friends and I were the first to move it. I lived in the 4th one labled #5 due to the korean superstition about the #4. (SITE NOTE: #4 means "death".) As I recall there were six rooms, and at the end was a restroom and bathing room. The well was just outside my hooch between rooms 3 and 5. And at the time, there was a three room apartment on the other side of the compound, and an old hooch on stilts between the two. I had the only color tv at the time and when were weren't working and partying in town, we'd set it up on the old hooches porch to watch AFN between 6PM to Midnight. That was the only time they broadcast in color. We used the well to keep the beer cool for parties. We just dropped them in and they would float (all expect one brand that sank straight to the bottom, don't remember what it was). This was our "you've had to much gauge." If you couldn't fish it out, you'd had to much. If anyone has any photos of the compound as it is today, I'd love to see them. A lot of good times have been had there."

"As for that tree at the top of the hill, I was sitting under it one day waiting for the wife to finish the shopping at the market when I felt something hit my back. There was no pain and I didn't think to much about it I just went to rub my back out of reflex I guess. Once my fingers reached the spot of the strike, I felt something wrap around my fingers. You guessed it, it was spider season and one was going to take my hand and walk me home for dinner. I flung my arm so hard I nearly pulled it out of it's socket. Never did see the spider again, and didn't sit under the tree to much more without looking up first. :-) (SITE NOTE: The tree he refers to is outside the A-town walls at the southwest corner. Take the street to the right of the gate and when it makes a T-intersection, the tree that is slightly to the left is the tree he is talking about.)

Jack E. Bobo wrote in 2004, "I was an Army M.P. attached to the 8th SPS US Forces Town Patrol 77-78. I was on duty and and witnessed what started the "Whore War" in A-town. (1978) This site sure brought back memories of Kusan and the surrounding areas. Probably one of my best years. Thanks!"

David Dale Johnson wrote in Aug 2007, "I was stationed at the Kun in 77 (2 long TDY tours from Kadena) and all of 78, agreed to reassignment for full one year tour. In 78 we had the "Whore War". An airman murdered one of the girls in A-Town. The "residents" became very emotional when a Major from Special Services, i.e., Commissary, Mess Halls, etc. who also served as mortuary officer, loaded the body of the woman in the back of a pick up truck. While this in and of itself was insulting, it also violated a Korean custom that a persons body is not moved until a family member can be present and pray for the deceased. A total base recall was instituted when the ladies started throwing rocks, bottles, whatever at the Major and his MP excorts. A-Town was completely off limits for about 2 weeks as I recall."

He went on, "Also, somewhere in my paperwork I still have a copy of a letter from a Base Commander (previous to my tours) addressed to the A-Town powers complaining that some of the towns residents were agreeing to a price of $10 for a night stay but then raising the price to $15 after curfew began. This caused some airmen to be arrested for curfew violations when they didn't have the additional dollars. The letter went on to implore the A-Town powers that be to fix the price of an evening stay at $10 or risk having the town be placed off limits. To this day I am still amused by the premise of an Air Force Colonel negotiating the price of a hooker for his troops."

Garry Whitemiller wrote in 2005, "I was stationed at Kunsan between 1977-78. I was a crew chief on F-4s. I worked in the phase docks. Prior to this, I was stationed at Tyndall A.F.B., Florida. I worked on F-106s. I had it made at Tyndall. Our dorms were beautiful. Wall to wall carpeting, cable t.v., central air, 2 guys to a room, a swimming pool across the street, and the Gulf of Mexicao 2 blocks away! When I got to Kunsan it was quite a shock! There were...maybe 5 guys to a room on bunk beds...gang latrines & showers. Sometimes guys would have their yobos taking showers in our dorms. We used mosquito netting, had an exhaust fan for cooling in the summer. And froze in the winter! I met some very good people there whom I still miss. I look at your pictures from A-Town and it brings back so many fun memories. I remember taking that bus so many times. I didn't really know how bad the working girls had it until I read your webpage. I wish I could turn back the hands of time and visit for awhile. ... P.S. If I could do it all over again I would."

Philip Hom, MSgt (Ret) wrote in 2003, "One of the biggest changes in the way maintenance squadrons (under the Deputy Commander for Maintenance or DCM) were organized came about in 1977. At that time, all the crew chiefs were assigned to OMS for Organzional Maintenance Squadron, AMS or Avionics Maintenance Squadron fixing the electronic parts i.e. black boxes, Field Maintenance Squadron for engine, ejection systems, tires, landing gear, phase dock, sheet metal, painting, support ground equipment (AGE), wiring, light bulbs, etc, and lastly all the people that handle explosives (loaders, storage, munitions inventory, EOD) were in the Munitions Maintenance Squadron."

He went on, "A new concept called "Production Oriented Maintenance Organization" or POMO came about. After our leaders in the Pentgon observed the Air Force of Israel were able to launch sortie after sortie with their fighters. The fighters would come back empty, reload, refuel and back in the air faster than what the USAF can generate. It did so by keeping like-duties together. With the 8th TFW, the new organization kept the specialists who are needed to pre-flight in one squadron called Aircraft Generation Squadron (formerly OMS). The major pieces of the fighter can be fixed by the Component Repair Squadron (formely AMS) and the back shop people in the Equipment Maintenance Squadron (mostly FMS and MMS). We as MMS lost our weapons loading flight, but added a few shops from FMS. Some other shops were split down the middle with half on the front (AGS) and the other half in the rear (CRS or EMS)."

He added, "In addition to all this, Cross Utilization Training (CUT) gave the other specialist in AGS what the other specialist are doing and are expected to help out in turning around the bird. The Environmental System (oxygen systems to support the pilot/navigator) specialist for example can help change the tire instead of sitting around waiting for another LOX refuel."


8th EMS Orderly Room (1977)
(Courtesy Philip Hom)

Philip continued, "This POMO concept applied only to fighters and not to bombers and cargo aircrafts. It was later replaced with COMO (another story). As a munitions specialist by training, but filling in as a training coordinator, I was assigned to the EMS. Our red caps were replaced with orange. Needless to say, the embroidery store in the BX Annex was a busy place to be as all of us had to replace our hats."

(NOTE: The 8th TFW would soon switch to the Combat Oriented Maintenance Organization (COMO) which in turn also brought about the Combat Oriented Supply Organization (COSO). The 8th TFW opted for a SAC-style (large aircraft) COMO system rather than the TAC-style version (fighter aircraft). It was given this option by PACAF under the initial implementation phases. It would prove to be a disaster as Supply stole maintenance position; there was no real time reporting (with General Dynamics being the only ones with real-time information); CAMS (Consolidated Automated Maintenance System) reporting was a joke. (See 8th TFW: 1987 for details.))

The SAC-style COMO system also was so unwieldly that it prevented any conversion to the computerized CAMS (Consolidated Automated Maintenance System) without major hemoraghing. Though CAMS was a nightmare in itself, it was better than what existed in Kunsan in 1987. Basically, the F-16s only real-time computer data base was held by General Dynamics (GD) -- not the USAF. There were only GD computer terminals in the AMUs and all maintenance info was input into that system in 1987. It did NOT interface with the USAF systems. Maintenance reporting operated with the AFTO Form 349 maintenance reporting system which required manual "punch card" entries to enter the info to the USAF system. Unfortunately, much of the information was unreported, erroneous or simply lost. The DCM Maintenance Analysis function operated fancy slide shows, but the principle of "garbage in, garbage out" prevailed.

In addition, under the SAC-style COSO, the AMU did not have a supply function, but relied on the large aircraft system of a Forward Supply Point (FSP) next to the AMU. Its negative impacts would be seen ten years later when it was discovered that Supply had stolen maintenance slots and converted them illegally to warehousemen positions -- and then moved the positions back to main supply. In addition, the FSP did not have stockage levels for the essential parts needed to launch aircraft and cannibalization became the norm. By 1987, the cannibalization process was out-of-hand and many parts were "lost" or never requisitioned. Instead of fixing the problem, they perpetuated it by having a formal "cann bird" identified and simply canning it to bare bones until it neared "hangar queen" status (three-months out of commission). Then the process would be repeated on another aircraft.

Basically Kunsan maintenance personnel were computer illiterates living in the dark ages while the rest of the USAF had switched over to the electronic age. Part of this was due to the lack of "clean" telephonic land lines. Up to as late as 1990, the Korean communication links were still too dirty for computer use and Kunsan required the use of microwave links out of Kwangju to transmit the information out to Japan where it would be sent stateside via satellite communication. It was a cumbersome and inefficient system. When Korea Telecom cleaned up its land lines to foster the burgeoning computer explosion in Korea, the links to Osan were established and the microwave system disappeared.)

1977 Base Sports (Philip Hom)

Philip later wrote, "Everyone on Kunsan had their way of recreation and relaxation. For those of use who stayed with the American community there was team sports. For myself, I had a camera, the BX carried black and white film, the MWR had a hobby shop, and the base public affairs office was always looking for some good after-duty photos of people enjoying themselves. This package kept me going both mentally and physically. The photo is from the second game between FMS and MMS. My notes shows it was taken on 4 Jun 1977. The person with the glasses is Sam Bowers (MMS). To the right of the picture is Sam Nakoa (MMS). The base runner is Marty Hegarty (FMS), and the person coming to bat is Paul Wiggins (FMS). Looking out from the FMS digout with clipboard is a Barbara C (I forgot her last name). The ball is in play, and the runner did score. I don't recall the outcome of the game. My eyes was focused on the action through the camera lens."

A-10 Visit to Base
Mr. Kwan Young-chol translates for Koreans (1977)
(Courtesy Philip Hom)

Philip Hom wrote, "One Sunday the word got around two of the latest USAF attack airplane was coming to Kunsan. For those in aircraft maintenance it was a chance to see upclose a new and different weapon platform. The A10s was assigned to DM in AZ. It was TDY to PACAF. All we were told it will be on display at C-pad. I rush to my room to get my camera and a roill of film. I was not disappointed. As you can see, members of the Wolfpack were not the only ones out there on this fine late spring day in 1977.. A member of the 8th TFW Public Affairs office was there, explaining want the airplane can do to a group of visitors. He listens to the USAF pilot, makes a few notes and translate the info into Korean. The locals must have been some important people, all dressed in their Sunday's best and standing around the 30mm cannon. But for the GI's it was weekend casual with tank top, shorts, and baseball caps."

The Korean people were most likely reporters from the national newspapers or city officials. The pilot's legs can be seen under the nose of the aircraft. The Korean man translating the pilot's briefing was Mr. Kwan Young-chol (with notepad). He worked for Public Affairs and rose to be the Korean advisor to the 8th TFW Wing Commander. A very learned man who was fluent in French, he succumbed to cancer in 1998. References to him are found throughout this history as a behind-the-scenes worker who kept the Commander in touch with Korean events during a time of civil unrest.

Bomb Loader CUT Training In about 1976, the USAF came up with the brilliant idea of Cross-utilization Training (CUT) whereby during wartime, support specialties would take on war-fighting roles. This is still seen today with the Security Forces augmentees and weapons build up taskings. All the commands adopted this concept. In Aug 2004 Ronald Breault of Fall River, MA wrote, "I was in Kunsan from 9/77-9/78 as a bomb loader crew chief. What sticks in my head about the time there the "Air Force" had a theory that in time of conflict until a build up can take place, Personnel assigned to administrative duties with little or no prior training could be used to augment maintenance crews during times of conflict.

To prove and test this theory they sent half of aircraft and maintenance people to Clark AB for a Red Flag type exercise, while they were gone they held an exercise called "Commando Rock" ( 1500 sorties with live ordinance, with 15 total aircraft including spares, in 15 days). To augment the maintenance personnel they had a mobility exercise at a few bases in the states and sent us a few hundred admin types, they set up a tent city in the athletic field, did I mention that this was done in March.

My normal Load Crew, was made up of myself and one other "5 level" and two "3 levels." We were split in half -- my #2 man went with one of the "3 levels" and I kept the other one and we were assigned each two of the admin types and alowed one 8 hour shift to train and brief them to load live weapons. And to every ones surprise we did it."

6005 AIRPS AF Postal Squadron Joseph C. Clark wrote: "I was an AB and A1C while assigned to Kunsan AB from Nov 1977 to December 1978. I was a postal clerk assigned to the 6005 AIRPS Air Force Postal Squadron. Kalani, when I arrived, the NCOIC's name was MSgt Donald A. Fox and was later replaced by MSgt Lacey. I'm writing this because in the year I was there, the airmen assigned to the post office took on about 3 days off. I remember going to work voluntarily every Sunday and putting mail in everyone's box, as at that time, mail was the number one morale lifter."

He continued, "The post office's slogan, "Neither rain, snow, sleet, or cold can stop the mail from coming through" definitely described us. Heck, I remember unloading a mail truck during a monsoon and even on Christmas Eve 1977!"

He went on, "Additionally, we did whatever we could for anyone of any rank. One day, our NCOIC called me from our barracks late Sunday night because an officer had to leave the following morning. The officer was taken care of, and all was good. Many times the fellows in my dorm couldn't make it to the post office for postage or to send mail so I did it for them. Furthermore, everytime the base had an exercise, we, too, ran twelve hour shifts. Heck, one time we were short handed, and for one week, I worked the front window by myself at Cope Thunder 1978. I'm talking about sending our mail and packages that needed postage for all the armed forces that participated in the exercise. Bud, that a lot!!! Heck, MSgt Fox would bring me lunch and I'd eat it while hiding underneath the front counter so the GI's wouldn't see me, and I wouldn't appear too unprofessional! Dedicated, people oriented, and darn proud of our service best describe us. We did everything we had to do the year I was there to take care of everyone at Kunsan Air Force Base."

He added, "Although we had a 5 man post office, we had a four man group of Koreans that helped us. There names are Mr. Yi, Mr. Kim, Mr. Pac, Mr. Choe. Without them, our service would have been crippled. They deserve honorable mention whenever the post office at APO SF 96264 is discussed."



A1C Joseph C. Clark, at the back window of the post office taken December 1978.
The illegal emblem on my helmet is the "short" patch that I had purchased earlier from the BX.

Later he wrote that the post office was made of cinder block and the small extension was there, but the doors were old. "In 1978, the post office got a face lift. The improvements added concrete to the unloading area so people did not have to get out of a vehicle to drop off their mail; it was meant to be more like a drive thru P.O. just like in the US of A. Hey, let me tell you about the improvement. Man, did the face lift cause dissention. Because the improvement meant pouring concrete around a corner, it meant there was going to be a blind spot as the corner of the building would block the pedistrian traffic on the other side. Man, did TSgt Nigro and me fight that! Our rationale was someone would someday get run over, and besides, the only people at the time to have vehicles were officers. Needless to say, we lost the battle, and the improvements were made." (SITE NOTE: The drive-through is gone, but the blind spot on the corner still exists till today, but there is a stop sign and reduced speeds that help.)
Joe wrote, "I am so proud to be a part of that post office! We were so short handed. All of us worked hard every day to make that place work. Off days were just days that we went to work in our civees."

554th CESHR (Red Horse) John Pope, CMS (Ret), wrote, "I was with a 150 man detachment of the 554th Red Horse Squadron in 1976 and 1977. We built the Red Horse Compound, barracks, BOQ's, Finance Building, Put in quick turnaround revetments for the F4's. etc.. at Kunsan AFB. I was the Detachment O&M Chief and ramrodded the many projects." These structures are still in use today -- though some have a different coat of paint or dry-vit coating. In addition, now they don't paint buildings in camouflage paint schemes, though the concertina wire from exercises strung around the buildings and terrorist barricades do detract from the attractiveness of any structure. (Go to 554th CESHR (Red Horse) for details of this outstanding unit. The 554CESHR website is an exceptional site for pics of Kunsan Air Base "Red Horse" folks in action...as well "Red Horse" folks all over the world. The site is by Robert "Andy" Anderson (SMSgt, USAF, Ret) who was at Kunsan from 1977-1984. )

MSgt Robert "Andy" Anderson busy teaching
how to lay concrete slabs for crater repairs.

Helicopter Shot Down by MiG: On 17 June 1977, North Korean MiG-21 fighters shot down an American CH-47 Chinook helicopter. Karl Hamner was with the I-Hawk battery stationed just outside Kunsan AB. He stated, "While I was at Kunsan, North Korea shot down a CH-47 over the DMZ - there was a big stink about it and we went on alert. I have the original article published in the Korean Herald." (Go to B Battery/1st Btn/44th Air Defense Artillery for details on the Hawk unit at Kunsan.)

CH-47 Downing
Click on Photo to Enlarge
(Courtesy Karl Hamner)

Airman Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Murder Karl Hamner stated, "Also, an Airmen from the 8th TFW murdered two prostitutes in A-Town, was tried by Korean authorities, and sent to Suwan Prison for life." AlC Stephen Bowerman was convicted in the Korean courts for the murders. He could have been sentenced to death but was sentenced to life in January 1978 instead because of the "mitigating circumstances" that he was in Korea from a "friendly country in the defense of Korea." He murdered in cold blood both prostitutes -- strangling one and burying her body in a "red light district of Okku-gun" (A-town) and stabbing the other to death.

Life Imprisonment for Murder
Click on Photo to Enlarge
(Courtesy Karl Hamner)

ROK Upgrade Programs: In Korea, the ROK continued its program to upgrade its hardware. The first purchases to improve the South Korean military hardware with U.S. aid was taken. In Feb 1977, anti-submarine helicopters (ALT-III) were first procured.

ROK Army March 1977 (Courtesy Karl Hamner)

ROKAF Flightline 1977 (Courtesy Karl Hamner)

Grassroot US Movement to Disengage from Korea: Along with the U.S. assistance to upgrade the Korean military hardware, there was a move to disengage from Korea. On May 11, 1977, the ROK-US started the talks on the reduction of the USFK. In the U.S., there was a grass-roots movement to bring the American troops home -- a fallout from the stinging defeat in Vietnam and bitter memories of that war. President Jimmy Carter had made this a campaign promise during his run for the Presidency.

The fall of South Vietnam, the growing criticism of the Americans against human rights violations by the Korean government, and President Carters withdrawal plan caused grave concerns in Korea with respect to national security. US-Korean relations became strained in connection with the kidnapping of Kim Dae-Jung in August 1973 by the Korean CIA (KCIA), coupled with Congressional investigation of activities of Korean officials and businessmen in the United States in what became known as the Koreagate affair with investigations of Korean businessman, Park Tong-son.

---

1978:

Wing Commander: -- Col Charles M. Summers, 18 Mar 1978-17 Mar 1979

Dean Welter wrote, "I was on the "Kun" from Sept. 1978 to Sept. 1979. I was first with Det. 1, 554 CES RED HORSE and then was transfered after a couple of months to the 8th CES." He later wrote, "I know how cold the Kun can be, I remember during the winter of '78 we had a big snow storm and as a Power Lineman I waded crotch deep in snow to many poles to get the power on. That wind off of the Yellow Sea can be very biting!"

He went on, "Do they still have the old pier off of the south end of the runway (the approach lighting to runway 36)? We used to have to maintain the strobe lights out on it and it was pretty rickety when I was there! Talk about cold, that was about the coldest place on the base!" (NOTE: The pier was gone by 1987 as far as we remember.)

He continued, "I was also a volunteer MARS operator while I was on the Kun, our call sign was AGA8KU. ... We used to have our radio shack out with the Army's comm center." This would be the USASTRATCOM unit on Gunsmoke Hill just above the ROKAF area. (NOTE: Go to Co C USASTRATCOM Long Lines Battalion South for more information. The MARS operation was on Gunsmoke Hill for many years and then relocated to the "antenna farm" near the main gate in 1992.)

Mike Dewald wrote in 2003, "I am very pleased to know how much God has bless the Sonlight Inn Ministry. I was an Inn Keeper in 1978-1979 and remember when the name was changed from Sun Light Inn to Son Light Inn. Needless to say, I really believe that the change of the name was one of the reasons this ministry really seemed to take off. God is so good. In 1978-1979 we had just one stove and I believe only three burners that actually worked. I do remember that we started to grow so much that we had to knock out one of the walls so we could accommodate more people. I really did not know how to cook well (but had a lot of help) but it was fun. I am glad to know that God continues to bless this ministry. God bless you all."

Linda Harrel wrote in 2003 about her Joint Spouse tour with her husband. Both were in Data Automation. "We did not have a child while stationed at Kunsan...rather, we (as did several other couples who were stationed together under "Joint Spouse") became pregnant. When we left Kunsan AB in November 1978, I was 7 months pregnant with our first child (a son). We had our first Wedding Anniversary soon after arriving at Kunsan. ...We still have fond memories of that time. I do have some pictures; however, we did not leave base very often because we did not want to eat or drink any of the food off-base while I was pregnant. We mostly ate at the chow hall, because the quality of the food at the club was not very good. FYI, my husband and I were both base-level computer operators at the time. I had met and married him at Bergstrom AFB in Austin, Texas. (We're still married and have 2 children - the other is a daughter who just graduated from Butler University in Indianapolis with a BS in computer science."

Wayne Hoff, SMSgt, USAF (Ret), was at the Kun from Oct 77 to Apr 80. He wrote in 2001, "I'm from Pittsburg, Kansas but now live in Tacoma Washington. Retired in Dec 95. My wife is also Korean and we met while I was at Kunsan. We have been married for 23 years and have two children, Daughter that is 22 and now stationed at Osan and a son 18 in college."

He wrote, "Was in Aircraft Maintenance (Crew Chief) my entire career. Have over 9 years stationed in Korea. Was at Kunsan for 2 and a half and at Taegu for 6 and a half. Loved Taegu and would have returned in a minute if offered. Tried to avoid Kunsan like the plague. They just loved to play war games, and it seemed like every two weeks we were on twelve hour shifts."

He added, "I was at the "Kun" from Oct 77 to Apr 80. Worked in the 8th EMS in the Phase Docks. Not sure what kind of stories you are looking for (work or off-work). Have many on both sides. Have too many to recount but who can forget all the exercises that Kunsan like to play and the very distinct smell that hit you in the face by the leather factory on your way to Kunsan City. When you made that turn, you knew you were almost there." Here he's talking about the Haemang-dong area at the base of Wolmyong Park with the open fish market. There was no Taehak-ro (University Road) in the 80s that the buses follow now. In fact, Kunsan National University had just been opened in 1978 and was still a small-time operation.

When asked about a stramge EMS patch seen on the web, he wrote, "We had an EMS patch that the squadron had made and they issued us 4 each of them and we had to have them sewn on immediately, which I did. Then a month later they told us to take them off as they were not approved by immediately or the USAF (wrong colors). The patch was completely orange with a green dragon in the middle holding wrenches and bombs. The lettering was white and said 8th EMS."

Later in June 2006, Wayne wrote back and had located the patch. He said, "Kalani, this is the patch I couldn't find before. We had to have these sewn on back in 1977/1978 EMS Squadron, then a few months later, we had to take them off because they were not authorized by USAF regulations.... I worked in the 8th EMS Phase Docks when Kunsan had F-4D's. Have spoken to you before about Kunsan in the 70's. It's a "whole" lot different now."


Unauthorized 8th EMS Patch (1977-78) (Wayne Hoff)

Wayne Hoff wrote that the phase hangar area was "really close the barracks I lived in, probably 2 or 3 blocks away." (NOTE: These are the Hangars 1-3 that are located on the corner at the intersection on Avenue C where you turn left to go to the south side of base.) Being an AlC when he arrived, he lived in Bldg 1427 in the Airmen barracks. He went on, "I lived in a prefab 2 story barracks from Thailand that was over by the Army Quonset huts. There were two barracks right together, across the street was the Army folks (boy did they have it bad) and catty-corner was another 2 story pre-fab barracks. The one cornered across from our barracks caught fire one night and one GI (SSgt, from AGS) didn't get out and was killed of smoke inhalation. The barracks I lived in was closest to the runway with the snackline chow hall right next to us." (NOTE: The prefab barracks were erected by the 554th CESHR starting in 1969 shortly after the Pueblo Incident. There were also two-story cinder-block barracks left from the 6175th ABG in 1971. The structures were located between Avenue "B" and Avenue "C" south of the Post Office. It was two men to a room and the building was heated by central boilers.

According to Herman Aki in 1971, "There were 3 chow halls operating, C-pad, mustang and ( ?)." The C-pad chow hall was located on the south end of the base across from the old DCM complex. Another messhall was located where the present day Commissary is situated. We suspect this was the "Mustang"...and Wayne Hoff refers to a snackline chowhall which would appear to be where the present Linen Exchange is.)

"On the other side of the chow hall was the fire department. I think the chow hall was also where we exchanged our bed linens at. All I know is that when the F-4's were blasting off, it would rattle stuff off your cabinets in your room, the walls would shake and you couldn't talk or hear anything. These were airman barracks."

"The NCO's (SSgt and above) lived in 776, 777 and 778 which were up on the main part of the base right across the street from the Post Office and BX. In-between was the barber shop and Steam Room. On down about two blocks was the NCO Club. NCO barracks was nice, small but they were air-conditioned. Just had to watch out when showering as when someone flushed a commode it would scald you in the showers." (NOTE: The NCO Barracks were one-story structures located where the three-story Central Processing building is located today. The BX was located where the Food Court is now. The infamous Steam Room later became the Beauty Shop and was demolished in 2003. The barbershop was demolished in 2003. The NCO Club became the Mini-Mall and AAFES Manager's Office before it was demolished in 2002.)

Pre-fab Airmen's barracks with Gym in background (1974)
(Courtesy Ken Wisz)
Click on Image to Enlarge

Wayne Hoff went on to describe the picture above and give some bearings based upon the photo. He stated, "In the pictures you sent the one with the Army truck ...those were enlisted barracks ( I forget what squadron lived there, but I'm thinking it was the CBPO types). Yes, the Gym was in the background and, Yes there was also a swimming pool either right beside or behind the pictured barracks."

"The NCO barracks I was talking about were in another location. If you were to take the pictured Army truck and turn right at the stop sign, go down to where the road "T's" and drive straight across the street, that's where the SSgt and TSgt barracks were. They were one story (kind of modular looking) buildings. Green in color. There were probably 20 to 30 rooms in each building. At the far end of each building were open bay showers. The Building numbers were 776, 777, and 778. I know these well, as when I arrived in Korea in 77 my older brother was also stationed there and he was living in Barracks 778 (he was a SSgt and I was a AIC)."

"Back to the pictured Army truck. Turning right at the stop sign would take you past the Snack Bar, BX, Steam Room, Barber Shop and the last building on the right when you got to the "T" would have been the Post Office (most of these buildings were old wooden buildings (1 story) usually pretty long. The Food Court used to be the main snack bar on base it was called the "Jet Stream Snack Bar". If you were to walk a little further up and turn right (where the Steam Room) that used to be the BX. It was on the end of the building that the snack bar was in." (NOTE: At this time, the BX was on the end of the food court building toward the Steam Room (Beauty Shop). One half of the building -- towards the current Burger King -- was the BX. The side with the main entrance was the "Jet Stream".)

He described the BX as follows. "The BX building was one long building. ... I'm thinking that where the BX is now at Kunsan, used to be another old building where the Korean Arcade was. That's where we used to get stuff wrapped to send back in the mail. The BX was on the end and probably took half the building and then the snack bar was on the side and it took the remaining half of the building. Back then, there was no commissary at Kunsan. There was only the BX and a Shoppette over near the NCO Club. There was also a Package Store over by the NCO Club. Kind of a small shack on the next road up towards the BX about halfway down towards the chow hall. Not the same road the chow hall was on. There was a road before that that ran parallel to the club, thats where to shoppette and Package store was." (NOTE: The road he refers to runs between the Seabreeze and the BX. The Class VI package store was on this road and remained in operation until the late 1990s when it was incorporated into the BX. The old Slot Machine Maintenance building appears to be the original package store while the Shoppette was the newer building along the road just south of it. The package store most likely moved to the shoppette when the new BX opened and the shoppette opened in the Food Court. Another shoppette opened later for 24-hour operations on the east end of the old NCO Club. It would be closed in the late 1990s.)

He went on, "If you wanted to go to the commissary, there were only two in country at that time. One at Taegu and one at Yongsan. Osan did not have one either. I think I went to the Yongsan commissary maybe twice. As you had to buy all frozen food and hope that it didn't thaw out by the time you got back to Kunsan. Didn't have a car as I was on a 2 striper. Too much of a pain to go."

Returning to the picture of the Army truck above, he continued, "On the left side of the street from where the Army truck would have turned right, was some pre-fab barracks, a parking lot, the main bus stop and the Rec. Center was on the left corner where the road "T"s." (NOTE: The prefab barracks were torn down in about 1986-1987. The 557th CES Red Horse erected the prefab dormitories (recycled from Southeast Asia) in 1969. The parking lot, main bus stop and Recreation Center are in the same locations.)

"Back to the pictured Army truck. See the barracks in the back ground and the sewer pipe positioned next to the building. That was where we were supposed to run to in case of attack. Almost every barracks had those positioned around them."

(NOTE: The truck is positioned on Avenue B (the road that runs past the Gym). During the 1970s, the road connected all the way to bomb dump. The road was cut by the construction of barracks and the building of the BX area. The road used to run in front of what is now the BX -- through the Library/BX parking lot -- to the existing Avenue B -- and continued through the barracks to the left turn stop going to the ROKAF area. It then ran down to the bomb dump.)

He went on, "There were no 3 story barracks on Kunsan when I was there. The officers lived down towards the clinic. Not really sure what there barracks were like, but I don't think they were too much better than ours. Not too many folks were authorized to live off base. Only married folks that I knew of. Pretty much everyone else stayed on base."

Another vet of the Kun was Tony Sagun , MSgt, USAF (Ret) of Honolulu, Hawaii. He said, "I was stationed at Kunsan AB from November 1977 to December 1980." He later wrote, "Originally from Gardena, California I grew up with several transplanted local boys. I joined the Air Force right out of high school. I still remember my first night in country. I sure wasn't prepared for that long bus ride from Kimpo to the "Kun". It seemed like forever on that bus. When we finally arrived it was about 2200L and my sponsor took me immediately to the NCO club where my eyes really "opened up" - topless female dancers, liquor, Korean food, and beautiful Korean women. I must be in heaven! My total time in country was 5 1/2 years including my tour at Taegu AB. I gotta tell you that they had to be the best years of my life. I loved the food, loved the country, loved the women - =)."

He continued, "I can still remember that bitter cold wind (called it the "hawk" back then) whipping across the Yellow Sea across the frozen golf course and into the base while standing at the bus stop in front of the rec center. I don't think I'd ever been THAT cold in my entire life! I didn't know Bruce Ebert, I hung around with the young local boys most of time when I was there. Guys like Henry Potts, Anthony Kruse, Blaise Cui to name a few."

Back then AFRTS was the link to the "world" -- meaning the CONUS. One incident was related at Tales from the Track about some die-hard racing fans at Kunsan in 1978:

D.A. from California was serving his country in Korea on race day. But he didn't forget about the race...

I was born and raised in Indianapolis and have made it to almost every race since 1966 except when I was stationed overseas during a 20 year career in the USAF. I wasn't exactly at the track in 1978. I was stationed at Kinsman Air Base Korea. But, I was there in spirit.

Kunsan AB Korea is small as far as Air Bases go. At the time, I was there I think there was less than 1,000 people stationed there. It did not take long to meet just about every one. One day I was eating in the Dining Hall and met a guy that was also from Indianapolis, and, as Hoosiers always do, the talk turned to racing. We decided if we couldn't be "home for the holiday," we should make the best of it. We decided that we would go out and find anyone we could and have a picnic party on race day. The party was to commence at 11:00 as American Forces Radio Television Service (AFRTS) was to carry the Broadcast starting at 12:15 AM. The only requirement to attend was to bring: an interest in the 500, food, drink, and your own lawn chair, but not necessarily in that order.

As Race day approached, we had rounded up about 16-18 people. We had "procured" the B-B-Q grill and about a dozen of those round metal picnic tables with the big umbrella in the center. I put one of my stereo speakers the window of my barracks room and proceeded to light the fire in the B-B-Q. Just as the other guys were starting to show up, the rain clouds started to show up too. As midnight approached, the sky opened up. As AFRTS began it's broadcast, sheets of rain had almost put out the fire. We had to find traps to string between the umbrellas to keep the fire going and to try to stay a little dry. Just as the race line up was being announced, SOME POOR LILY LIVERED SISSY in the next barracks over, called the cops about a "Wild Drinking Party" taking place outside his window, keeping him awake.

The Security Police sent out a young 1 striper to investigate. We just sat there in the rain, with water coming up past our ankles, holding our soggy hotdogs and hamburgers, drinking our beer, and politely told the guy,"it is race day, we are enjoying the sun and waiting for the race to start. Grab a beer and sit down". By this time the young SP had no idea what was going on. He called the dispatch desk and said, "I think these people are either drunk or crazy or both. They are sitting here, in the rain, in T-shirts and shorts and sunglasses, eating hotdogs and hamburgers drinking beer, and listening to the radio. They think they are in Indianapolis or something, and they think it is sunny. They said they are waiting for some kind of race to start. Can someone come out here and help me ?" After a short pause, the guy on the other end of the walkie-talkie came on and said, "I'll be right there." As "Back Home Again In Indiana" was coming over the speaker in the window, a big SP showed up with bag under each arm. He told the younger SP, "take your truck back to the office, you can watch the desk, nothing is happening on base, so I think you can handle it. If you need me, I'll be on the walkie. I'll handle it from here. As the younger SP got in the truck and left, the older SP said, "I'm from Detroit and I been a race fan since forever. All I could find at this hour was peanut butter and jelly, a half a loaf of bread, a bag of chips and 4 Pepsi's,,,,,mind if I join you ?"

It rained like hell that raceday, but we never knew it, we were in Indianapolis. Hope that LILLY LIVERED SISSY got some sleep.

Phantom Phyxers: Aircraft Maintenance Bruce W. Ebert, MSgt (ret), recounts an incident in 1978 that illustrates the bravery of the 8TFW aircrews and the dedication of the maintenance men assigned. He was a crew chief with the 35th Aircraft Generation Squadron . He related, "I was a crew chief at Kunsan from 77-80. I went there when I was 17 years old, and loved it. ...Here is a little background on the picture (below) ... It's of aircraft 66-7746 an F-4D. It's in whiskey arch 25. It's broken because it had a #3 turbine wheel failure (the engine blew up) in flight. The pilot, whose name I don't remember, did a super job of bringing the airplane back to Kunsan. He could have easily bailed out. The plane was seriously damaged. It had a big hole burned in the left aft side, a melted left aft missile launcher, and it's left rear wing root was melted nearly clear through. When we went to fix it, several months later, we had to remove the rear portion of the wing, from the leading edge of the left wheel well back. We also had to re-skin the left side of the fuselage and replace many ribs and spars. It was a real big job." This same tradition of dedication continues today.

Bruce Elbert (Crew Chief) with his broke Panton F-4D in Whiskey Arch 25(Click on photo to enlarge)

F-4D Sortie Surge World Record (1300 Sorties 8-22 Feb 78) (C-Pad area)(Click on photo to enlarge)

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F-4D Formation	F-4D Formation -- Peeling off for landing
F-4D Formation -- A good shot of those famous Phantom smoke trails as they peel off for landing.	RF-4C Flyover -- Bruce remembers that the Recces would fly over and take pictures during an exercise. Anything the was caught in the photo was declared destroyed. Interesting idea.
F-4D Combat Quick Turn (CQT) -- Down in the Charlie Pad area	Sign Proclaiming Sortie Generation Record for F-4Ds (Feb 78)
Munitions stacked for CQT	F-4D Parking in front of arch
F-4D Ramp with Whiskey Arches	ROKAF Ramp -- F-86 aircraft on the ramp originally assigned in 1965. (NOTE: The ROKAF barracks in the foreground were finally torn down in the mid-90s.)

Wayne Hoff stated, "In "78/79", AGS went on twelve hour shifts and stayed on them for 9 months. Glad I was in EMS (shifts were better and worked inside, but did get my share of being a flightline crew chief during exercises. They would close down phase and put us out in the quick turn area on Charlie Pad. You know you worked when you turned 6 to 10 F-4's in a 12 hour shift, by yourself. Thruflight, gas, shoot the tubes, pack the drag bag, repositioned -60, made sure Weapons did there thing and signed off the forms, prepped for the next flight. Usually pilots were standing there waiting to get back in. When you worked out there during exercises, you "humped" all day and you knew it when the shift was over. But, you could always muster the strength to get something to eat, shower and clean up and then hit the "Ville"."

Later he wrote in response to where was the EMS phases and attached a crude map. The map indicated that the large enclosed hangar facing the large open hangar was first used for the Hourly Postflights (HPO), but the were then relocated to the open hangar across the way. The open hangar housed phase, AR (Aero-Repair) and Egress. Behind the open hangar was the WRM yard. Between the hangars towards the main base (with the doors facing south) was the 780 Section hangar -- which later became the AR hangar. According to Wayne, the hangar beside it may have had AGE in it at one time. These hangars are still in use today.

He wrote, "I don't remember the Hanger numbers, but there were three hangers close together up on the main part of the base, I think the WRM area was behind one of them. When I first got there, we did our HPO's in the Hanger that was facing the WRM area. If you were to walk out the back, you eventually have hit the Main Gate. We did our HPO's in there for about a year and a half then EMS did a reshuffle and we had to give our hanger to AGS for heavy maintenance."

"We then moved straight across the open pad area to the hanger that had its back side facing the WRM area. Was kind of interesting how we moved our Dockbox. We had put a lot of work into building that Dockbox and we were going to give it up to AGS, so we went to CE and got about 10 6"inch diameter steel pipes. I think they were about 12 feet long. We positioned them under the Dockbox and started rolling the Dockbox across the open pad area to the new Hanger. Would roll a little ways then grab the pipes from behind and run up and place them in front. Worked pretty slick. Had the Dockbox moved and positioned in about 2 hours and AGS Supervision was not real happy, but they were walking around scratching there heads wondering how we had moved the Dockbox so quickly without them knowing. You know what they say about possession is 9/10th's of the law."

When asked about the engine runs after phase, he wrote, "We did all of our leak and trims and the very far end of the runway. Only thing out there was a ROKAF guard shack. They had an air defense 20MM Vulcan that they would show us when we had time. Before I left, another small trim pad was made that was up closer to the flightline, but that was only for 80% runs and below. I forget the name of the area that was close to, but it was the smaller numbered Whiskey Arches. Was kind of a small loop of arches by themselves." (NOTE: The 20mm Vulcan was relocated to the end of the runway AFTER the 3rd TFW left. In 1974, the Vulcan was located on the ROKAF ramp.)

F-4D Combat Quick Turn (CQT)
-- Down in the Charlie Pad area (1978)
(Courtesy Bruce Ebert)

Offbase: Wayne Hoff commented on A-town as, "And who can forget "A"Town or Silvercity? Have a few nights there I can't remember but it's not that I didn't want to. You know how Crew Chief's are. Work hard and "play" harder. We did have an "image" to maintain. Between us, the Weapons folks and AMMO, I don't know who were the worst. I think AMMO were probably the best bet to get in the most trouble and get caught. "Chock Kickers" and "Load Toads" were a little smarter. Had many a ride on the "Animal Bus" back from "A" Town (last bus to get you back on base before curfew). Saw some pretty crazy things." We can humorously comment that times never change over the years and that "animal bus" is still operating.

A-town (1970s)
(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Bruce W. Ebert (MSgt, USAF, Ret.) of Tacoma, Washington was at Kunsan from 1977 through 1980. He lived downtown in Kunsan City and spent most of his time sight-seeing all over the country and thoroughly enjoying himself. The won exchange rate was high, the soju cheap and it was a fun place to party. In those days, an American GI was a "rich" American.

Top: View of Downtown Kunsan rooftops
near Wolmyong Park (1978)
Bottom: Kunsan City Street Scene (1978)
(Courtesy of Mr. Bruce Ebert , Tacoma, WA)
(Click on photo to enlarge)

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8th FOL -- Detachment at Taegu: In February 1978, the 80th TFS formed the ADVON team to setup a Forward Operating Location (FOL) at Taegu (K-2). Wes St. Clair, SMSgt, USAF (Ret), wrote, "I was stationed at Kunsan from October 77 to February 78." He continued, "Kunsan was fairly nice base for a remote site. Enlisted dormitories were pretty good shape, 2 man rooms. AFRTV was available using bunny ear antenna. Of course Kunsan and A-Town were wide open. When I arrived at the Kun I was assigned to the 80 TFS as an Squadron Operations NCO, maintaining crew flight records, typing flight orders, coordination etc." He was a Staff Sergeant then and would be promoted to Technical Sergeant at Taegu AB (K-2).

In February 1978, the 80th TFS was selected as the advance contingent to set up a Forward Operating Location (FOL) at Taegu. Lt. Col. Douglas F. Shane headed up the group to set up the operation with military and Korean personnel. He added later, "As a foot note Lt. Col. Douglas F. Shane was reassigned in September 1978 to Los Angeles AS, Space Command, as Colonel. I had the pleasure to visit with him at his home in Victorville, Ca while attending the MAC NCO Accademy at Norton AFB. Approximately 6 years after returning from Korea he and his wife and an other couple were killed by a drunk driver New Years Eve. He was probably the best commander I ever had during my 27 year career."

Wes St. Clair went on, "I was then assigned special duty to a classified assignment to Taegu AB. We were to take 6 F-4's to Taegu and let the Koreans along with our maintenance people maintain the 6 aircraft. Lt Col Douglas F. Shane was designated the 8TFW FOL (Forward Operating Location) commander. We accomplished some pretty impressive number while there. As of 30 September 1978:

Sched Not Alt EFF NON
Sched: 935
Flown: 883
Flown: 84
Flown: 13
FME: 779
PME: 56
EFF: 61
Time:1114.9

"When reassigned to K-2 we convoy in maintenance "Bread" trucks, a staff car and a couple of old pickup trucks. The Kun can claim the record for the 1300 sorties, but the 8TFW/FOL flew 883 with just 6 F-4D's."

"Our aircrew rotated in out of K-2 from the Kun and most of the pilots and WSO's were interested in the city of Taegu and all it had to offer. Taegu in comparison to Kunsan was a fairly large city with big department stores, a zoo and a walled oriental garden. Taegu was a beautiful city to visit and explore. One either walked or took a taxi to get around. For excitement I would suggest the taxi ride. Your took your life in you hands when you climbed into a taxi."

"Most roads were paved and to ride the Korean buses was a real experience. People were pack in like sardines and there usually was someone hanging out the door trying to hold the mass of humanity inside the bus. Especially during winter the Kimche odor was very heavy. I remember the "hawk". I can't remember being that cold before and I was raised in New York."

"I also was not prepared for the long ride to Kunsan from Kimpo. What did impress me were the mountains in the Seoul and Osan area. I can't imagine having to fight a war in that kind of terrain."

497th TFS Takes Over 8th FOL at Taegu: Once the facilities and operations had been set up, it was turned over to the 497th TFS. (See 497th Joins 51st Composite Wing for further details.)

497th TFS "Night Owls" (Hooters)
(Oct 1978-Jan 1982) (Marvin Metzinger)

According to the 8th Wing Historian, the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Taegu AB (K-2) joined the 8th TFW as a "geographically separated flying squadron." According to the FAS Intelligence , "The 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron was activated on 01 October 1978 at Taegu Air Base, Korea, with 12 F-4D aircraft. The new squadron was an offset measure, designed to mitigate the effects president Carter's plan to withdraw US ground forces from Korea. That plan was later canceled." It was officially transferred from the 8th TFW to the 51st Composite Wing (Tactical) on 1 January 1982.

However, the FAS History is in error in that the 497th TFS was flying F-4Es -- not F-4Ds. According to the Air Force Historical Research Agency the 497th TFS was an F-4E squadron at the time. It also shows that the 497th TFS was assigned to 8th TFW from: "25 Jul 1964–6 Dec 1965; 8 Dec 1965–16 Sep 1974; 1 Oct 1978–1 Jan 1982." Thus we see it was attached to the 8th TFW at George AFB for conversion to F-4C starting in July 1964; in Thailand at Ubon RTAFB; and finally as a "detached unit" of the 8th TFW at Taegu.

Anthony Sagun , MSgt, USAF (Ret), wrote, "I left George AFB for Taegu AB in June 1982. The fighter squadron at "K-2" was the 497th Tactical Figther Squadron, the "Hooters" we called ourselves. The 497 TFS may have been inactivated in Kunsan but it was alive and kicking when I got there in 1982. At that time however, the 497 TFS was under the 51st Composite Wing at Osan AB. The F-4Es at Taegu and the A-10s at Suwon AB both fell under that command." According to the Air Force Historical Research Agency , when the 51st Composite Wing (Tactical) absorbed the 497th TFS it reassumed control of Taegu AB. The 51st Composite Wing (Tactical) was renamed the 51st TFW in July 1982. The 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron remained with the 51st TFW from 1 Jan 1982 to 24 Jan 1989.

Wayne Hoff, SMSgt, USAF (Ret), of Tacoma, Washington was at Taegu from May 84 to Sep 90. He wrote in 2001, "Yes, it was the 497th TFS (Hooters) when we had F4E's. The maintenance outfit was the 6497th CAMS (Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron). Taegu was truly my best assignment in my 20 years. I think there was a total of 700 USAF at K-2. Very small USAF contingent and we were integrated with the ROKAF up to 1988. We shut down in 88 and began transferring our F4-E's to the ROKAF and 3rd TFW at Clark. Once we got everything transferred we were closing equipment accounts, transferring needed items to Osan."

He went on, "Then HQ PACAF had a great idea to put RF-4C's at Taegu. So they pumped a lot of money into our facilities, we went out on scrounging missions to Osan, Kimhae, Kunsan and Kwangju to get back some F-4 support equipment. Then they came in and put 24 Rekke's at K-2. We were no longer integrated with the ROKAF and became solely an American outfit. At that time our squadron changed to the 460th Recon. Sqd. and our Maintenance sqd changed to the 460th CAMS. We spun up the Rekke outfit for just over a year, then in late 1989 HQ PACAF again decided we no longer needed RF-4C's. So we shut down again. This time for good."

He added, "I was going to stay one more year and run transit alert at Taegu but I let my Maintenance Officer talk me out of it (stupid mistake). So I left in Sep 90. I had it made there. Was Command Sponsored the entire time and lived in base housing across town at Camp George (apartments similar to the ones on Osan, with Taegu American school right across the street from my house, K-12 grades). I really hated to leave Taegu and have often considered going back there some day to finish out my life. Still may someday. If someone came to the 6497th CAMS during my time there, I probably knew them as I ran QC/QA and was on the base CVI Team for 5 years and did countless evaluations. There were only 5 of us in QA so pretty much everybody would meet us eventually. Only folks I didn't run across a lot was our AMMO folks, but there were only 40 of them and I did know quite a few of them. When we got the Rekke's I became a APG Flight Chief for a short period of time then I was moved up and was the NCOIC of the AMU because I had a lot of "tribal knowledge" and could make things happen and get things done. I was offered the opportunity to go to Taegu when it opened in 78 from Kunsan and turned it down. Looking back, I missed a great opportunity. They wanted to take 2 people from the Phase Docks and I was the first asked to go and I thought it over for a few days and decided to say no (stupid me)."

NOTE: 497th Combat Training Squadron of Paya Lebar Air Base, Singapore is the lineal descendant of the "Hooters." Accordng to the site, "Due to the restructuring of the command following the closure of Clark Air Base, the 497th's designation changed to the 497th Fighter Training Squadron. The 497th has a rich combat history since its conception in January of 1942 as the 302nd Bombardment Squadron (light). The name changed to the 497th Fighter Bomber Squadron in 1943 and has since gone through many mission changes. The unit first moved to PACAF in December 1965 as part of the 8th TFW based in Ubon, Thailand and for the next 8 years flew combat sorties throughout Southeast Asia. The 497th was the pioneer unit in flying night missions and developed the tactics used during "Night Owl" interdiction missions. The unit deactivated in 1974 when the 8th TFW moved to Kunsan AB, ROK only to be reactivated four years later at Taegu AB, ROK where the unit stayed until its deactivation and mothballing in 1988. The 497th Fighter Training Squadron was once again reactivated on 31 October 1991 and was redesignated as the 497th Combat Training Squadron on 1 August 1994. The unit has two main work areas in Singapore. Aircraft operations and maintenance support functions are conducted at Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB), while typical base support functions are carried out at the squadron headquarters located in Sembawang. The headquarters staff support offices are located in the headquarters building at the Port of Singapore Authority Sembawang Terminal."

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ROK Upgrade Programs: On the national level, on July 6, 1978, the ROK and the US concluded a basic memorandum of understanding on Korean-made tanks. The KM1-Al Main Battle tank was intended to be constructed in Korea with a majority of locally produced parts. In Sept 1978, the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) succeeded in test-firing a Korean surface-to-surface guided missile (Paeckgom).

In 1978, the ROK Marines became absorbed into the Navy, losing its independent status.

Creation of the CFC: One of the most significant moves in Nov 1978 was the creation of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command (CFC). The Commander of the 8th Army was the commander of the CFC. The intent was to bring the ROK forces under the direct control of the UN command structure.

Later on December 12, 1979 the unilateral use of CFC dedicated ROK troops by Chun Doo-Hwan to back his coup would cause some great consternation. He used his forces without approval of the CFC commander (US forces commander) and the lack of response by the US is pointed to as "support" of Chun Doo-Hwan's actions.

Tensions continued on the peninsula with the discovery of Tunnel No. 3 along the DMZ.

President Carter's Withdrawal Plan: It was announced in late 1978 that the U.S. intended to withdraw its forces from Korea. This was part of Jimmy Carter's campaign promise to get the US out of Korea. Criticism of the South Korean government for its human rights violations did not cease.

North Korea welcomed with enthusiasm President Jimmy Carter's withdrawal plan. Kim Il-sung even called Carter "a man of justice." Understandably, Carter was not a beloved person in the eyes of Park Chung-hee. The Americans, particularly the leaders of the Democratic Party, maintained their pressure on the Korean government as President Park displayed certain anti-American feelings. Tensions increased between Korea and the U.S.

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1979:

Wing Commander: -- Col Robert C. Beyer, Jr., 17 Mar 1979-31 Mar 1980

POL troops (1979)
(From POLCATS Site)
(Click on Photo to Enlarge)

Memories of Kunsan Some commented on the smell of the ditches and the size of the mosquitoes. Others remembered the nasty F-4's and being undermanned and working very long hours and weeks, but also the camaraderie and pride in their units. After the long hours, they headed off to A-town for Oscar and Soju. "Jungle Juice" of A-town made a lasting impression on many.

Iris Millet at Kunsan from 1979-80 wrote on Classmates.com, "Crummy barracks. Huge prostitute population surrounding the base. Topless dancers, bingo, and massage parlor on base." Topless dancers were still allowed on base and the Massage parlor was located next to the barbershop had a rather unsavory reputation of providing sex on base.

Iris continued, "Black market items: alcohol, tobacco, diapers, Tang, women's make-up, Maalox. A base exchange the size of a 7-11." The BX was still the located in what was to become the "food court."

She went on, "Lots of men getting divorces. Cold winters and hot, humid summers with lots of mosquitoes. Lots of sirens going off for mock exercises where you'd have to wear your gas mask." It was at this time that the threat of North Korean Scud chemical attacks were starting to be taken seriously and thus the constant practice for chemical attacks. Though Kunsan was still out of range of the SCUD, the USFK policy was to incorporate chemical warfare threats into all exercises.

Kunsan National University was established in 1979. (NOTE: It later acquired the status of a "national university" in 1991 and subsequently merged with the neighboring Kunsan Fisheries Junior College in the same year. As of 2003, KSNU has two campuses - Miryong-Campus and Shoryong-Campus.)

Withdrawal from Korea: US President James Carter announced that the US would consider withdrawal of USFK. The shock of this announcement shook South Korea to its foundations. It never expected that the US would ever desert its "little brother." Carter had made this a campaign promise and proposed this after he became President. The Carter administration's military disengagement program was to pull out 37,000 American ground troops over a period of five years beginning in 1978. The forces were reduced by 3,900 in February 1979.

The original plan was to withdraw 6,000 troops by the end of 1978, but mounting pressure against the plan both in the U.S. and South Korea first reduced the number to 4,300. Following President Carter's Korea visit in June 1979, the thorny issue of troops withdrawal was solved to the satisfaction of the Korean government as President Carter withdrew his plan for troop withdrawal.

Political Unrest and Assassination of Park Chung-Hee: Brutal police repression of strikes and arrests of political leaders demonstrated the absence of political liberty. On October 16th students clashed with police in Pusan and quickly spread to other areas of the country. On October 17th martial law was declared. The student uprising continued with the worst violence since 1960. Tensions mounted as the violence was feared to spread to Seoul. In the midst of this, Park Chung Hee was assassinated.

On October 26, 1979, Park Chung-Hee was assassinated by Kim Chae-gyu, director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency. Tension rose and the threat of military aggression by North Korea became ominous as its troop movements were widely reported. The 8th TFW went on a state of alert. Prime Minister Choe Kyu-ha became acting President.

Dissident political parties, such as Kim Yong-Sam of the New Democratic Party, demanded the immediate cancellation of martial law and a new constitution instead of the election of a President under the constitution ramrodded through by Park Chung-Hee. President Choe stated that a new President would be elected under a new constitution in early 1980. Political prisoners including Kim Dae-Jung who were arrested in Mar 79 were released.

Chun Doo-Hwan Overthrow of Government: The overthrow of the government by Chun Doo-Hwan is simply referred as the "12.12 Incident." On the night of December 12, Major General Chun Doo-Hwan, Commander of the Defense Security Command, ousted General Chong Sung-hwa. General Chun became the new strong man in South Korea. The December 12 incident raised a serious issue between the commander of the USFK and General Chun because of his mobilization of troops without the authorization of the commander of the US-Korean CFC, which was established in Nov 78, with the commander of the US 8th Army as commander of the CFC. Therefore, any troop movement of Korean troops without the approval of the commander of the CFC was regarded as illegal. However, the US recognizing particular situation in Korea, raised no serious objection.

This lack of response on the US part has created a recurring impression that the US actually approved of the action by its lack of censure and silence. Student activists over the years has made this allegation against the US.

According to the U.S. Embassy Background Paper dealing with the incidents following on and followin the Dec 12 coup:

• -- The United States had no prior knowledge of the assassination of President Park Chung Hee on October 26, 1979. The United States was shocked by the assassination and alarmed that the North might see it as an opportunity to attack the South. The United States was also concerned that the prospects for democratization in the ROK might be undermined.
• -- The United States had no advance warning of the December 12 (12/12) incident, in which a group of ROK army officers led by Major General Chun Doo Hwan seized control of the military.
• -- The United States was angered by the generals' use on December 12, without proper notification, of units under the Operational Control (OPCON) of the Combined Forces Command (CFC), deeply concerned over the use of force to usurp power, and troubled at the prospect of instability if the principle of civilian authority was not quickly and firmly reasserted.
• -- The United States protested repeatedly and vigorously to the Korean government, to Major General Chun, and to the Korean military about the misuse of forces under CFC OPCON.
• -- The United States was deeply disturbed by the evidence, gradually accumulating after the 12/12 incident, that Korean military leaders did not intend to relinquish de facto control or set a timetable for democratization.
• -- The United States repeatedly urged the Korean civilian and military authorities to resume the democratization process, warned against the repression -- specifically that any actions against politicians, such as arresting Kim Dae Jung, would prove "incendiary" -- and forcefully protested when leading opposition figures were arrested.
• -- The Korean authorities gave the United States two hours' advance notice of the declaration of full martial law, which began at 0001 on May 18. The United States had no prior knowledge of the Korean military authorities' intentions to arrest political leaders and close the universities and National Assembly. On May 18, in both Seoul and Washington, the United States sharply and vigorously protested the implementation of martial law.
• -- The United States did not initially know the full extent of the violence in Kwangju. When it became aware of the seriousness of the situation, the United States repeatedly urged restraint by ROK military forces and issued a public statement on May 22 expressing concern over the civil strife in Kwangiu and calling for dialogue between the opposing sides.
• -- The United States was assured by Korean authorities that its May 22 statement calling for dialogue would be broadcasted and distributed in the city. This never happened. Instead, official radio reports in Kwangju falsely asserted that the U.S. had approved the dispatch of Special Warfare Command (SWC) troops into the city.
• -- Neither troops of the SWC nor elements of the 20th Division, employed by the Martial Law Command in Kwangju, were under CFC OPCON, either at the time they were deployed to the city or while operating there. None of the Korean forces deployed at Kwangju were, during that time, under the control of any American authorities. The United States had neither prior knowledge of the deployment of SWC forces to Kwangju nor responsibility for their actions there.
• -- The 1978 Agreement establishing the Combined Forces Command preserved the sovereign right of both the United States and the Republic of Korea to assert OPCON over their respective forces at any time, without the consent of the other party. The United States could neither approve nor disapprove the movements of elements of the 20th Division which had been removed from OPCON.
• -- The United States was informed that Korean military authorities were considering the use of elements of the 20th Division -- one of the few regular army units trained in riot control -- to reenter Kwangju. United States officials, who had pressed for a political rather than military solution and continued to caution against the use of military force to solve political problems, reluctantly accepted that, if negotiations failed, it would be preferable to replace SWC units with elements of the 20th Division.
• -- The United States protested to the Korean government and Korean media over public distortions of United States' actions and policy which included claims that the U.S. knew in advance of the December 12 incident, of Chun's appointment to the KCIA, of the government's actions of May 17 and that the U.S. approved the SWC actions in Kwangju.
• -- NO information indicating a North Korean intention to attack was received by the United States during the period covered by this statement, nor did United States officials regard the domestic situation in the South as being so serious as to justify either Full Martial Law or harsh repressive measures.
• -- Throughout this period, however, the United States was concerned that the North might miscalculate the situation in the South and warned Pyongyang against trying to exploit it. Also, as a precaution, the United States deployed air and naval units to the area to demonstrate to North Korea the United States' resolve to stand by its security commitment to the ROK.
• -- Despite strenuous efforts, the United States failed to persuade Major General Chun to restore civilian authority and to institute a timetable for democratization. The United States, however, was successful in drawing international attention to the charges against Kim Dae Jung, which it characterized as "far-fetched," and in obtaining a commutation of his death sentence.

---

1980:

Wing Commander: -- Col Robert P. McGroarty, 31 Mar 1980-30 Mar 1981

New Regime: With the assassination of Park Chung-Hee, the nation was in a state of turmoil. The restoration of national stability became the most urgent task. A new constitution was to be adopted early in 1980. On Dec 12, 1979, Maj.Gen. Chun Doo-hwan took control of government in a military coup. After Chun Doo-hwan became President of the Fifth Republic, things returned to normal...though tensions were just below the surface.

The Kwangu incident would haunt Korea for years. Later former Presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Rho Tae-woo would be imprisoned for their roles in the "Kwangju Massacre" (as it is popularly called now) when Kim Yong-sam became President. Two other people imprisoned would later become President Kim Dae-jung and his Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil.

Student Unrest Continues The demands for the early adoption of a new constitution, the end of martial law, and the resignation of General Chun Doo-Hwan as Acting Director of the Central Intelligence Agency grew louder. Several thousand university sutdents in Seoul, Chonju, and Taejon held campus rallies and clashed with he police early in May. Kim Yong-Sam and Kim Dae-Jung called for the end of martial law and suspension of plans to revise the constitution and instead call a National Assembly session.

On May 14 and 15, some 100,000 students from 45 universities in the country demonstrated in force and their street actions grew so strident and riotous as to paralyze public security. The disturbances peaked on May 15 when 72,000 students filled the City Hall and Seoul Railway Station Plaza, raided police stations, burned police vehicles, and hurled stones and Molotov cocktails at policemen, injuring some 600 of them and killing one. Communist agitators were suspected to be part of the riots as the slogans bore a clear Communist origin.

On May 18, Kim Yong-Sam was placed under house arrest. Kim Dae-Jung and Kim Chong-Pil were arrested. Then turmoil erupted in the city of Kwangju, capital of South Cholla Province. It was the largest and severest regional disturbance in the history of the country. It started with 300 students of Chonnam and Choson universities but soon snowballed into an uncontrollable disturbance as citizens of Kwangju were incensed by the news of the arrest of Kim Dae-Jung, their favorite son whose political base was in the area.

From May 19-22, some 200,000 citizens and students clashed with police and military forces. (NOTE: The term "rebels", "rebellion", and "revolt" cause harsh responses from Koreans with respect to this incident.) After breaking into armories, the rebels obtained weapons and ammunition. A full-fledged rebellion began. Government actions to quiet the Kwangu case were ineffective. On May 22, paratroopers stormed Kwangju and subjugated the rebellion, but the insurrection resulted in the death of several hundreds and several hundreds wounded. (NOTE: To this date, these numbers are questioned by Kwangju residents who claim "thousands" were killed or wounded.)

In August, President Choe resigned accepting responsibility for the Kwangju Incident. As soon as this happened, Chun Doo-Hwan who had retired from active duty after receiving his fourth star, threw his hat in the ring for the office. Members of the National Conference for Unification nominated General Chun, and on Aug 27, Chun was elected president.

In September, Kim Dae-Jung was sentenced to death for inciting the riots in Kwangju. However, the intervention of President Reagan led to the exile of Kim Dae-Jung to America.

---

The following article is from Asia CNN.com and is a rehash of the incidents mentioned before:

Kwangju still an issue in U.S.-South Korea relationship

Bloody uprising was a democratic milestone

By Joseph Manguno
Special to CNN Interactive



South Korean soldiers round up protesters
during the Kwangju uprising in May 1980.
Activists demanded democratic elections
and an end to the martial law
declared months earlier.

(CNN) -- Much of the residual goodwill that the United States enjoyed among South Koreans for helping to save them from communism in the early 1950s was squandered in a series of missteps that took place nearly three decades later.

In October 1979, South Korea's long-time president, Park Chung-hee, was assassinated by Kim Jae-kyu, head of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA).

Kim testified at his trial that he killed Park to put an end to his increasingly authoritarian and erratic rule. Instead, Park's assassination triggered one of the most turbulent periods in recent Korean history, culminating in a bloody civilian uprising in the southwestern city of Kwangju.

The void created by Park's death was filled by Maj. Gen. Chun Doo-hwan, a Park protege and commander of the powerful Defense Security Command. Chun staged an internal coup to take control of the military, then persuaded the new president, Choi Kyuh-hah, to impose martial law and name Chun chief of the KCIA.

Analysts and critics say the United States sent Chun a series of conflicting signals about his power grab, leading him to believe that Washington agreed with the steps he'd taken and thought he was the one to restore political stability in South Korea. Those signals also encouraged Chun to think he held the critical cards in the Korean-American relationship, critics say.

The United States further miscalculated by accepting the coup as a fait accompli, and built a working relationship with Chun's regime at great cost to its long-term relationship with the Korean people, analysts say.

Protest and crackdown

The situation came to a head in May 1980, four months after Chun's coup and elevation as head of the KCIA, when labor activists, students and opposition politicians, chafing from the harsh military rule, began a series of nationwide demonstrations demanding democratic elections and an end to martial law.

Chun sent the military to crack down on the demonstrators, and the latter responded with rocks and firebombs.



More than 10,000 protesters
took to the streets during
the Kwangju demonstrations

On May 17, as protests were dying in most parts of the country, activists in Kwangju defied orders to end the demonstrations. The Martial Law Command arrested several opposition politicians, including Kim Dae-jung, now South Korea's president, and charged him with fomenting rebellion. He was eventually sentenced to death.

The following day, elite paratrooper units of Korea's Special Forces Command were ordered into the city. By most accounts, they took to their mission with incredible brutality, mowing down scores of demonstrators.

Horrified civilians, led by militant protestors, broke into police stations and armories and seized weapons to defend themselves.

The Special Forces eventually withdrew to the outskirts of Kwangju, and the government attempted to persuade the activists to return the weapons in exchange for amnesty and democratic reforms. But hard-line attitudes prevailed on both sides, and negotiations failed.

Death toll: 191 or 2,000?

Finally, eight days after the uprising began, Seoul ordered riot-trained army units into Kwangju to mop up. It was carried out with minimal bloodshed -- only about a dozen people died -- but the death toll for the uprising is still disputed to this day.



Relatives go to the Mang Wol-dong cemetery
on the anniversary of the Kwangju massacre
to mourn the loss of loved ones

The government says 191 people were killed in the uprising, but Kwangju officials and survivors insist the figure is closer to 2,000. They say they cannot prove it, however, because -- they allege -- the military carted most of the bodies away and burned some, buried others and dumped the rest in the sea.

In August 1980, Chun had the military junta name him president, replacing Choi. He ruled for nearly eight years before engineering the election of his longtime crony, retired Gen. Roh Tae-woo, as his successor.

(In 1996, Chun and Roh were convicted of mutiny, treason and corruption in connection with the 1979 coup and the Kwangju massacre. Chun was sentenced to death and Roh to a long prison term, but both were pardoned in 1997 by Kim Dae-jung after he was elected president.)

The events of those chaotic months marked one of the most difficult chapters in modern American diplomacy.

Still smarting from the loss of the Vietnam War and the sudden sweep of the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, the United States also was caught off-guard in South Korea.

Conflicting signals by U.S. officials led the Koreans to believe that the United States either conspired in Chun's coup and authoritarian rule or, at the very least, acquiesced to it.



Former South Korean presidents Chun Doo-hwan (right)
and Roh Tae-woo were convicted in 1996 for their roles
in the 1979 coup and in putting down the Kwangju demonstrations.
President Kim Dae-jung, himself a former Kwangju protester,
pardoned them in 1997.

Hard feelings continue

In the years since, the United States has made several attempts to disprove those suspicions and win back the confidence of the Korean people. However, their efforts, including the 1989 publication of a special "Statement on the Events in Kwangju," have failed.

Two books -- one by William H. Gleysteen Jr., the U.S. ambassador to Seoul in 1979-80; the other by retired Gen. John A. Wickham, head of American forces in South Korea during that period -- are the latest to state that the U.S. was not responsible for the events around the Kwangju uprising.

Gleysteen and Wickham say U.S. officials had nothing to do with the assassination of Park, despite a close relationship with his assassin.

They also insist that they could not stop Chun from seizing power, nor prevent him from using the Special Forces. Finally, they say that Chun's visit with President Ronald Reagan in Washington was a payoff for Chun's agreement to commute Kim Dae-jung's death sentence.

"We probably had little if any real influence over internal developments," Wickham says in his book, "Korea on the Brink." "And we were little more than hapless bystanders as Chun shrewdly maneuvered toward total power."

Gleysteen and Wickham argue that American missteps were driven primarily by two factors.

One "humiliating restraint," writes Gleysteen in "Massive Entanglement, Marginal Influence: Carter and Korea in Crisis," "was inadequate intelligence of tactical developments." A second was concern that North Korea might try to take advantage of the political instability and invade South Korea, endangering the tens of thousands of U.S. troops stationed there and jeopardizing U.S. regional security interests.

A democratic milestone



Re-enactments are held each year in Kwangju
on the anniversary of the uprising.
Many South Koreans still believe the United States
was partially responsible for the massacre.

At a conference in Los Angeles in April 2000 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Kwangju uprising, speaker after speaker -- many of them Korean-Americans -- made clear that they still do not accept official U.S. explanations for the events of 1979-80.

But they also agreed that the uprising was a milestone in the struggle for democracy in Asia.

"The Kwangju uprising in 1980 and the Tiananmen crisis in 1989," said Shin Dong-kim, an assistant professor of communications at Hallym University in Chuncheon, South Korea, "were massive and tragic and collective actions against dominant political powers and established regimes."

Both, Shin said, "were failed attempts in terms of achieving immediate goals," but in the long run advanced the cause of democracy in Asia.

Lynn Turk, former political secretary in the American Embassy in Seoul and author of the 1989 U.S. statement on Kwangju, agreed. The rebellion, Turk said, "directly paved the way for Korean democratization."

---

Turtle Ship: On Jan 30, 1980, the Kobukson was launched, made according to the ancient turtle-ship. The significance of this was that there never had been a turtle-boat discovered though it had been well-documented in journals and Korean historical texts. The boat was built more as a show of national pride. However, the government tasked the Navy with finding proof of the existence of this turtle boat. A task force was formed to search the southern waters for traces of any turtle boat. There was negative results. Unfortunately, as the program was coming to a close in 1990, the head of the Navy task force procured a cannon of the era, sank it and retrieved it claiming he had "proof." The reason was that he did not want to reduce his chances of promotion. The scandal tarnished the image of the Navy, its promotion systems, and unfortunately, brought the turtle boat history of Admiral Shin's successes into disrepute.

Creation of CFA: As part of the Combine Forces Command (CFC), in March 1980, the ROK-US 1st corps was reorganized into the Combined Field Army (CFA).

The upgrading of the ROK forces continued. The first domestically-built destroyer Ulsan was launched in Chinhae.

ROK Military Policy Changes: As the numbers of ready reserves increased, the top limit age for reservists was reduced from 35 to 33. The draft age was reduced to 19 and the military service term was cut to 30 months. This meant that the male student could no longer differ his entry into the military service until he finished college -- unless he was in ROTC. In their sophomore year, they would take a "sabbatical" from schooling and reenter after they got out of the military. Their reenrollment was guaranteed. However, there continued to be complaints that the privileged classes were exempt from the draft through falsified medical exams or were allowed to "disappear" overseas to pursue their educations for higher degrees.

---

1981:

Wing Commander: - Colonel Donald Snyder (later Lieutenant General) (30 Mar 1981-7 Jun 1982)

Conversion to the F-16A/B: In 1981, the wing converted to the F-16 Fighting Falcon becoming the first overseas USAF unit to be equipped with the F-16. Receiving its first F-16 in May 1981, it did not begin flying the F-16A/B until 17 September 1981. This transition was said to compensate for the troop withdrawals started by the Carter Administration. There was also the interesting note that in December 1981, Korea signed a letter of agreement for 36 F-16s.

By July 19, 1982 the transition was complete as the last F-4 departed Kunsan. Converted to F-16C/D in October 1987. In 1990, began to receive F-16Cs and passed on its F16A/B to the 36th TFS at Osan.

To review the specifications for the F-16, go to General Dynamics F-16C Falcon.

Later the "Wolfpack" head would replace the shield. Enlarge photo of F-16 above to view wolf head.

SR-71 Fired Upon by North Korea: However, 1981 was not without surprises. Gene Skinner was with 8th EMS Transient Alert from April 1981 through April 1982. In his Gene and Gena's Home Page it said, "The most excitement during the year long tour was the late night arrival of fully armed F-4E's and their support personnel from Clark AB after North Korea fired a surface to air missile at an Air Force SR-71 reconnaissance jet." However, soon everything returned to normal and the 3rd TFW returned back to Clark AB, Philippines.

Troop Withdrawal Plan Officially Shelved: Korea-wide, the major change was the shift to shut down the move to remove the troops from Korea. In January 1981, at the ROK-US military summit, a 14-point communiqué was announced including the cancellation of planned withdrawal of the USFK. This put to rest the fear of American withdrawals started by Jimmy Carter's withdrawal plan in 1978. Carter cancelled the withdrawal plan in 1979.

---

1982:

Vice Commander and later Wing Commander:Colonel James F. Record (later Lieutenant General) (7 Jun 1982-13 May 1983)

35th TFS "Pantons" (1982)(Click on photo to enlarge)

Aircraft Generation Squadron: CMSgt Frank M. Jenkins, Jr. remembers the early years at Kunsan. The planes were new, the conditions harsh, and the mission real. He wrote, "When I arrived at the Kun the 80th and 35th were co-located in what we called the CSP. Our compound was surrounded by dirt filled blast fences." The area the Chief is talking about is the "Central Supply Point" (CSP) which was a dinkey "Forward Supply Point" (FSP) warehouse. On one side of it was the 8th Aircraft Generation Squadron Orderly Room and on the other side the building that housed both the 35th and 80th Aircraft Maintenance Units(AMU). The "dirt-filled blast fences" around these structures were erected by Det 1, 554th CESHR (Red Horse) using recycled revetments brought up from Utapao, Thailand.

"The Wing Commander was Col Record, and was quite a character. On the side of his staff car, which by the way was painted in the F-16 paint scheme, was a picture of the wolf, complete with cigar sticking out of it's mouth." The "Wolf" is still with us today painted on the tail of the Wing Commander's aircraft...minus the cigar. (Note: Colonel James F. Record that Frank mentions went on to become Lt. Gen. Record (Ret.), former commander, 12th Air Force and U.S. Southern Command Air Forces.)

"There were there signs in the CSP on the back wall visible as you entered, STAND TALL, BE PROUD, BE A WARRIOR. The atmosphere struck you immediately that there was a sense of urgency and we meant business."

"When I arrived I was assigned to the 80th AMU, B Flight. We had 18 Staff Sergeants and the F-16s were brand new. Maybe 6 guys had experience on the F-16 and the rest of us tried to learn as quickly as possible. The F-16s were very reliable and initially the only problems we encountered was scraped speed brakes and turkey feathers when the pilots over-rotated on landing. I guess we were all learning the F-16."

"The aircraft I was assigned to had 12 hours on it when it first arrived (if I remember correctly). I was the assistant crew chief. I had just come from Kadena AB, Okinawa working A/R shop, aero repair (heavy maintenance) on the F-4 and F-15 and found the F-16 much more simple to maintain." Many converted Phantom "phyxers" initially thought of the F-16 as a "tinker toy" but soon the smaller, lighter and more maneuverable aircraft won them over.

The conditions in the Whiskey Arches that the Chief describes haven't changed that much over the years. It's still a sweat box in summer and a freezer in winter. "The arches were very basic. The front of the arch had no doors and was open to the elements. Initially I worked swing shift and it was cold. I was curious on the first night why the expediter was dropping us off and then calling for a heater. By about 2000 hrs it was painfully obvious why the heater was there!"

"The arch had lights along each of the walls about 5 feet off the ground. They provided just enough light to find your way around but you still needed flashlights to perform inspections. The arches provided protection from the rain and snow but proved to be ice boxes in the winter. I was initially assigned to arch 12 and it seemed to always have wind blowing through it."


Dave March of Las Vegas, NV wrote to add a bit of trivia to the AGS. Dave was a Dormitory manager at the time. He wrote, "I was the only SRA living in the TSGT Dorm across the street from the Mustang chow hall." At that time, the chow hall was located where the linen exchange is located on Ave. B. The dormitories at the time were two story structures erected just after the Pueblo Incident. The bit of trivia that Dave contributed was a brass "Support Person of the Month - Dec 82" for the 8th AGS. Notice on the plaque the AMU (Aircraft Maintenance Unit) concept with the "bomb" for weapons loaders; "atom" for avionics; and "wrench" for the crew chief.

8th AGS: Support Person of the Month Plaque (1982) (Dave Smith) (Click on photo to enlarge)

F-16 Crash: Capt. S. Curtis "Bullet" Robinson of the 80th TFS was killed in an F-16 crash on July 6, 1982. According to F-16.net, the aircraft was 80-0490 of 80 TFS, F-16A Block 10C, that went down near Chongju. Paul Huff, MSgt, USAF, wrote in 2003, "Capt Curtis "Bullet" Robinson was flying F-16A S/N 80-0490 where he crashed into a mountain side in inclement weather. I was on the recovery team. I still have moments over this ordeal. As you particularly know we all had a unique bond with each other while assigned to the 8th. I was in the 8th EMS Fuel Sys Shop."

Capt. Curtis Robinson

Capt. Theodore Harduvel, Jr. was killed on Nov 16 in the crash of his F-16C near Taejon during a low-level training mission. At Kunsan he served as Chief of Weapons and Tactics. A memorial service was held at Kunsan on Nov 23. He was a member of the 80th TFS. According to F-16.net, 81-0692 of 80 TFS, F-16A Block 15D, went down near Taejon, South Korea on 14 Nov 1982. The pilot, Capt. Theodore Harduvell, was killed. The insuing litigation against General Dynamics over the mishap, by Harduvell's widow, inspired the film "Afterburn."

Capt. Harduvel (Click on image to enlarge)

According to F-16.net, on 15 Dec 1982 aircraft 81-0724 of the 8 TFW, F-16A Block 15E, was involved in a mishap (without further details). The aircraft was written-off.

497th TFS "Night Owls" Transfers to the 51st Composite Wing: In 1982, the 497th TFS "Night Owls" of Taegu ended its long association with the unit as a detached unit of the 8th TFW. It had been a part of the 8th TFW from Oct 1978-Jan 1982 -- not counting its association with the Wolfpack in Thailand. (See 1978 History note.)

497th TFS
(Courtesy Wayne )
(Click on photo to enlarge)

Anthony Sagun , MSgt, USAF (Ret), wrote, "I left George AFB for Taegu AB in June 1982. The fighter squadron at "K-2" was the 497th Tactical Figther Squadron, the "Hooters" we called ourselves. The 497 TFS may have been inactivated in Kunsan but it was alive and kicking when I got there in 1982. At that time however, the 497 TFS was under the 51st Composite Wing at Osan AB. The F-4Es at Taegu and the A-10s at Suwon AB both fell under that command."

6497th CAMS
(Click on photo to enlarge)
(Courtesy Wayne Hoff)

Wayne Hoff, SMSgt, USAF (Ret) wrote, "...these were my Unit patches from Taegu (497th period, 1984 thru 1988) in Feb 1989 we re-opened as the 460th Recon Sqd and our unit patches changed. We then became the Bulldogs."

He continued, "The 6497th CAMS (Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron) was the only maintenance outfit there with spin-off's of OMS (OMB), FMS (FMB). The 497 Tactical Fighter Squadron flew our F-4E's as a Det. from Osan. We were a GSU from Osan and the 51st TFW."

Military Com: 8th SPS Histories In 1982, the Wolf Pack had American F16 and Korean F86 aircraft assigned. In this photo A1C Bernal and a Korean MP pose with the pilot and his aircraft. (A1C Bernal)

Military Com: 8th SPS Histories A1C Bernal & MWD Daisy at Kunsan's Airshow 1983. (A1C Bernal)

Military Com: 8th SPS Histories LE Flight Photo (swing shift) This photo was taken before Guardmount in 1982. It was the swing shift flight. the individuals from left to right are: A1C Gomez, Sgt Paris, A1C Bernal, A1C Gonzales, (crotched A1C unknown). (A1C Bernal)

Lt. Reddick and Sean O'Neal
Team Spirit 1982

Korean Military Changes: On the national level, the draft age that had been reduced to 19 and then pushed up to 21, was reduced again to 20. It had become a political issue as the draft was universally unpopular in Korea both with the conscriptees and their parents of all income levels.

Under the upgrade programs for the ROK military, the first domestically made fighter F-5F named Ceykong was issued. In addition, Korea's first domestic patrol vessel PCC was launched.

---

1983:

Wing Commander: -- Col Burton R. Moore, 13 May 1983-9 May 1984

The threat of an attack from North Korea remained ever present. The Scuds B and C are North Korean variations on the well-known Soviet design that Iraq used in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. The two Scud types have ranges of 210 miles and 310 miles, respectively. These missiles had the capability for carrying chemical warheads. As a result, the possibility of chemical attacks were real, but in another sense Kunsan did think of them much as the did not have the range to touch Kunsan. Kunsan felt safe from Scud attack.

Military Com: 8th SPS Histories Main Gate 1983.(A1C Bernal)

Military Com: 8th SPS Histories This picture was taken in 1983. Leadership warned us not to go on the beach because it was mined. Along the perimeter, piles of rock neatly stacked with a white line painted down the middle, raked sand, and concrete soldier silhouettes was the Korean "Intrusion Detection System". (A1C Bernal)

Military Com: 8th SPS Histories stated, "'83 - '84 Where rough at the Kun (What's new?) We worked a wierd schedule of 4-12s followed by 2-8s and supposedly 2-off (except when we had training). Every month we'd flip from days to nights. We busted our humps and played hard. If you didn't make it to "A-Town" or Kun City it meant you had started early (and most likely stayed late) at "B-Town". The Kun was the epitome of working hard and playing hard. Even with the rest of my times in Korea I never went back. I never lost anything there and I wasn't about to look for it if I had. All that being said, I wouldn't trade my time at the Kun. The Pack was the way a combat wing should be. Tim O'Grady"

Right: SPOW B-2 Security '83; Left: Just Another Day in the Hermit Kingdom: "B-town"
(1983 8th SPS Yearbook: Tim O'Grady)

Paul McLauren of Southhampton, New Jersey said the following photos on Spanky's Place are from the 8th Equipment Maintenance Squadron Yearbook. He said, "Don't let looks fool you, we knew what we were doing!" These are some of the photos are of the 80th Fighter Squadron Phase Dock. Paul said, "I arrived at Kunsan AB, Republic of Korea in Aug '82. My brother was there to meet me with a smile and a "wait 'til you see what you're in for" greeting. I was assigned to the 8th EMS Phase Inspection Section, 80th Fighter Squadron Phase Dock, Juvats . Well, I loved it there so much that I extended for another year. Seemed like we were always having exercises and you know what, we were! It got to the point where I could have my whole ground crew ensemble on in about 3-4 minutes, everything!"

Paul McLauren (1983) (Click on photo to enlarge)	80th Phase Dock (1983) (Click on photo to enlarge)
80th Phase Dock (1983) (Click on photo to enlarge)	80th Phase Dock (1983) (Click on photo to enlarge)

ROK Upgrade Programs: The ROK military upgrade of their continued. The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) launched Korea's first midget submarine, the Dolgorae. A ROK-US memorandum of understanding was concluded on the joint production of the 155 mm self-propelled artillery.

KAL 007: KAL 007, a Korean Air Lines 747 jet, was shot down by a Soviet fighter near Sakhalin, killing all 269 passengers on board. It is believed the KAL pilot made a serious navigational error and failed to correct it. The Soviets claimed that the pilot disregarded repeated attempts by the Soviet fighters to leave Soviet airspace. However, there was an American spy surveillance plane nearby which recorded the conversations. In a media blitz, the U.S. released the tape that showed the Soviet commander giving the command to shoot the plane down. At first the Soviets claimed the aircraft blackbox could not be reached, but later it was shown that it was retrieved. Years later, the KAL 007 black box was obtained by Korea in "exchange" for promised aid to the faltering Russian economy after the collapse of the Soviet empire. Initially, the tape was missing, but later retrieved. It was analyzed but did not reveal anything new.

North Korean Terrorist Attack in Burma: The terrorist activities of North Korea increased...some say because of the appointment of Kim Il-Sung's son, Kim Jong-il to head the group. The Aungsan Cemetery in Yangoon, Burma, was bombed by North Korean special agents. Eighteen senior government officials, who were scheduled to pay respects at the cemetery were killed.

---

1984:

Wing Commander: Colonel E. Daniel Cherry (later Brig Gen) (9 May 1984-28 May 1985).

Security Police:As always, Kunsan continued to "exercise to fight" as it was considered a "Warrior" base -- "the point of the spear." John Botner (TSgt, USAF, Ret) of Raleigh, North Carolina described the picture below by saying, "I was a E-5/SSgt at the time, the year was 1984 and it was sometime in the late summer when it was taken. ... I was with the 8th Security Police Squadron and was working as an evaluator during one of the base exercises (that's what the yellow tag on the flack vest meant)."

John Botner on Gunsmoke Hill during an exercise
Note the Whiskey arches below. (1984)(Click on photo to enlarge)

Matt McNew was in the CRS as a jet engine mechanic. He worked out of the CRS engine shop on the south side of base. He wrote, "Sure do miss the kimchee! Wish I had a recipe." Below are pics of an F-16 on the trim pad located on the opposite end of the runway from the maintenance area. Trim pad runs were required after phases or engine changes. They were common at night in the 1980s, but became subject to noise abatement restraints in the 1990s after complaints from Kunsan City residents. There is another photo of an engine having an afterburner (AB) blowout at the hush house. He stated, "The Hush house was located next to the jet engine shop which was just off the runway where all of the hangars were at." On a single-engine fighter, the engine shop's job was critical and everything had to be perfect.

Matt McNew in War Gear. (Courtesy Matt McNew) Click on photo to enlarge	Matt McNew and Vern Dickamore in the jet engine shop. (Courtesy Matt McNew) Click on photo to enlarge
F-16 on trimpad. (Courtesy Matt McNew) Click on photo to enlarge	F-16 engine having AB blowout in hush house. (Courtesy Matt McNew) Click on photo to enlarge
Wolfpack F-16 recovery at Pusan. (Courtesy Matt McNew) Click on photo to enlarge	Matt McNew at Kunsan. (Courtesy Matt McNew) Click on photo to enlarge

Bill McDonaldCol, USAF (Ret) wrote in July 2006, "...I was the 8th EMSq Commander from Jun 84 to 85 while my wife was the deputy base commander at Kwang Ju during the same period. E Dan Cherry was the 8th wing commander at time and struck fear into the hearts of most who served under him. with some exceptions like myself. We had a rather supercharged mission with the responsibility for Nuclear response to any NKP aggression. Some of the best folks I ever served with shared the isolation of Kunsan by the sea but we managed to do it in style. Earlier in my career during 1968-69 while stationed at Tuy Hoa AB, I flew with the US Army 48th Bluestars Assault Helicopter Company (UH-1 slicks) in support of the ROK 28th Whitehorse division in II Corps Tuy Hoa AO in Vietnam. Let it be known that the ROKs were feared greatly by the VC/NVA for their tenacious combat ability. When ever the ROKs were on guard outside an Air Base perimeter, NO enemy action ever resulted that threatened US forces. "

Team Spirit 1984: In early 1984 P-unit A-7's deployed to Kunsan AB to test deployment procedures. According to F-117A Black Jet, "In early 1984 the P-unit A-7D's deployed to Kunsan Air Base, South Korea to participate in Team Spirit 1984. The word was purposely leaked that the 4450th TG A-7D's were carrying supersecret atomic antiradar devices that would render the airplane invisible. To maintain the deception, each A-7D was outfitted with old napalm canisters painted black with a flashing red danger light in the rear. The canisters carried a radiation warning tag over an ominous-looking slot on which was printed: "Reactor Cooling Fill Port." When the 4450th TG deployed carrying these bogus devices, Air Police closed down the base and ringed the field with machine gun-toting jeeps. They forced all the runway personal to turn their backs to the A-7's as they taxied past, and actually had them spread-eagled on the deck with their eyes closed until the 4450th TG A7's took off. Col. Al Whitley later recalled "Real crazy stuff. But the deception actually worked."

It continued, "As is customary when attending an exercise overseas, the 4450th TG brought with them a quantity of specially made patches to trade with their hosts and to use as gifts. This patch was a 100% embroidered version on the 3 inch silk screen blood patch usually worn on fatigues."

ROK Exercises: In May 1984, ROK-US combined air-ground exercises were carried out. A ROK-US memorandum of agreement was concluded on the ROK-US WRSA and the sale of stockpiled US supplies to South Korea.

Trivia In reading the 1984 EUSA/ USFK Annual Historical Report, on page 13, Footnote 4, it says that in May 1984 a Japanese national poll showed Korea as the third "most hated nation" after Russia and North Korea. In Apr 1984 a Gallup poll of 1000 Koreans showed Japan as the third "most hated nation" after Russia and North Korea.

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1985:

Wing Commander: -- Col Ronald Nels Running (Later Major General), 28 May 1985-10 Jun 1986

Some folks actually have pleasant memories of Kunsan. Brent Cowart wrote on his way to Kimhae, "Memories of the Kun?, are you kidding? You bet I do!!! I was there from Jan '85 til Jan '88. Met and married my wife there and my son was born there. I never worked so hard and played so hard in my whole life. Best damn assignment I ever had in the USAF."

ROK Military Upgrades: In July 1985, the ROK air force started its operation of the automatic defense system.

The impetus for upgrading the ROK hardware continued. The Agency of Defense Development (ADD) demonstrated Hyunmu surface-to-surface guided weapons. The ADD succeeded in developing Korean armored personnel carriers (K-200).

North-South Relations Thaw: The North-South relations started showing signs of thawing again. Working-level delegations met in their third round of the South-North Korean Red Cross meetings. The plenary session of the 10th South-North Korean Red Cross Meeting was held. However, the results turned out to be disappointing as ever.

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1986:

Wing Commander: -- Col Sidney J. Wise, 10 Jun 1986-15 Jun 1987

8th EMS Phase Docks: Paul McLauren of Southhampton, New Jersey said the following photos on Spanky's Place are from the 8th Equipment Maintenance Squadron Yearbook. Paul wrote, "After a year and a half at George, I got assigned back to Kunsan AB, ROK. I arrived there in Apr '86 and was once again assigned to the 8th EMS, 80th Phase Dock, Juvats . Well, I still loved it there so I decided to stay 4 years this time! During this tour, the Inspection Section pumped out more Phases than I care to remember. A few numbers are like this; working 12-14 hour shifts for 21 straight days for 17 aircraft Phases (all passes), 7 Acceptance Inspections in 5 days (finding discrepancies straight from the factory), and a complete Phase done within 24 hours during an ORI! This is just an example of the 4 years at the "Kun" not to include TDY's, Team Spirit, ORI, and local exercises! For all of the guys that were there, we know we're the best!!!"

8th Inspection Dock (1986) (Click on photo to enlarge)

8th Inspection Dock (1986) (Click on photo to enlarge)

Ross wrote in our guestbook, "I lived at Kunsan Air Base and in the A-town area for 3 yrs. 1986-1989. I was the NCOIC of Preventive Dentistry at Kunsan Air Base and Asst. NCOIC of Kwang-ju Med Aid Sta. Dental Clinic at Kwang-ju Air Base. I met my wife in Korea and have been married for 13 yrs. ... Miss Kunsan and Kwangju."

Korean Conscription In Korea, the military conscription programs continued to be a hot potato. Standby reservists service term was extended from 14 months to 18 months and the enlistment system was improved. However, there were still claims of corruption within the system. The Katusa who were supposed to be the "best of the best" were thought to only rich kids by the Americans who worked with them. Complaints in Korea were that the rich were sending their kids America for their education to evade the draft. In addition there were many accusations that the rich were getting medical deferments if their fathers were rich or had political connections. This was all swept under the carpet, but in the 1990s it would explode in everyone's faces as the allegations were true.

ROK Upgrades Begins Seeing Results Ugrade of the ROK military hardware continued. The first launching ceremony of domestically-produced minesweepers happened in August 30, 1986. It should be noted that the letting of the contracts to the Korean shipyards was also in response to the falling orders for ships from the yards. Many were in dire straits financially. There was a continuing decrease in international orders for tankers and the Korean government laid contracts for more military ships. The ultimate goal was to achieve the Korean dream of becoming a "blue water" navy like Japan.

The ROKAF formally accepted delivery of its first F-16D in March, becoming the 10th nation to fly the Fighting Falcon and the first outside the Unites States to receive the advanced F-16C/D.

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1987:

Wing Commander: - Colonel Everett H. Pratt Jr. (later Lieutenant General) (15 Jun 1987-7 Jun 1988)

Lifestyle of Kunsan "Wear and carry" entered the terminology for the bags with the chem warfare gear hauled to work. Previously song that symbolized the exercises were the William Tell Overture, but in 1987 Lee Greenwoods' song "Proud to be an American" became the standard for ending the exercises.

A-town was still called "Okku-Silvertown" though most people simply called it "A-town." "Running the ville" was a common practice of all -- whether on drank or not. It was an expected form of camaraderie or squadron pride. Another thing that started gaining popularity was the "squadron sweeps" meaning that the squadrons would go enmasse -- for example, the 35th AMU and the 35th TFS together. Of course, the enlisted folks would be in one bar while the officers would congregate in another. The terms "green bean" (new person taken to A-town) and "brown bean" (old person for last A-town drunk) became popular. "Jungle Juice" a mixture of Oscar, OB and soju became a popular drink for the "green bean." Bulgogi was 2,000 won and soju was cheap so many simply went to the restaurants after curfew to continue partying.

But "work upon work" was the standard. The wing was intent on beating records and this took a toll on the aircraft appearance, though the aircraft were well-maintained and safe. The wing concentrated on flying the F-16s to the max. The negatives, however, were that the maintainers started to rely heavily on a "cann bird" (for cannibalization of parts) to keep other aircraft flying. The "cann bird" would be literally gutted and only put back together when it approached "hangar queen" status. There was a slide at DCM briefings to track this aircraft.

F-16C/D Conversion Complete: Converted to F-16C/D in October 1987. Process had been on-going to ensure all parts, technical orders and support materials were in place when the aircraft arrived. Though there were a few minor glitches, the conversion went smoothly.

Korean Military Changes: In Korea, South Korea joined in the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). In other areas, the ROK Marine Corps Command was separated from the navy.

Upgrading the Korean military continued. The christening ceremony and fire power testing of the Korean tank K-1 ("88 tank").

North Korea Bombs Korean Airliner: A Korean airliner, a Boeing 707, was bombed by a North Korean agent (Kim Hyun Hee) and crashed over the Andaman Sea. The male accomplice of Kim committed suicide, but Kim was returned to Korea and tried and convicted. Masterminded by the future leader of North Korea, the bombing was to create a scare within the world to keep people from attending the Seoul Olympics to be held the following year. As a footnote, she repented her crime and was released from prison. Kim went on to write a book that made her a millionaire...an ironic end to a ghastly crime. She even applied to go to America with her new found wealth -- but was turned down.

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1988:

Wing Commander: - Colonel Joseph E. Hurd (later Lieutenant General) (7 Jun 1988-16 Jun 1989)

The following photo is from my buddy Wally Bacio of Tacoma, Washington on his site Wally's World . Wally was an Armament Specialist with the 8th EMS and later the 80th JUVAT Squadron. After his tour was up, he headed to MacDill and showed how much he would miss "the Kun". How many have given the "one-finger salute" to Kunsan as the "Freedom Bird" taxied out? Too many to count...

Wally Bacio's Salute to Kunsan (1988)
(Click on photo to enlarge)

Wally's good buddy was Ryan Sabate of Hilo, Hawaii. Wally said, "Yeah, both of us had good kine fun ova dea, playing music, grinding food, buying cheap guitars and hunting for yobo's. But dat was back in da "old days" when neva had worries." Ron wrote, "Wally and I were and still are the best of friends, we spent many days jamming at the Kunsan Rec Ctr. and terrorizing A-town through rain sleet or snow nothing but fond memories of this place small world huh?"

Olympics: 1988 was the year of the Seoul Olympics. Kim Il-Sung was infuriated that he didn't get a major venue and instead was offered the Ping-pong event. He refused and threatened to cause trouble during the Games. However, ridiculous the threat by North Korea, the 8th TFW was forced to be on alert during the games -- just in case. Luckily there were a few venues in Kunsan such as the scull races just outside Kunsan Air Base on the Okku Reservoir.

80th TFS "Juvats" (1988)(Click on photo to enlarge)

Aircraft Maintenance The F-16 aircraft in the past had been flown to the max, with the cosmetic aspects of the aircraft neglected over a period of years. Most of the aircraft looked to be dull dirty gray with soap stains streaks and the logos were faded. Aircraft that deployed to high-profile off-station missions such places as Brunei were painted, but the homestation aircraft were neglected. In 1988, the 8th EMS borrowed the tree area from the ROKAF and turned it into a paint barn. The amount of aircraft to be repainted at the same time precluded the use of the single paint barn available. The 8th EMS Corrosion Control Shop did an outstanding job in accomplishing the job within minimal time.

COSO and CAMS Implementation In 1977, the 8th TFW switched to the Production Oriented Maintenance Organization. (See 8th TFW: 1977.) It would soon switch to the Combat Oriented Maintenance Organization (COMO) which in turn also brought about the Combat Oriented Supply Organization (COSO). The 8th TFW opted for a SAC-style (large aircraft) COMO system rather than the TAC-style version (fighter aircraft). It was given this option by PACAF under the initial implementation phases.

The problems came to a head in 1987 with the implementation of both COSO and CAMS. Suddenly all the problems with the COMO system hidden for a period of years surfaced. In 1988, the USAF funded major programs for Kunsan were scheduled for implementation.

The SAC-style COMO system was so unwieldly that it prevented any conversion to the computerized CAMS (Consolidated Automated Maintenance System) without major hemoraghing. Though CAMS was a nightmare in itself, it was better than what existed in Kunsan in 1987. Basically, General Dynamics (GD) -- not the USAF -- had the only real-time F-16 computerized data base. There were only GD computer terminals in the AMUs and all maintenance info was input into that system in 1987. It did NOT interface with the USAF systems. The USAF maintenance reporting system used the AFTO Form 349 maintenance reporting system which required manual "punch card" entries to enter the info to the base data base. Unfortunately, much of the information was unreported, erroneous or simply lost. The DCM Maintenance Analysis function operated fancy slide shows, but the principle of "garbage in, garbage out" prevailed.

When GD realized it was to be cut out of the information loop, it installed "taps" within the base Data Automation computers to siphon off maintenance information for its data collection systems.

In addition, under the SAC-style COSO, the AMU did not have a supply function, but relied on the large aircraft system of a Forward Supply Point (FSP) next to the AMU. Its negative impacts would be seen ten years later when it was discovered that Supply had stolen maintenance slots and converted them illegally to warehousemen positions -- and then moved the positions back to main supply. When Supply was caught in 1987, it worked to return the positions to the DCM complex, but it would take be years before it was resolved.

The new COSO program highlighted some glaring problems with the Supply system. The FSP did not have stockage levels for the many essential parts needed to launch aircraft. Instead, cannibalization became the norm. By 1987, the cannibalization process was out-of-control and many parts were "lost" or never requisitioned. Instead of fixing the problem over the years, the AMU managers perpetuated it by having a formal "cann bird" identified and simply canning it to bare bones until it neared "hangar queen" status (three-months out of commission). Then the process would be repeated on another aircraft. It had become an institution. Part of the problem was associated with the conversion to the F-16C/Ds aircraft in Oct 87, but the real problem was that Supply had never been pressured to resolve its parts problems. Problems were also found in the AMU flyaway kits within Supply as they were simply building kits for deployments instead of having separate flyaways kits for each AMU ready to go on a moments notice.

As to computers, basically Kunsan maintenance personnel were like computer illiterates living in the dark ages while the rest of the USAF had switched over to the electronic age. Under the CAMS system, $1.4 in computer remotes were added to the AMUs and DCM complex. The computers were "dumb" remotes without any real calculation ability, but when they arrived it highlighted how backward the base was. Immediately, computer literate maintenance personnel surfaced who convinced their superiors of the need for computers to assist in their work. Backed by the DCM, a plan was laid out to upgrade all the units with computers down to the shop level. With the support of PACAF headquarters, funding was procured to support these buys.

One of the biggest drawbacks for the Deputy Commander for Maintenance (DCM) was that it established immediate communications links with PACAF headquarters in Hickam and suddenly when there were major maintenance problems, he would recieve "emails" directly from the PACAF general -- bypassing message traffic. It was more efficient, but a great pain as it put the DCM on the spot to answer questions immediately. Also because of the time differential, he was expected to answer the replies when the general was in which was the wee hours of the morning Kunsan time.

There were also impacts to many buildings to incorporate computer hookup compatibility in the plans. Unfortunately, some were already under construction. In 1987, the new DCM building was under construction. Managers over the past five years had simply signed off on the plans without ever looking at the changing times and programs -- which says something of the "one-year -itis" that infected Kunsan. The building had NO method to link the computers within the building. AFTER the first floor had already been completed, the construction was halted and complete revisions to the plans done by contractors, Corps of Engineers and managers at all levels. Holes were cut in the existing cinderblock walls (above the ceiling line) to connect offices to the hall where the lines would run down the hall for computer link ups. Unfortunately, there was no way the first floor could communicate directly with the second floor as the first floor was designed to be pressurized for chemical attack. This was primarily for sustainability of the Maintenance Operations Control Center (MOCC) on the first floor. Regardless of the computers, the design for a pressurized first floor was totally unrealistic as the building itself was not blast proof. However, despite construction flaws could not be corrected without stopping the construction so after minor changes, the construction continued. Later the MOCC would be moved to the 8th TFW Headquarters building in conjunction with the Wartime Operations Control Center (WOCC) -- later renamed the Wing Operations Center (WOC) -- and this design faults became irrelevant. The building became just another DCM building. (See 2000: 8th Wing Operations Center for photos of the combined MOC/WOC.)

In addition, CAMS had a major impact on the 8th Communications Squadron which also fell under the CAMS concept. Many NCOs came up with some very innovative solutions to workaround the myriad of problems associated with the Communications Squadron's implementation of the project -- from the telephone switches to supply procurement. Data Automation was also tied onto the CAMS project with an expansion of their computer systems, modification of the computer ventilation capabilities done, and installation of an UPS (battery-operated emergency power system) funded by PACAF. (NOTE: As a side note, the Data Automation mascot, DATA the dog, was still around in 1988.)

The 5th Combat Communications Det at Kwangju was linked to Kunsan via microwave to the 8th Comm Squadron. The 5th CCS NCOs came up with some very innovative solutions, like dumping their cables into trenches being dug by the ROKAF to bypass getting digging permits to link their buildings. It should be noted that there was a lack of "clean" telephonic land lines in Korea in 1987. Up to as late as 1990, the Korean communication links were still too dirty for computer use and Kunsan required the use of microwave links out of Kwangju to transmit the information out to Japan where it would be sent stateside via satellite communication. It was a cumbersome and inefficient system. Only when Korea Telecom cleaned up its land lines were the links to Osan established and the microwave communications system disappeared.

WOCC In 1988, the Wartime Operations Control Center (WOCC) was still located in the "dungeon" under a huge mound of earth along Avenue C. This was located adjacent to the 8th Comm Squadron. The underground chamber provided blast protection, but did not provide protection from chemical attack. As a result, during chemical warfare scenarios in exercises all the controllers had to don chemical warfare suits. During normal day-to-day operations, the WOCC was empty with the exception of the message center just outside the WOCC area in the "dungeon." It was from this location that the "Giant Voice" originated from. At the end of the exercises, the WOCC played Lee Greenwoods' "Proud to be an American" as the sign that the exercise was over. (NOTE: The expression was "it ain't over until the fat lady sings" thus the song marked the end of the exercise. Previously in the early 1980s, the "William Tell Overture" had been used to signal the end of the exercise.)

The new WOCC in the basement of the 8th TFW Headquarters building was supposed to have been in operation by 1988. However, they were having some serious problems with the installation that surfaced in 1987. It wouldn't meet its deadline because of the original contractor's work turned out to be flawed.

The EIS (Electronic Installation Squadron) from Japan was called in to rework the WOCC wiring and underfloor ventilation systems. In addition, there were problems with the Auxiliary Power Units (APU) maintained by the 8th CES Power Production dealing with problems of parts procurement. The WOCC would open up in 1989. Later they would combine the MOCC and WOCC into the same location in the 8th FW Headquarters building and change its name to the Wing Operations Center (WOC). (See 2000: 8th Wing Operations Center for photos of the combined MOC/WOC.) As for the old WOCC, it eventually became the RAPCON facilities for the base.

Student Protests at the Main Gate: During these years, the student protests were also very vocal...though they disappeared during the Olympics for the sake of national unity. But as soon as the Olympics was gone, the protests started again. On international TV, these riots in Seoul appeared to be very violent, but it was like an orchestrated dance where each side knew their steps.

At Kunsan, the students of the local universities would stage their own version of these protests. Though the Base Commander and Security Police did not think this was funny, from an ignorant American observer's perspective, the protests at Kunsan's Main Gate were almost comical. However, do not confuse the message with the method. The student's message was serious...we are just commenting on their method of delivery.

A few times, Kalani O'Sullivan would watch these protests with Mr. Kwan Yong-chul, the Korean advisor to the Wing Commander. Mr. Kwan would explain what was happening from the safe vantage point a block away from the main gate. (NOTE: Mr. Kwan died in 1992 and was not replaced with another Korean advisor. Mr. Kwan, a highly educated man who was also fluent in French, had some very wise insights into the Korean-American relationship. When Kalani visited his home, he was surprised over his large collection of French books. Mr. Kwan also conducted the in-briefings for all personnel on Korean customs. He also would also make it a point to tell everyone how the Koreans (and he personally) hated the Japanese over their colonization of Korea.)

The students would arrive by bus at around 5:30. The gates were locked and inside the gate security police vehicles formed a blockade. Behind this rank were the various Security Police commanders and the Wing Commander. Outside the gate, the Korean riot policemen were waiting in closed ranks perhaps about twenty feet in front of the gate. The protesters would march down to the gate from their buses which were parked up at the "Y" leading to the North Gate. At first some protestors would go to the tops of the surrounding buildings and deliver their harangue about the Americans preventing the reunification of Korea with their megaphones. At about 6:00, these folks would join the main group with their megaphones. They would pass the megaphone around to each speaker who would deliver a harangue against the "American war mongers" who were preventing Korean reunification. At 6:30, they would break out the "Molotov cocktails" and start making menacing gestures. (Note: The Korean student variety used slower-burning kerosene and were not as dangerous as the gasoline-filled varieties used in other countries.)

The riot policemen would back up out of range of the bottles. As soon as the riot policemen were safely out of range, the students would throw their bottles. The bottles would explode on the pavement and make a mess -- but no one was hurt. The riot police would advance. Then the students would turn around and leave peacefully around 7:00. It was assumed that they had to get home to study.

Student Protestor Face-to-Face: While shopping for shoes in Yahwa-dong, Kalani O'Sullivan had the unfortunate opportunity to meet one of these student protestors face-to-face. The student was posting Anti-American posters on shop doors. The shop owner was talking to Kalani about the shoes and the protestor entered the store. Kalani did not know the student was an anti-American protestor and responded courteously when the protestor asked if he was an American.

Still unaware of the protestor's intent, the conversation suddenly changed to a more hostile tone as the protestor started accusing Kalani of the "massacre" at Kwangju. At first, Kalani wondered what kind of nut was this -- but he spoke English well and was not incoherent. But being trapped in the store with someone blocking your escape and accusing you of ridiculous things is not a comfortable position. Kalani, having just arrived in country, had very little knowledge of the Kwangju Riots. After a little bit, he was more than a little insulted and started to brim over with outrage. The protestor kept mouthing terms like "massacre" and the killing of "10,000" Koreans using the personal pronoun -- "YOU killed." Claiming ignorance, Kalani managed to get out of the store and made a beeline for the bus stop back to base. (NOTE: As the protestor spoke English fairly well, it is assumed that he was either a former-KATUSA or had worked with the American military.)

Later, Kalani would think about this encounter with the protestor in Yahwa-dong and realized he was NEVER in any real danger. What had set the protestor off was that the shop owner had referred to Kalani by his military rank (Captain) and the protestor had overheard. The protestor was responding to the "GI" that he saw in front of him -- NOT the individual American.

Strangely, the students seemed to place their political positions and personal positions into separate corners of their minds. Though they vehemently disliked the U.S. military presence in Korea, they also genuinely liked Americans.

NOTE: Later Kalani would retire from the military and return to Kunsan as a Conversational English teacher. He would speak frankly with many student protestors. He found them firmly set in their beliefs that the U.S. was a contributor to the circumstances leading up to the Kwangju "massacre." The students held a very naive and simplistic view of the U.S. presence in Korea. In a nutshell, they felt that if America would disappear from Korea, both Koreas would kiss and be happy.

Though Kalani never agreed with their views fully, he respected the students' commitment to their ideals. A mutual respect developed. In fact, many students would confide in him about the kerosene bombs they were building on the school grounds in preparation for their street protests and other student protest activities being planned. They would teach him a great deal about their viewpoints and how they organized. In fact, he was able to sit through one of their street protests hiding with them in the back alleys.

Later on, when Korea started looking realistically -- for the first time as a nation -- at the experience of the West Germany and East Germany reunification. It came face-to-face with the reality that their unification process had nothing in common with the Germans. If the North was absorbed immediately, it would take all of South Koreas resources to simply feed the North. South Korea as the rich brother feeding his poor brother would be brought to brink of collapse. Suddenly, the students quickly backpedalled on their views as they realized that if the borders were opened, their "good life" would be threatened. The North would flood the south with cheap labor creating havoc in the labor market. In addition, as the Northerners do not have the skills to live in a modern society, they would soon become a welfare burden. The Korean government then started mouthing things like a "ten-year transition period" where there would be a border as South Korea aided North Korea in upgrading its society ... or some such unrealistic claptrap to appease its populace.

Cost Sharing in Middle East: In 1988, the US government began to ask the ROK government to share the cost of protecting the Gulf Oil supply because of the constant incursions from Iraq's Saddam Hussein. The sabre rattling of Iraq in the region started the US to start its buildup of military units within Saudi Arabia to prevent any incursions. George Bush sought to build an international coalition based on those who would support the future efforts with troops -- and those who would support the effort with money. Korea was one who was approached for money. At that time, Korea was reluctant to involve itself in international "Peace Keeping" type operations. Because Korea's industrial complexes directly benefitted from the oil and they were approached to contribute to protecting this source of income.

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1989:

Wing Commander: -- Col Patrick K. Gamble (Later General, PACAF Commander) (16 Jun 1989-8 Jun 1990)

F-16 Crashes: The following is from a list at F-16C/D Fighting Falcon Serials. We have no other information on the crashed aircraft other than what was on this list. The list's information is as follows:

• (1). 86-0297 5C-403 F-16C-30 Crashed 29 Jan 89 (8th TFW). According to the F-16.net aircraft 86-0297 of the 35th TFS, F-16C Block 30D, crashed into the Yellow Sea just off South Korea. Pilot ejected and was rescued by a US Army Chinook. The wreck was salvaged by a US Navy vessel. Recovery from the sea took about a week.
  
  USAF F-16C block 30 #86-0297 crashed into the Yellow Sea just off South Korea on January 29th, 1989. This picture was taken during the recovery operation. It took about a week to hoist it out. (Photo by SSgt Roberty Czzowitz).
• (2). aircraft 86-0274 5C-380, F-16C-30, Crashed 13 Feb 89 (8th TFW). According to the F-16.net aircraft 86-0274 of the 35th TFS, F-16C Block 30D, crashed in Crow Valley, Philippines with the pilot, 1st Lieutenant Josh Levin, not surviving the crash.
• (3). 86-0300 5C-406, F-16C-30, Crashed 26 Dec 89 (8th TFW). According to the F-16.net aircraft 86-0300 of the 35th TFS, F-16C Block 30D, crashed near Kunsan and was written off.

F-16 Fatality: 1Lt. Josh Levin, 35TFS Kunsan AB, F16 crash on 14 Feb 1989 in Crow Valley, Philippines.

Left: TSgt Mark Edwards (Right) partying Clark AB, PI
Right: TSgt Mark Edwards Crew Chief F-16 (From Clark Air Base Scrapbook Flightline--80s & 90s)

ROK Upgrade Programs: In 1988, the ROK-US Mutual Logistical Support Treaty was concluded and the ROK-US Defense Technology Tie-up MOU was concluded. In 1989, the ROK and the US concluded a MOU on the use of technology to produce defense products. This was an overall program to produce parts locally to support defense items manufactured in Korea under contract. The main issue was the "transfer of technology" to support the growth of local business to produce the items.

Korea was deeply involved in trying to build its own home-grown aircraft industry. However, building it from scratch would have been impossible. Though Korea Air Lines had experience with aircraft maintenance depot operations, there was no base for a high-tech operation. The contract for the KFX (KF-16) had been finalized with General Dynamics and approved by Congress (though many felt bribery was involved -- as was the case with McDonnel Douglas). The key issue that remained was the PERMANENT transfer of technology. This was the key element. If the technology to manufacture the key components locally was withheld, the process was not worthwhile for Korea to pursue.

Copyright Infringement and Piracy: During this late 1980s, Korean was on the USTR (U.S. Trade Representative) "Watch List" because Korea was noted for its piracy of copyrights -- and exporting of the manufactured goods under copyright infringement to third world countries. There still was not a GATT treaty or World Trade Organization (WTO) at this time. Asia -- and Korea in particular -- was known as a rip-off capital with the police and other government agencies turning a blind-eye at home and a deaf-ear to international protests. Protectionism in Korea was the law -- and most large US companies were very reluctant to trust Korea's word.

However, to the GI shopping for bargains, it was a paradise. Gucchi bag rip-offs and "designer" clothes with fake trademark logos were everywhere. Downtown there were shops that specialized in copying tapes and later CDs. Ripoff copies of $200 computer programs could be had for $5. Though it was against the law to send any of this stuff stateside, a GI stationed in Korea during this period would have to be crazy to not avail himself of these bargains.

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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. None of this site has been endorsed by the DOD, the Air Force, the 8th Fighter Wing or Mickey Mouse. All Air Force links are publicly accessible through the world-wide 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.

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