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This page is graphically intense with long load times due to photos. However, the photos and narratives by the men who served at Osan Air Base makes the wait well worthwhile. The opinions expressed are those of the author and in no way represents any official statement of Osan AB or the USAF. 
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Acknowledgement: Special thanks to Jack Terwiel, Capt, USAF (Ret) of the Osan Retired Activities Office and Ken Shallenberger (1974-1976) for his photos. Thanks for the photos of Harry Tezlaf for his photos of his second tour in Osan. Special thanks to Jackie Turner, 7th AF Historian, and John Okonski, 51st FW Historian, for their assistance with photos and guidance on the history of Osan AB. Thanks to the 36th Fiends site for the use of its materials dealing with the 36th TFS. Thanks to the 51st FW History Office for use of their photos. Special thanks to Ms. Jin Dal-lae of the Jisan-dong Ward Office for taking the time to research and provide historical materials on Songtan and Pyongtaek. Much of the information on Pyongtaek and the Songtan area extracted from the Pyeongtaek History, Pyeongtaek Si Sa. Thanks to the Songbuk Elementary School for permission to use their photos from their private collection.  View of Osan AB (USAF Photo) THIS IS A WORK IN-PROGRESS AND FACTS ARE BEING ADDED/DELETED DURING THIS PROCESS. THIS IS NOT A COMPLETED HISTORY.1970 Congregation in front of Shin Hung Presbyterian Church in Seomi-ri. Shin Hung Church is the oldest church in Songtan. (Feb 1970) (Songtan Shin Hung Kyohwi 40th Anniversary Edition (1952-1992)) Songtan Living Conditions (1970): Songtan remained basically as it was in the 1960s. There were very few changes. The economy in the area remained mostly subsistence farming -- with the primary business being the US military at Osan AB. Estimates of the time said that 80 percent of the income was drawn from the camptown environs. There were unsubstantiated reports that the amounts of prostitutes that populated the area outnumbered the military population of the base. It was also a sad commentary of the times that the ROK government was praising the prostitutes for bringing in much needed foreign exchange. Though Songtan-eup (town) was used, the name of the area was still Chicol Village or "Chicoville." Edward Caler of San Mateo, CA stated in a July 2006 email, "The whole time I was there, I never even heard of Songtan si (city), until I came back there TDY in 78." However, there was a sign along MSR-1 as one entered from Jinwi that proclaimed it was "Songtan-eup." The main road for the area remained the MSR-1 (Main Supply Route-1) that completed a straightaway from Osan-ni to the Songtan area and on to Seojong-ni and then to Pyeongtaek. Basically it still paralleled the Kyongbu railroad line. The area to the left of MSR-1 (heading towards Pyeongtaek) was still mostly ricefields. (NOTE: The area that became Jisan-dong had not been reclaimed from the swamp and rice-fields at this time.) Cars were still not a common sight and the bus system at the "terminal" (bus depot) on MSR1 (Main Supply Route 1) provided the means of local inter-city transportation. For long distance travel, the Sojeong Train Station still operated connecting Seoul to Suwon and Pyongtaek to Taejon via deisel engines. However, small motorcycles (90cc) were becoming more common on the streets. (The motor scooter varieties still had not appeared as they were suited for urban life, not the country conditions in the Songtan area.) Of course, the ruggedized Korean bicycle was everywhere. Slowly the area of Songtan-eup expanded. Around the MSR-1, the rice-fields were slowly filled in to create the Achim Morning Market area that spread east from the MSR-1 to approximately where the current Songbuk Market Road is. The area that is now Jisan-dong remained mostly rice fields. The single-story mudwattle homes with thatched roofs of farmers were slowly giving way to more modern concrete walled structures with transite roots (waffled concrete-asbestoes sheets). The design was very simple. In the old open marketplace in the Shinjang Shopping Market, some of these old structures remain as shops and restaurants. Multi-story buildings were sprouting up, but the majority of the new structures were single story units. Electricity had been run to the country towns, but the farmers ingenuity in "tapping" into the lines by simply throwing a wire over the electrical lines was common. The Koreans remained ingenious beyond belief in keeping antiquated machinery operating. The presence of AFKN TV and the base nearby could be seen by the appearance of TV antennas in close proximity to the base. AFKN would remain black-and-white until the mid-1970s when it converted over -- under protest from the ROK government who wanted it delayed until they could convert to color as well. The power on the broadcasts was cranked up slowly until it exceeded the agreed upon transmission levels for on-base viewing so that off-base residents surround the base could recieve the broadcasts. The Korean authorities did not complain as the populace outside of the bases also could receive the programming. At this time the Korean TV station was one state-run station that broadcast out of Seoul with repeater stations. It was black-and-white that came on at 10am and went off at the air at 10pm -- and reception was sporadic.  Songtan Map (1970), Click on to Enlarge (Kalani O'Sullivan)
Right outside the Main Gate to the left was the Romance Club and GQ Tailors was on the right. To the right was an area of Makoli houses called "Pang-sok chip" or "cushion houses" because one sat on the floor. In 1968, a large portion of the shanties in this area burned down. The houses were built of scrap wood with flattened ammo cans for roofs. The roofs were covered with tarpaper tacked down by strips. It was a fire trap just waiting for a match. Needless to say, the fire spread quickly and engulfed the entire area from the base of Milwal-dong to railspur. The fire luckily did not cause any deaths, but most of the shanties to the right of the gate were destroyed. Son Kwang-chil, owner of Hanyang Kalbi Restaurant, was a small child at the time, but remembers the blaze vividly as he lived on the road leading up the hill to Milwal-dong very near to the fire. With everything destroyed, the area was rebuilt in 1968-1969 with the new one-two story structures built of concrete. (Source: Verbal conversation Kalani O'Sullivan with Son Kwang-chil, 23 July 2006) Kang Shin-kol, owner of Universal Art Gallery, remembered the fire -- though he thought it was much earlier. He stated that there were no deaths involved in the fire, but the one engine Korean fire department up on Milwal dong was completely ineffective. Five engines had to be called in from the base to extinguish the flames. (Source: Verbal conversation Kalani O'Sullivan with Kang Shin-kol, 23 July 2006) After the fire, the houses were replaced by concrete structures with transite roofs. By 1970, many of these one-room "apartments" that were constructed in the late 1960s were rented to GIs, but there was the danger carbon monoxide poisoning deaths from the hondol-heating in the winter. Many of these buildings still remain around the Jungang Market Road and can be identified by their transite roof structures that were covered over at a later date with more permanent roofs. Around the Shinjang Road from the Main Gate to the MSR-1, the house construction to the north extended only to about where Jeyok Road is now in the 1960s, but slowly it would expand to about where Hobak Road is now in the 1970s. There were two primary alleys to the north. The first ran from the railspur intersection past the Tai Ho restaurant down until it intersected with the Youngchon alley area -- not an alleyway, but a water runoff route from the well -- down past the behind what is now the Youngchon Hotel until it intersected with Aragon alley. Aragon alley was the dirt path to Namsan-teo. To the south of the Shinjang Road, the rice fields had been reclaimed. Jungang Market had sprung up in the area with stalls along the road that ran parallel with the Shinjang Road above it. (NOTE: The current Jungang Market Road was built in the late 1970s.) The Seoul Glass Shop still remained in the same location from its start in the 1950s. The rice fields had been filled in up to approximately where the present Onori Church (Songwang Church) is located. The Songshin Elementary School was constructed on the high ground sloping upwards towards the railroad tracks. Its first graduating class was in 1968. The tightly packed houses spread up the sides of the hill towards Milwal-dong and continued with a dirt road leading to the Hill 180 gate. This area was mostly inhabited by the North Korean refugees. Edward Caler later continued, "When I was at Osan there were only two entrances and exits. The entrance out by Osan E (Doolittle Gate) was not there. It was either the main entrance or the one near Hill 180 where the Generals kept their cars. I used to have to go and wash them at 0300 in the morning. I am not complaining. I was off by 0700 in the morning. It was a good work assignment. In 1970 the streets were all mud. ... I know now you can take a right turn (at the Main Gate) and go up a hill (Milwal Road). That hill was all stores at that time. Let's just say there was no road." Son Kwang-chil, owner of Hanyang Kalbi, who grew up in Milwal-dong on the road going up the hill stated that the "road" was more like an alleyway back then. If one continued up the Main Road from the Main Gate, one would come to Aragon Alley which was nothing more than a dirt alley with the Aragon Club on the left. Chon Kwang Dang Jewelry was in the same location on the corner and next door was Cho's Pharmacy (yak). Aragon alley continued down and turned into a dirt path that connected to Namsan-teo. Up the block was the Stereo Club in the same location and across the street was My House. The Yongchon chang (Bathhouse) was situated where the Yongchon Hotel is today. (NOTE: The first Youngchon Hotel would not be built until the late 1970s.) There was no alley at the time, but simply a path where the water from the spring would run off down to the rice fields in the lower areas. There was a alleyway (that became Hobak Road) that ran from the present Tai-ho Restaurant down to where Jeyok Road and continued up to at the present Yongchon Alley and then proceeded up the grade to Aragon Alley. Behind the shops on the road on the left were tightly packed housing -- most still built of wood or mud brick with stucco exteriors, though more and more concrete structures were being built. To the right of the road was the commercial area with small shops along an alleyway that ended in the Jungang Market area. There was no Jungang Market Road at the time, but only the smaller alleyway closer to the Main Road. (NOTE: Jungang Market Road was built in 1978.) Along this alleyway, the Seoul Glass Shop that had been in existence since the 1950s was operating from what is now the "Power Shop." In this area was a third well that is supposedly buried under the Arnold Palmer Golf Shop. (Source: Employee Universal Art Gallery and confirmed by Rose Hotel owner). Edward Caler of San Mateo, CA stated in a July 2006 email, "... Down by the second railroad tracks (rail spur) where there is a bridge that goes over it -- if you took a left turn when I was there in 70-71 -- it was called "Coogi chung" (my spelling?) When I came back it was called "Mok Chong dong." The first was for the poor. But, when I came back (in 1973) it was for the rich. That was the only name change that I knew of." Edward later added, "I know of one hutch made out of straw or hay, near the second railroad tracks (rail spur). But, that was the only one that I knew about. The lady that lived there, used to be our house maid. So, I was there once or twice." (SITE NOTE: The name "Mokchong" comes from the original village that is noted on the 1951 839th EAB siting map prior to the construction of Osan AB. This area is where the original Jungang Market was located along with a small spring located where the Arnold Palmer store on Rodeo Alley is located today. As to Edward's comment of it being reserved for the poor was a commentary of the tightly packed Korean hovels -- some still seen today in the area -- versus the new brick construction homes -- some two story structures -- for the "rich" American GIs in the Mokchong-dong area.) The "coogi chung" that Edward referred to was actually "Keoji chon" or "Beggars Village" -- the poorest area of Songtan. It was to the left as one crossed the Mokchon crossing. It ran from the railroad tracks, up the hill crest and down to the "Pink Town" area. In this area were orphans who were organized into beggar groups that would be seen with thatch baskets on their backs and used hooks or tongs to pick up anything that might be of value -- including things that were left unattended. (Source: Yi Kyong-chu (Kasey Lee)) Adjacent to Keoji-chon on the hill was "Goo-chang-teo." This area ran from "Keoji-chon" boundary to the rail spur. (Source: Kang Shin-kol). In this area along the slope of the hill, many of the newer cinderblock apartments were built for the GI rental. (Source: Mr. Kang Shin-kol, owner Universal Art Gallery) Across the rail spur was the Tai-Ho Restaurant that is still in the same location. To the right of Shinjang Road, there was a road that ran parallel with the rail spur. The Honeymoon Club was on this road. (NOTE: According to Yi Kyong-chu, the owner of the club later relocated the club to near the Prince Hotel -- and finally closed it and moved to Florida with her daughters who were married to GIs.) According to Yi Kyong-chu, the areas on both sides of the railroad tracks were called "Pink Town" because of the red Christmas tree lights that were strung across the buildings. This was an area of "uncarded" (unregistered) prostitutes. Across the railroad crossing was an alleyway that led to the Jaeil Theater. The "5-Spot" bar was on one's right. (SITE NOTE: This might be the bar Edward Caler refered to as the "Big-5".) If one went to the MSR-1 Police Box and went across the street to the bus depot and up the alley, one would find the A-frame. To the right of the Police Box for about two blocks was the "Achimshida" (Morning Market) -- now Songbuk Farmers' Market.  Kyongbu Railroad at the Mokchon Crossing leading to the MSR-1 (1971) (Edward Caler) Edward Caler stated, "By the railroad tracks when I was there was legal. But, it was off limits after I left for, what GI's caught in the area. Down one of the alley ways was a club called Honey Moon Club. this was in '70 with a Korean Theater (Jaeil Movie Theater) next to it. But, the second time that I was there (1973), The theater was turned in shoping center." (NOTE: The theater was the Jaeil theater near the MSR-1 where there is now a parking lot for the Woori Bank. The club would have been in the alleyways near the railway. The railway was expanded to a four-track system in the 1990s and some of these alleyways demolished. What is interesting is that Edward stated that this area was NOT off-limits in 1970, but was off-limits in 1973. On 13 Apr 1971 after three days of racial incidents in Anjong-ni village outside of Camp Humphreys end as the village was temporarily put off limits. Several US soldiers were arrested on charges of arson and larceny. (Source: The US Military Experience in Korea 1871-1982, p148, Command Historian's Office, USFK/EUSA) After the riots, Jwa-dong and areas not adjacent to the Main Gate were placed off-limits -- as well as the bar and brothel areas just over the Kyongbu Railroad tracks.)  Jaeil Theater (now a parking lot behind Woori Bank building) (1971) (Edward Caler) The 1970s was a time of racial tension between blacks and whites -- and even Koreans and blacks. However, the impression was that there were only segregated areas, but in actuality there were black clubs and integrated clubs near the Main Gate -- though the integrated clubs were mostly white. At the time, there were about 13 clubs in the area. Outside of the Main Gate on one's left was the "Romance Club." Next there was the "My House Bar" on one's right and across the street was the "Stereo Club" that still exists today. Down further in an alley just before the railspur was the "Honeymoon Club." These clubs were for both blacks and whites. (SITE NOTE: The 1970s was a time of racial tension not only in Korea -- but throughout American society. The "Honeymoon Club" would later relocate near to the Prince Hotel. The club was closed after the owner retired to Florida as her three daughters all married GIs.) Because of the element of "black pride", the blacks started to establish their own clubs up on the ridgeline of Jwa-dong. Longtime resident Jim Price (of the Hyon-Price Insurance Agency) remembers how the GIs had bastardized the name of "Ssut-goggi" (charcoal rise) into "Su-gogi" (cow meat). "Ssut-goggi" (Chinese characters for "Charcoal Rise") was changed to hangul (Korean characters) of "Song" (hill) and "tan" (charcoal) or "Songtan." The Jwa-dong area was noted for its brothels and cheap housing for GIs. Oh Sun-soo, owner of the Victoria Hotel, remembers how the area was filled with Korean brothels. Black clubs were established in the Jwa-dong area -- the most famous of which was "Papa Joe's" run by a black USAF retiree and the "Mayflower" across the street. According to Yi Kyong-chu (Kasey Lee), the blacks were mostly from the Army Air Defense Artillery (ADA) sites that were in the area. Jwa-dong was strictly for blacks only. (Source: Verbal conversation Kalani O'Sullivan and Kyong-chul Yi (Kasey Lee) of Kasey Lee's Tailor Shop on 1 July 2006.) Yi Kyong-chu (Kasey Lee) stated that Jwa-dong was at the top of where the overpass in now. In the 1970s, to get there on left the Main Gate and went over the Mokchon railway crossing until the intersection with the MSR-1. If one crossed the MSR-1 and went straight ahead, there was the Songbuk market place. Down the alley was the bar called the A-frame -- behind the bus depot (where the Kookmin Bank is today).   Pictures from the Balcony of A-frame Bar near Achim Morning Market (L) Toward the intercity bus terminal looking south. (Area now behind the Kookmin Bank.) Note on top of the hill on the far right is the Jwadong Methodist Church, oldest church in Songtan. (R) Alleyway being reconstructed looking west showing the expansion of the downtown area. (Hill in background is where Route 1 is now located.) (1971) (Edward Caler) If one turned right and proceeded up the hill, one would reach Jwa-dong. After the crest of the hill, there were two alleyways on the left. The first alleyway was where Papa Joe's was located on the left as one went down the alley. Edward Caler went on about the Jwa-dong area. "The black bars names that I remember was Big House, Papa Joes. I lived near that for a little while not long. When I was there, there were only thirteen bars. Big 5 Club was a club where the black and white went. A Frame was on the same side as one of the black clubs. It was also on the way to a rice paddy turned into a pond for GIs." Another bar in Jwadong a longtime resident remembered near Papa Joe's was the Samsung Club. (NOTE: After the area was placed off-limits because of racial strife in 1971, Papa Joe's was relocated down near the Main Gate. The area reverted to a poverty-stricken area for Korean brothels.) The reference to "on the way to a rice paddy turned into a pond for GIs" refers the route along MSR-1 to Jwa-dong and turning left to go to the "pond" (Paradise Lake) in Jisan-dong. Following the 2nd alleyway at Jwadong, one went down the hill and would run into and then up a dirt road that later became Chaeyuk-gonghwon Gil (Exercise Park Road). The pond is where the present Jisan Elementary School and Kunyong Apartments are. It was drained when the Route 1 was constructed in the 1990s.) Edward added later, "The lake (Paradise Lake in Jisan-dong) was a rice paddy back in 1970. I know later they enlarged it. But, when I was there the GI's would walk up there with there girlfriends. They did have I remember a small building to sell snacks and rent the boat. I mean small too." According to Yi Kyong-chu (Kasey Lee), the water was stagnant and unsanitary and there were two or three very small rowboats for rent. The area surrounding Paradise Lake was called "Acacia Park" for the number of acacia trees on the hill. He remembers that there was archery for shooting at targets and later a restaurant was built of wood that could accomodate 40-50 people for squadron events. On a miscellaneous note, Bill Allen was at Osan AB in 1972-73. He stated, "One other thing. I remember Paradise Lake as having a field where I could always find 4-leaf clovers in abundance."  Paradise Lake recreation area (1971) (Edward Caler) (SITE NOTE: Note the umbrellas and chairs surrounded the lake. There is a small snack bar to the left. Materials were scarce and everything was recycled. Notice the makeshift colored bunting (stitched together). Also note that the cut of plywood shape on the entrance matches the shape of the snack bar's side. In the background there appears to be a group of houses. There was only one example of a 1960s house that remained in this area in 2006. The archery range and large restaurant reported to be at the Paradise Lake are not seen in these 1971 photos.)  Paradise Lake recreation area (1971) (Edward Caler) (SITE NOTE: A photo taken while splashing in the row boat. The sides are undeveloped indicating that Paradise Lake in 1971 was nothing more than a built-up rice paddy converted to recreational use -- with the water about to overflow the banks. Notice the electric pole in the photo indicating that electricity was strung into the area. However, in the 1976 photo below, notice that the sides of the pond have been built up with stone. Also note that the banks of the Lake appear to be terraced for cultivation of vegetables and the house in the background appears to be the 1960s type of concrete wall covered with stucco and a having transite roof construction.)  Paradise Lake recreation area (NOTE: Water was unsanitary but frequented by GIs and dates -- as there was not much else in the area.) (1978) (Harry Tezlaf) There was no Songbuk Market Road at the time and the area Jisan Stream ran down past where the Life Apartments is now and under the MSR-1 and railroad tracks. The "downtown" area along MSR-1 ended approximately three blocks to the east. After that the land was mostly rice fields. Edward went on, "Our house boy used to have rice paddies where the flight line is now, or I should say where it was back in 1970." (SITE NOTE: The houseboy most likely lived in the village near the flightline called Chokbong--.where the present Base Library is. It was torn down and the 5th AF built their headquarters there in 1955. Rice and vegetable fields were still tended on unused land within the perimeter up to the 1960s.) Racial Tension Violence at Camp Humphreys and Osan AB Racial tension between blacks and whites became a problem -- as it was throughout America and the military worldwide. On Martin Luther King's birthday, 300 soldiers marched peacefully in Camp Stanley -- but the point was that the blacks felt that they were being denied promotion and equal treatment. Racial incidents increased. In June a riot in Itaewon left 13 injured and area was placed off-limits. Camp Humphreys had a race riot in April. On 13 Apr 1971 after three days of racial incidents in Anjong-ni village outside of Camp Humphreys end as the village was temporarily put off limits. Several US soldiers were arrested on charges of arson and larceny. (Source: The US Military Experience in Korea 1871-1982, p148, Command Historian's Office, USFK/EUSA) Offbase, Korea had a history of problems between minority soldiers and Koreans in the past. The tensions between black and white servicemen increased, spread through various camp areas in Korea, and exploded on the weekend of July 9, 1971, in the village of Anjong-ni. The village of Anjong-ni outside Camp Humphreys was placed off-limits after the riot between Americans and ROK citizens. Ironically, 400 bar hostess protested the off-limits as they could not make a living. Anjong-ni was placed back on limits in August 1971. (Source: 8th Army Chronology) In the Jwa-dong area black clubs that had sprung up -- the most famous of which was Papa Joe's in Jwa-dong along with the Mayflower. The A-frame was another black club near the Achim Morning Market (Songbuk Farmers' Market). The bars along the main strip outside the gate were "mixed" bars (integrated) according to local residents, though some stated that it was mostly white clientelle. Many Camp Humphreys soldiers would share a cab to the Songtan area on the weekends and as such were involved in the racial incidents. During the unrest at Camp Humphreys, the Jwa-dong area was placed temporarily off-limits but it appears that this was a short-lived sanction. Like Anjong-ni at Camp Humphreys, the off-limits sanctions was lifted in August. The friction between blacks and Koreans in the Songtan area was not as prominent as Camp Humphreys' incidents, but the tension was just below the surface. It appears that a significant amount of violent crimes perpetrated upon Koreans -- mainly violence to prostitutes and robberies of taxi drivers -- were committed by blacks. Though whites also created off-base problems, it was the Korean perception that blacks were the prime trouble-makers. According to longtime local residents, though blacks from Osan AB regularly frequented the black-only Jwa-dong bars, a large percentage of the Jwa-dong clientelle were blacks from Army air defense artillery sites in the surrounding the Pyeongtaek area. This appeared to be the local Korean rationalization that USAF blacks did not create as much trouble as the US Army blacks who frequented the area. (SITE NOTE: It should be noted that during this time period, the US draft was still in effect. The blacks in the Air Force were all volunteers and of the upper percentiles in intelligence tests as well as high school graduates -- with many having a few years of college. These individuals were not normally prone to violence. However, during the Vietnam War years, blacks in the US Army were amongst the lower intelligence percentiles and education levels. They were drawn mostly from lower-income, inner-city blacks who grew up feeling the weight of injustice in American society. Many had minor criminal records that were waived for entrance into the Army. As a general rule, blacks in the US Army were more prone to violent behavior than the USAF blacks -- and also more vocal in protests over perceived injustices to blacks. But racial tension still existed in the USAF the same as nationwide with cries of "Black Power." For example, from 22 to 25 May 71 at Travis AFB -- as a result of racial discrimination and broad anti-war sentiment -- airmen waged a 3 day uprising. Fighting off MPs and local police reinforcements, they effectively shut down operations at the base -- including fire damage to barracks structures. (Source: Chronology Riots.) Bar areas in Songtan There were 13 or 14 bars in the local area in 1970 that catered exclusively to the GIs. Because the area had been designated as a "special tourism zone" the bars were granted tax advantages on the sale of beer and liquor. This tax advantage was also extended to the numerous small "OB" shops serving beer and chicken throughout the area. These hole-in-the-wall establishments usually had a large OB beer sign -- provided by the Oriental Brewing (OB) company -- with the shop's name on it. Koreans by-and-large drank at the "traditional" makoli (rice wine) and soju (Korean barley whiskey) houses. The Korean "traditional" makoli houses (Pang sok chip) were located to the right of the Main Gate down the alleys near Jungang Market. As one exited the Main Gate, the Romance club was located in the building on the left. Near the main gate, push carts with charcoal-fired woks served "yaki-mandu" (fried mandu) served on used newspaper. Further down, the Aragon Club was on the left in Aragon Alley. As one went further down the strip, the Stereo club was in the same location as it is today on the left. The My House Bar was located on the right. Up near the railspur in an alley to the right, the Honeymoon Club was located. (SITE NOTE: Later it would relocate to near the Prince Hotel and finally closed when the owner moved to Florida to be with her daughters.) After one passed over the rail spur, there was "Goo-chang-teo" along the hill to the left -- where new cinder-block houses were being constructed for GIs who wanted to live off-base. After "Goo-chang-teo", the area was called "Keoji-chon" (Beggars Town) and to the right was the "pink light" district. The "pink light" district (or Pink town) was on both sides of the railroad tracks -- named for its strings of small red Christmas tree lights strung along the alleyways. (Source: Verbal conversation Yi Kyong-chu (Kasey Lee Tailor) and Kalani O'Sullivan, July 2006) Across Mokchon railway crossing in the "pink light" district, there was 5-Spot Bar on the same alley as the Jaeil Theater (behind what is now the Woori Bank). During 1970, the "pink light" area was on limits, despite the fact that this area was filled with unregistered prostitutes. Edward Caler stated, "By the railroad tracks when I was there was legal. But, it was off limits after I left for what GI's caught in the area." This means that it was on-limits in 1971, but was off-limits after 1973. The black bars were located in the Jwa-dong area that was known amongst the local residents for its brothels. The most famous of these clubs was Papa Joe's which was located on the first alleyway in Jwa-dong on the right. On the same alley was the Mayflower. The A-frame was another black club near the Achim Morning Market (Songbuk Farmers' Market). (SITE NOTE: After a reoccurrence of racial violence in 1973 at Osan, the off-limits sanctions was made permanent for Jwa-dong. Papa Joe's relocated down into the bar area near the Main Gate after 1973. The Mayflower relocated near to the My House bar in 1973.) During this time, it was said that there were more bar girls in Songtan than there were GIs on the base. Being still a desparately poor country at the time, this is probably closer to fact than fiction. In fact, the ki'chichon (camptown) was viewed by the ROK government as a significant source of income -- bringing in much needed foreign capital. Though not publicized, the Park Chung-hee administration started developing Pusan and Kyongju tourist attractions in the 1970s for "Japanese tourism" -- but in reality, it was to foster "sex tours." Though not officially on the record, many former prostitutes remember local government officials praising their "work" to bring foreign exchange into the country. Prostitution was everywhere. The lowest prostitutes those that were trapped in the brothels in Jwa-dong and "Pink town" -- held in unspeakable bondage. Then there were the unregistered "street-walkers" from the "Pink Town" near the railroad tracks -- and the ancient hookers who operated near the Jungang Market. Finally there were the registered prostitutes who worked in the bars who prefered to call themselves "businesswomen." Though there was an anti-prostitution law on the books since 1949, the ROK government never enforced it -- and turned a blind-eye to the thriving sex industry throughout the country. The "special tourism zone" appelation given to the Shinjang area was nothing more than a way of officially blessing the camp town (ki'chichon) status. During this time, the registered bar girls were given VD checks by the base hospital along with local Korean government health personnel. While working in the bars, these bargirls were made to wear color-coded tags in the bar which indicated their status. Red meant "hot" -- having VD. Pink meant the bar girl was on her menstrual period. Green was "ok". All the girls who worked in the bar had a medical checkup book logging the last checkup. It was maintained behind the bar for spot inspections by base authorities. During the 1970s, venereal disease was a significant problem amongst the military -- especially after the appearance in Korea of some antibiotic resistant VD strains that could not be treated. (SITE NOTE: In 1974 following a check-up of prostitutes in areas adjacent to US military installations, it was revealed that there was a 27.5 percent VD rate. Following this information, the ROK Health and Social Affairs Ministry decreed that those "business girls" must register for regular examinations and treatment at any of 192 national health centers.) At night, the bar areas was patrolled by Security Police (SP) working in pairs that walked the streets with armbands and helmets with "SP" on it. The SP presence acted more as a deterent to dampen the roudiness brought on by excessive consumption of alcohol. Normally the SPs on the "town patrol" enjoyed a special relationship with the bar owners who attempted to remain on good terms with those who could place their establishments off-limits. Throughout Korea, the military was faced with a growing drug problem and efforts were made to curtail the use of drugs through random urinalysis tests. Within the bar areas there was also illicit drug use of cannabis (marijuana) -- the most popular drug of the time. Most times, this cannabis was low-quality left-overs scraps culled from the hemp used to make the traditional Korean ramie cloth. Most times, this cannabis was low-quality left-overs scraps culled from the hemp used to make the traditional Korean ramie cloth. The amounts of THC, the hallucenogenic component, was considered low. The primary source of this hemp was from the Chollabuk-do area. Though it was supposedly regulated under the drug trafficking law passed in 1970, the products continued to appear on the streets. (SITE NOTE: Prior to 1970, Korea did not have a law against the sale and use of marijuana. On 16 Jul 70 the ROK National Assembly passed a law banning the use, sale and possession of marijana and set fines up to the equivalent of $1,500 and jail terms up to five years for the sale of the narcotic. The legislation, which became effective on 15 Oct 70, was aided US military officials in their fight against the sale and use of the drug around US military compounds. The USFK embarked on joint ROK/US investigation teams to prosecute offenders in the local courts. The first test came on 26 Nov 70 when the Korean National Police (KNP) announced that eight Americans and 15 Koreans were arrested by the joint ROK/US investigation teams which raided suspected centers of illegal drug activity around US military bases. This was the first crackdown involving Americans under the new law. (Source: 8th Army Chronology (1970). )) Det 1, 347th TFW Continued Nuclear Alert at Osan AB The Det 1, 347th TFW operations (35th, 36th and 80th TFS) had been pulling nuclear alerts in the Diamond area (A, B, C and D) at Osan AB since 1968. The alerts were with F-105s (1968) and F-4s (1968-1971) on one-month rotations out of Yokota AB, Japan. The nuclear alerts were pulled from the "Greenhouse" and the Diamond. The units also pulled air defense alerts as well as conventional air defense alerts -- including flying intercepts of Russian bombers that would fly down the coastline in international waters to test the Korean air defenses. During this time period, the ROKAF/USAF and ROK Navy combined their intelligence in searching for infiltration boats. Part of the aircrew duties were looking for North Korean Boats at night when the North would seek to insert their agents. Proficiency training was done at Kooni Range -- and some pilots related "TPing the guys at the Nike Hercules site." The 36th FS history shows rotations to Osan AB up to Dec 1970. Thus we know that the Det 1, 347th TFW was still in operation up to Dec 1970. (Source: 347th Wing and AFHRA: 36th FS.) In Jan 1971, the Osan runway was closed for repairs and the Det was ordered to pack up their F-4C support gear -- including all vehicles -- and move it to Kunsan AB to set up the operations there. The Det 1, 475th TFW had been pulling the nuclear alerts at Kunsan with their F-4Ds. The Det 1, 475th TFW with their F-4Cs relieved them with 36th TFS/Section A and B personnel rotating at 15 day intervals. This allowed the 35th and 80th TFS time to transition into their new aircraft and qualify on the F-4D. The 36th originally had planned to relocate back to Osan in Jul 1971, but the 2000 foot runway extension work was not complete. In Oct 1971, the 36th TFS would rotate into hardened shelters at Osan after the runway extension was completed. In Nov 1971, the 51st ABW took over Osan AB, but the 36th TFS would remain under the 3rd TFW of Kunsan until 1974.  15th TRS, 18th TFW Det 1, 15th TRS at Osan AB (1968-1989) We are uncertain as to the exact date when the 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (TRS), 18th TFW of Kadena AB, Okinawa, began its long-term operations as a Forward Operating Location at Osan AB, but most likely it started its operations with its deployment during the Pueblo Crisis. A detachment of the 15th TRS operated at Osan AB from 13 Feb-c. 25 Jul 1968. The 18th TFW deployed at Osan AB, South Korea, following the Pueblo crisis (28 Jan-c. 13 Jun 1968) and maintained air defense alert capability in South Korea until 1978. (Source: AHRA) Periodically the 15th TRS would deploy to Osan AB as part of its ORIs -- as it did on 12-15 Nov 1974. (Source: HQ 51st Composite Wing (Tactical) Chronology 30 November 1940 - 31 December 1980) The continued need for real-time intelligence was probably 15th TRS at Osan when the 51st ABW took over Osan AB in Nov 1971 and the 36th TFS (from the 3rd TFW) took up residence. The 15th TRS detachment flew operational sorties in support of Joint Chief of Staff-directed reconnaissance missions from the "forward deployed" site at Osan. (SITE NOTE: Several USAF senior officer biographies refer to the detachment as a "full-time forward operating location at Osan Air Base, South Korea.") The 15th TRS was attached to the 18th TFW from 15 Mar 1960-19 Apr 1970. It was assigned to the 313AD from 20 Apr 1970-1 May 1978 though it remained attached to the 18th TFW. It was then reassigned to the 18th TFW from 11 Feb 1981-1 Oct 1989. (Source: AHRA) Marvin Metzinger wrote in Aug 2007, "Det 1, 15TRS was at Osan for years, they were there when I arrived in 76. They occupied the west half of the bottom floor of the building 1185, aka 'the Greenhouse'. When you walked into the building, turned right to the Recces and turned left to the 36 TFS. The Recce section was 'secure'. Their entire section was 'by invitation only'. The door was always locked, had a 'peep hole' and buzz-in on a heavy metal door. Whenever the power went out, there was always a SP guard stationed at their door. "The C diamond was divided into four sections, 1,2 3,4. ... Section 2 was closest to the munitions storage area on the west, that was the Recce area. The revetments with the high dirt mounds around them."  6929 SS becomes 6903rd SS On 1 May 1970, the 6929th Security Squadron became the 6903rd Security Squadron. The unit was on Hill 170 at the time. The unit listened in on radio transmissions from the North and China to gather intelligence. It was rumored that the Korean linguists in the unit were at an advantage when it came to off-duty pursuits in being able to "talk up" the bar girls -- leading to friction sometimes from other GIs.
 6903rd SS on Hill 170 AFKN Newsletter (Mar 70): Radio Comet RADIO COMET The Radio COMET staff spent the early part of December tying up leftovers from Marathon 1969. This year's marathon ran for twenty-five hours during the last weekend in November and collected over $3,200 for our six Base-sponsored orphanages. The entire broadcast was remoted from the Osan Service Club and fed to the studio building where reports from the mobile unit, open messes and telephones were mixed by studio engineers. Credit for this year's success can go to Larry Sly, our anchor announcer who came down from Seoul, Ken Lott, mobile unit announcer from Munsan, and Mark Whatley, studio engineer from Taejon. Not to let the holidays catch us unprepared, much of early December was spent planning a Stag Night party as a thank you to several of the base units that have helped us during the year. We also put together a turkey dinner for our Christmas Ever party here at the station. Helping with the holiday bird were Station Commander, Chuck Hanberry, and his wife "Harvey," Bill and the soon to be Mrs Cranney, Dick Houser and friend, and Dirty Dave Weber. Also with us were security policeman Tom Weldon and wife, bartender Paul Reiling and Mark Whatley who slipped out or Taejon again to join us. Radio COMET played "Platters for Pints" 23 January in a joint drive between Suwon and Osan Air Bases. Once again, the broadcast was remoted with the disc jockey working out of the Service Club and mixing done in the studio. A special three-way phone circuit was used between the service club disc jockey, the studio engineer and the record librarian working the card catalog. This way, every man requesting a song heard it played over Service Club speakers before he 1eft the building. Two days later, remote faci1ities were set up at the Osan Base Gym ror coverage of the 314th Air Division Basketball Finals. Mike Soper did an excellent job calling the action as Kunsan beat out Kwangju ror the championship. Listeners in Kunsan as well as Taegu were able to fo11ow the game live through feeds set up by the 2146th Communications Group. The Radio COMET staff even managed to get into the basketball act through the carefu1 guidance or coach Bill Cranney as we defeated the Base Gym Staff by the skin of our teeth in the rirst Radio Wonder basketball game. "Sophisticated Soul" premiered on each local ha1f-hour during February. Reggie Sullivan, from the base information office, approached us with the idea and carried the project through. The purpose is to get a greater variety o£ soul music on the air and not just the charted commercial soul. Reggie carts about ten voice-overs each week, telling something special about a particular song or artist, and these are played back along with the corresponding record following the half-hour weather break. Radio COMET also sent three baking teams on a broadcast from the February Pizza Party Contest at the Double Five Service Club. Engineer, David Weber, won in the most original creation category. Fifty free chicken dinners were given away during February to morning show listeners through the Snack Bar Delivery Service as they began chicken-in-a-basket service. Bill Cranney got free long enough to really get himself tied down for good when he was married in Seoul on 10 February. Radio COMET was also around to cover recent choice entertainment on base when Walter and Gracie Lantz arrived 5 December, special NCO Club show on 13 January, and the Beulah Bryant Show on 9 February. (Source: Imjin Scout: AFKN Newsletter (March 1970).) AFKN Newsletter (May 70): Radio Comet AFKN Radio COMET was on the scene again with "Platters for Pints." On 3 April, Radio COMET did a remote broadcast from the Double Five Service Club, site of the biggest blood drawing since the Battle of the Bulge. We were on the air from 8 am until 6 pm, and a total of 150 pints of blood were collected. AFKN's Bill Cranney, Dick Houser and Chuck Hanberry, spun the platters, along with the able assistance of our new part-timers. Speaking of part-timers, we now have two, AF Sgt Mike Vose, who has worked in the Bangor Maine radio market, and A1C Jack Yack, who spun discs in Joliet, Illinois. Mike is assigned wlth the Weather Squadron, and Dick works in Supply. Both have been an asset to the station in more ways than one. An Added attraction to programming at Radio Comet is "Sophisticated Soul," with Reggie Sullivan. SS is heard seven times daily during local hours, and features the latest soul discs, with 30 second voice-overs on the background of the artist or song. Sgt Sullivan works in the IO Shop, and is known as Osan's number one soul brother. Radio COMET is losing our engineer, Dave Weber, next month. He has packed his tubes and transistors and will head for Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Sorry Dave, but that is another isolated tour. AFKN local sports come alive again this spring, with our second season of coverage of the Osan Defender softball team. They opened 26 April with a double header against Suwon. AFKN's Bill Cranney and Mike Vose call the play-by-play. (Source: Imjin Scout: AFKN Newsletter (May 1970).) MSR-1 and the Pusan-Seoul Expressway MSR-1 (Military Supply Route One) was the main supply route stretching from the Imjin River through Seoul and Yongdongpo down through Suwon and Songtan onto Pyeongtaek. It then went through Taejon and Taegu onto Pusan. The route followed the same basic route as laid out by the Japanese who first completed the road. President Park Chung-hee on 29 Sep 1969 opened the Osan-Chonju leg of the 270-mile Seoul-Pusan Expressway. This highway would form the backbone of a nationwide mass transit network and improve military supply lines. Though strongly advised against building this expensive project by the International Monetary Fund as a waste of money because the road's cost could not be justified by the amount of traffic that would use it. However, it proved proved to be the catalyst for the miracle of the Han as it turned unskilled coolie laborers into modern construction crews. The companies involved in the construction of this road would form the backbone of the Korean construction industry. The Seoul-Pusan highway opened up on 30 Jun 1970. The $1.4 billion project for the 267-mile highway was a solely ROK project that took three years to build. The highway included four military aircraft landing zones to be used in military emergencies. (NOTE: Up until the late 1980s, the USFK and ROK would annually practice landings and takeoffs on the highways.) This new expressway was a blessing. Up to the completion of this expressway, the old MSR-1 was a two-lane dirt road that was a mud-hole in winter and rainy season and a dust bowl in summer. The route was a bone jarring experience with the potholes in the road. With the completion of the highway, the route to Pusan was a modern macadamized expressway. Unfortunately, the road construction to the other towns and locations still remained in a primitive state. After the completion of the Pusan-Seoul highway, the arteries to connect Gangnung and Kunsan to the highway were undertaken. In 1975, the upgrading of roads in major provincial towns and cities was started.  Intercity Bus (1971) (Edward Caler) Edward Caler was a member of the 6314th Transportation Squadron (Transron) between 1970-1971 recalls driving the route to Kunsan. He was amongst the few military members that actually drove the roads to Kunsan in the "old days". He stated in Sep 2006, "From Osan to Kunsan it was 144 miles. One hundred of those miles was on freeway. Now the other 44 was another story. On one area after the freeway, you had to take a bridge to get to Kunsan. Now the bridge was only one lane. If you drove a tractor trailer over it. You had to really make a sharp turn to get on or off the freeway. I wish I could draw the way it was. But, the Koreans saw you coming they really got out of your way. There was really no where for them to go. Once on the bridge there was no turning back. A Military tractor took the whole bridge." The Seoul-Pusan expressway made driving tolerable. The description of the bridge above sounds like the bridge at Taejon that crosses the Kumgang River. After the cutoff at Taejon, the highway descended the mountains basically following the railroad until Iri (Iksan). At Iri (Iksan) the road followed the rail line to Kunsan Harbor. The mountains pictured below were part of the the Gyeryong Mountain area as one started the descent to sea-level. Edward said, "The hills are on the way to Kunsan. As you go down there, you will see the hills with the three rocks on top. I call them the three sisters."   Mountains after Taejon descending into Kunsan (1971) (Edward Caler)   Mountains after Taejon descending into Kunsan (1971) (Edward Caler) However, nowadays the appearance is different as the mountains are all covered in trees. In 1975, the Chonju Paper Co. got the contract to reforest Korea. It was an outstanding success. However, the bare mountains that you show are no longer present. As you descend from Taejon everyone marvels at the forest growth on the mountains, but get a strange feeling that something's different, but can't place what. The thing they don't realize is that the trees are all in straight lines giving the mountains an unnatural feel. The second thing is that the trees are all one species. In the lower reaches, there is a mix of trees now after 30 years so it looks normal, but the mix has not spread yet to the higher mountains. (NOTE: After 2003, no ones travels from Kunsan to Osan along this route. Nowadays they use the West Coast Highway that opened up back in 2003 where a trip to Kunsan takes only about 2 1/2 hours (if you drive the speed limit).) Life in Korea Park Chung-hee's 5-year plans had not taken root as yet. Park' s economic model was described by Professor Chan Keun Lee. He stated that "this model, having led to the much-acclaimed miracle of the Han River over the past 30 to 40 years, was based on the vertical integration straight from the top to the bottom: as is well known the glorious vision of "compression growth" presented by the despotic ruler, effective macro-economic and industrial policies implemented by bureaucratic elite, encroachment into foreign markets by Chaebols, and sacrifices of all kinds for a bright future on the part of the general public." The 1970s could be characterized as a growth stage for Korean Science & Technology (S&T). During this peirod, the focus of industrial development was shifted toward the more capital and technology-intensive industries, and the emphasis of S&T policy was placed on strengthening technical and engineering education in the fields of heavy and chemical industries, improving the institutional mechanisms for adapting imported technology and promoting domestic Research and Development (R&D) to meet industrial needs. In order to meet the ever-increasing demand for qualified scientists and engineers, policy effort was geared to expand technical and engineering education, and a number of government research instittues were established in such fields as machinery, shipbuilding, chemical engineering, marine science, and electronics. (Source: A Handbook of Korea, 1999, p328) President Park Chung-hee stressed, "If all of us go to work with strong willpower and unswerving courage to achieve self-reliance, and if we conserve what we have today, while producing and earning more, we can compensate for our idleness of the past two decades in the near future." He called on the people to "have wisdom and unswerving courage and display a strong force of unity, " and "to establish a just view of the nation and state as patriotic people." (The Road to National Survival, The Mail Kyungje Shinmun, 1977, p108) He called on businessmen to "throw away the selfish idea of seekng your own interest only, without paying attention to wages and working conditions. " (Labor Day message, 10 May 1971) He stated that if the businesses are capable of increasing wages, but fail to do so, the government would step in to mediate. (1976) President Park initiated the Saemaul Undong to increase farm income. Rapid progress in urban areas was made during the period between 1962-1971 under Park Chung-hee's Five Year Development Plan. However, rural areas lagged far behind the industrial progress that was being made in the cities. As a result, Park Chung-hee designed and implemented the New Community Movement, or Saemail Undong in 1971. 35,000 village units were involved. Under the Saemaul Undong campaign, most of the 35,000 participating villages launched projects to straighten and widen the roads so that moderate traffic could be more easily accommodated. (A Handbook of Korea, 1999 p 414) Bridge construction was also undertaken with 65,000 briges built in the the period between 1971-1975. As a result, motor vehicles, ox carts, push carts and motor tillers could reach remote villages and most individual farmhouses, exceept those located on remote islands. (ibid, p415) Another project called for the renovation of farmouse roofs. In 1971, more than 809 percent of the 1.5 million farmhouses across the country had rice-straw thatched roofs that had to be replaced every winter season, a process that demanded a great deal of work. Renovation programs were carried out and by the end of 1977, almost 1000 percent of the farmhouse roofs were switched to cement tile or slate construction. The appearance or rural villages was altered, and there were some complaints that the "quaint" beauty of the past had been lost. For the people who lived and worked in these rural areas, however, the change was a parctical one that saved both money and labor. (ibid, p415) Also early on during the Saemaul Undong, the country wide distribution of a newly developed, high-yield rice to farmers, boosted production dramatically during the 1970s. (SITE NOTE: Unfortunately, the high-yield Tongil Rice never gained popularity amongst the Korean populace because of its taste. By the 1990s, the government was attempting to get the farmers to stop production of this rice crop as the warehouses were over-flowing from too much production.) In the period between 1971-1977, the national average rice yield rose from 3.5 to 4.9 tons in polished rice per hectare. (ibid, p415) The emphasis on cooperation in rural areas had carried over to rice production, and it was quite common to see work teams bade up of 20 - 30 farmers participating in a joint endeavor. Instaed of planiting individual seedbeds scattered in several localities, the rice seedbed was now grown in one location for use by all participating neighbors. Also carried out jointly by the community was the labor that goes into grain variety selection, the production of healthy seedlings, the transplanting of those seedlings to the field, usages of fertilizer and insecticide, weeding, irrigation and harvesting. (ibid, p415) The success of the Saemaul Undong Program was attributed to good leadership at the village level, spread of the program to urban areas and the material assistance from the government. The "Miracle of the Han" would impact the area eventually in the "trickle down" fashion, it still had not taken root. The Park regime did start to address the disparity between the major cities and the rural areas, but this dealt primarily with birth control or agrarian issues. It was not until the end of the 1970s that some substantive changes started to appear. The economy of the area remained poor, most of the young people gravitated to the major cities to work for companies offering higher wages. This left only their parents behind. In Korea's Place in the Sun, A Modern History (p326) it states, "An industrial belt extended north and west from Pusan, linking the free-export zones in Masan and Changwon with new industries in cities like Taegu and Ulsan. Little towns like Kumi and ports erased in the Korean War like P'ohang were transformed overnight into industrial cities because they were near Park's birthplace (next to Kumi) or were hometowns of one of his close associates (P'ohang). Tile roofs and television antennas sprouted on homes all over the Kyongsangs, while in southwest Cholla peasants living in thatched-roof huts continued their backbreaking agrarian toil at near-subsistence levels, or sent children off to Seoul in search of a job in a tearoom or massage parlor." The point is that the "Miracle of the Han" applied to the "T-K" (Taegu-Kyongsang) group. Years later, the feelings of bitterness from the Korean people over this form of regionalism -- especially in the Cholla area -- that benefitted one part of the country to the detriment of other regional areas. In the Songtan area, the economy was dirt-poor. For the farmers, it was a subsistence existence. In the winter, the farmers would tear up the macadam laid down outside the Osan AB (by the USAF) and use it for winter fuel because of the tar content. The area remained subsistence farming. Human waste was still the norm for fertilizer for the fields -- and "honey" wagons were common sights. The stench that permeated the area in summer could be over-powering. The off-base areas were typical farm areas of the time. The primary farm animal was the oxen used for preparing the rice-fields or drawing carts. Some farmers had small Korean ponies that were used for drawing the carts. The fields were still fertilized with human waste. As most of the land surrounding the Songtan area was in a flood plain and water tables were so close to the surface, periodic flooding did occur when the Chinwi-chon River spilled over. The farmers still carried their heavy loads piled high on their "A-frame" (chige). Women would be seen carrying heavy loads balanced atop their heads. Old "harabojis" (grandfathers) would be seen in their traditional white garb and baggy pants and woven hats -- though wide-brimmed felt hats were also seen. Hijackings by North Koreans In Jan 1970, ROK citizens throughout country were shocked by the North Korean hijacking of a KAL airliner and the 51 Koreans onboard to the Yonpo Airfield, North Korea. Protests demanded the return of the jet and passengers. In Feb 1970, 30,000 citizens turned out in Seoul to protest KAL hijacking as well as North Korea's attempt to obtain cholera germs for biological warfare. Initial reports state the hijacking was the act of one passenger, Cho Chung-hi, a former ROK army NCO. On 14 Feb, 31 members are released, but the remaining crew and 9 passengers plus aircraft and cargo remain under the North Korean control. On 23 Jan a ROKAF F-27 aircraft was hijacked and heading North. ROKAF F-5s from Suwon overtook the aircraft and forced it to return to South Korea. (Source: 51st Composite Wing (Tactical) Chronology (30 Nov 1940-31 Dec 1980)) On 31 March 1970, JAL airliner from Tokyo to Fukuoka hijacked by sword-wielding members of the Japanese Red Guard (Sekigun). The hijackers demand to be taken to Pyongyang. Aircraft lands at Fukuoka to take on fuel and 22 women, children and one old man released. Aircraft diverted to Seoul as a ruse, but hijackers see through the ruse and refuse to deplane. A stalemate occurs. 99 passengers and 7 crew remain on board. Japanese Transportation Vice Minister S. Yamamura offers himself in place of hostages. On 3 Apr the exchange of 50 passengers and 3 stewardesses for Yamamura occurs. After Yamamura on board, the remaining 39 passengers released. On 3 Apr, the aircraft departs for Pyongyang. The Red Guard hijackers have remained in North Korea ever since. The JAL aircraft and Yamamura returned to Tokyo on 5 April. USFK-ROK Infrastructure Developments In Jan 1970, the USFK announced that major projects in Korea initiated in early 1968 with the Pueblo/Blue House Crises were nearing completion. The 557th Civil Engineering Squadron completed most of the projects at Osan AB and other bases throughout Korea. The Pohang-Seoul POL pipeline was completed in November 1970. The pipeline construction crews connected at Taegu in February 1970 and final tests made in Jan 1971. This pipeline was to become the primary means of moving petroleum around the country delivering 40,000-50,000 barrels a day. The pipeline was built by USAFEDE and a US-ROK construction company. The Seoul-Pusan highway opened up on 30 Jun 1970. The $1.4 billion project for the 267-mile highway was a solely ROK project that took three years to build. The highway included four military aircraft landing zones to be used in military emergencies. (NOTE: Up until the late 1980s, the USFK and ROK would annually practice landings and takeoffs on the highways.) Seoul's population exceeded 4.9 million making it one of the largest cities in the world. The ROK GNP was still only $4.35 billion -- though an increase of 15.9 percent over the previous year. The Miracle of the Han was still years away and the country was still desperately poor. Salaried workers average $89 a month in wages in 1969. On 15 Nov, the National Assembly passes legislation creating the Combat Police Force. It was to be exempt from military service and receive the same pay as the military. The plan was to deploy 6,800 personnel over a three-five year period. This was the precursor to the gray-suited paramilitary Riot Police that is seen everywhere today. It would later be fed by the military draft system. (Source: Eighth United States Army Chronology 1 Jan 1970-30 Jun 1970 and 1 July 1970-31 December 1970) Troop Reductions and Modernization of ROK Military: After peace overtures from the North, President Park announced his willingness to open gradual contacts with North Korea. However, he did not know that the North had secretly started building infiltration tunnels under the DMZ in 1970. At the same time, the U.S. wanted to disengage from Korea militarily because of the growing intensity in Vietnam. On 15 Oct 1970, USFK authorities announced that more than half of the US servicemen involved in the 20,000-man cutback had already left Korea. The spokesman said US military strength in the ROK was at 52,000, down 12,000 from the full strength of 64,000. It was not revealed how soon the remaining 8,000 men will be withdrawn to complete the cutback. According to the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), "In 1970, a decision was made to reduce US forces in Korea in view of the capability of the ROK armed forces to take over the primary burden of ground defense of their country and in conjunction with a US-funded, five-year modernization package for the ROK armed forces. In March 1971, the 2nd Infantry Division pulled back from the DMZ and turned over its area of responsibility to a ROK Army division. By late March, the only area of the DMZ still guarded by U.S. troops was a 1,000-meter wide sector in the vicinity of Panmunjom, site of the meetings between the UNC and the Korean People's Army/Chinese People's Volunteers components of the Military Armistice Commission. The planned reduction in Eighth Army was completed on schedule as the command's authorized strength was reduced by over 18,000 by the end of June 1971." In Jan 1970, the US News and World Reports stated that troop reductions were being considered since the Vietnam War was winding down and the military in Korea was estimated to cost $1 billion annually. US stated that they had no plans in the foreseeable future of any troop reductions. However, in May, Vice President Spiro Agnew stated that the US was considering a reduction in forces in cooperation with the ROK. Sec of Defense Melvin Laird confirmed that the US was considering a reduction of forces from the 64,000 troop level in 1970. On 6 Jul the US officially notified the ROK of its reduction plans and meetings set up to discuss time tables and military aid to upgrade the ROK forces. The ROK accepted the US "concept" of a pullout and negotiations began. US military aid to the ROK in 1970 was about $140 million. The cost of maintaining the present level ofSec of Defense Laird stated that the pull-out would be complete by mid-1971, but a significant presence would remain. The Premier Chung Il-kwon stated that he and 19 members of the cabinet would resign if 20,000 US troops are pulled out. The National Assembly with both parties denounced the troop withdrawal. Civic leaders and ministers around the country denounced the plan. (NOTE: In December when the plan was finalized, Premier Chung Il-kwon who had served for six years was replaced by Premier Paik Tu-chin.) In July Vice President Spiro Agnew announced the US plan to station a wing of F-4s in the ROK as part of the upgrade of the ROK defense capabilities. This would lead to the creation of the 3rd TFW at Kunsan. In August the DoD announced that the troop reduction was based on the baseline of 63,000 troops authorized, but that the ROK was 10,000 understrength at that moment. Thus the actual numbers would be less than 20,000. The USFK stated that most of the reductions would be accomplished through attrition as the tour is only 13-months. On 15 Oct, the USFK stated that more than half of the troop reductions had already left Korea and troop strength was down to 52,000. On 15 Nov, Camp Kaiser closed as part of the troop reduction. Camp Kaiser was home of the 1st Bde, 7th ID and housed 2,500 troops. Other 7th ID camps closed were Camp St. Barbara, Camp Alex Williams and Camp Beavers. 2d ID camps were Camp McIntyre, Camp Briton, Camp Sill and Camp Beaumont. I Corps camps were Camps Jackson and Woo. In Nov President Nixon asked Congress to appropriate $150 million to modernize the ROK military. On 10 Nov President Nixon asked Congress to authorize the transfer of $100 million in equipment to the ROK. The equipment would be primarily tanks left by the US troops after they were removed from the peninsula. Equipment transfers on other systems continued to upgrade ROK forces. For example, three S-2 "Trackers" given to the ROK for coastal defense. Manufacture of the M-16 in Korea was to proceed despite objections from some US Congressmen over damage to US union workers. However, disagreement over patent royalties and US technician treatment stalled the negotiations. (NOTE: The standard for the ROK became the KM-16 which has a foldable stock and is not as forgiving during sighting as the M-16.) In 1970, the majority of ROK troops were still armed with M-1 Garrand and M-2 carbines that were leftovers from the Korean War. However, the ROKF-V forces that were in Vietnam were armed with M-16s and modern weaponry provided by the US military. (NOTE: In 1970, the US was denying any agreement that the ROKF-V equipment and ammunition would be transferred to the ROK. At the end of the Vietnam War in 1973, the ROK was allowed to retain the weapons it used in Vietnam when the ROKF-V returned to Korea.) Sec of State Rogers told Congress that the $150 million in modernization funding for the ROK would enable the ROK to take over the responsibility for the 18 mile stretch of the DMZ currently covered by the 7th ID. He indicates the overall five-year plan for the modernization of the ROK military would cost $750 million. In Dec, the Congress approved the $150 million package and the ROK indicated that it would use the funds to purchase F-5E aircraft along with speedboats, signal equipment and tanks as part of the modernization process. The US also announced that it was reducing its 39,000 force in Japan by 12,000. In addition, it was withdrawing 5,000 from the 50,000 in Okinawa. As part of the cutback, the 475th will be moved to Kunsan AB by 30 Jun 1971 and redesignated the 3rd TFW. The EC-121 Warning Star operating at Itazuke would be moved to Kwangju AB. In 1971, Korean ground troops assumed responsibility for the defense of the 156-mile DMZ with a partial withdrawal of American forces. However, this was bought with a U.S. promise for increased contributions to upgrading the Korean military hardware and financial assistance. At the same time, the SALT treaty negotiations were going on. In the midst of this there was a shift in U.S. military strategy away from ground-to-air missile defense systems. The U.S. realized that Russian missiles could reach anywhere in U.S. and thus rendered the Nike Ground-to-air missile geared for Russian bomber attacks useless. This would lead to the removal of the system from the U.S. -- and Korea. 1971Commander, 51st ABW, Osan AB: Col. Hewitt E. Lovelace Jr., Nov. 1, 1971- Aug. 1, 1972The following photos are from the second tour of Harry Tezlaf to Osan AB.
 Reforestation of hillsides (1971) (Harry Tezlaf) (NOTE: The national reforestation project was contracted to the Chonju Paper Company -- one of the chaebols -- in 1970. Villages were given free saplings to plant, while the forests were replanted by work crews. Fast growing trees such as cottonwood or weeping willows were popular. In some forest areas, Australian Nortfolk pines and eucalyptus trees were imported.) Songtan Merchants: Peace Music Shop: The Peace Music shop is a family-owned business with the owner, Yang Tu-sup and his two sons. Mr. Yang was born in Pyeongtaek and founded the show in 1971 next to the Stereo Club. It moved to its present location in 1978 next to the Yongchon Alley. The store carries a large variety of electric and acoustic guitars as well as amplifiers -- and a full assortment of musical supplies. It's easy to find the shop by the acoustic guitar music that is played from the store on the mall.    Assault in Songtan According to the Pyeongtaek History, on 3 Mar 1971, an American Charles James (?) assaulted three women because they "teased" him. Supposedly James attacked Pak Young-ja (21) and Cha Hang-jung with a knife. Outcome of this incident unknown. However, unless it was a serious crime case involving murder/rape, the ROK police usually waived jurisdiction after a preliminary investigation. (Source: Pyeongtaek City History CD, "Pyeongtaek Si Sa.") 6314th Support Wing Headquarters Burns Down A major fire consumed 79 percent of a complex of 71 quonset-type buildings. The area was the Base Headquarters complex, located directly across the street from the Base Theater, next to the location acoss the street from the Base Exchange. Total fire loss was $483,000. (Source: 51st Composite Wing (Tactical) Chronology (30 Nov 1940-31 Dec 1980)) According to the Stars and Stripes article the fire destroyed 50-60 offices in the 6314th Support Wing Headquarters and started in the 2146th Comm Group area and quickly spread to the finance and personnel areas. Two were hospitalized and 35 treated for smoke inhilation. Six fire engines responded to the blaze -- one from Chicol Village -- and a bulldozer cut a fire lane to prevent the fire from spreading to other buildings. The Chicol Village unit was actually the one-engine Songtan Fire Department which was located up along what is now Milwal-dong Road -- on the right as one went up the hill with a watchtower. The Osan AB Retired Activities Office site mentions Harry Texlaff comments on the "Great Fire of 1971." "Harry played a major role in the cause of the fire, as he describes in this extract from our Guestbook entry #24: "I have a lot of memories from those years. One that most anybody stationed there in 1971 would remember is the fire that burned the headquarters building down. The work order that started that fire was my idea, to have an emergency exit door installed in our office in case of fire. That may be hard to believe but it is the truth, a work order to install a fire door started the fire that destroyed nearly the whole complex." (Source: Osan AB Retired Activities Office.)
 Major Fire at Wing HQ (1971) (Harry Tezlaf) (NOTE: Harry Tezlaf was involved in the fighting of this blaze. Notice the intense heat that buckled the corrugated iron of the quonset huts used since the Korean War.)
 Major Fire at Wing HQ (1971) (Thomas Utts)
This cluster of buildings was left by the 5th AF Headquarters when they left in Sept 1955. It was passed to the 58th FBW and then to the 58th ABG and finally to the 6314th ABW in the mid-1960s. Edward Caler of San Mateo, CA stated, "... the fire was on the headquarters was started making a fire exit. A Korean told the GI not to put the door on the Quonset Hut. But, the GI told him he was in charge and told him to do it. The Bulldozer never went through. (See statement in Stars and Stripes story above) The driver told a Col. that he could save the Headquarters by going through the Middle. the Col. told him, the GI, that it would be saved. The only thing was saved was one small part of the headquarters. The next week, they found a 5 gallon can of Kersone next to the headquaters across the street. thought someone was going to set that on fire. All it was was that someone left it outside. During the fire M16 bullets were going off around us -- as I was one of the ones fighting the fire too." Edward was part of the 6314th Transron -- also known as the 2nd Mule Train or "muleskinners." He stated "I was with the transportation sq. Across from the Airmans club."
(NOTE: As a side note, the use of the term "Chicol Village" in the article was strange as the area was Songtan Eup (Town) -- and it was the Songtan Fire Department by then. "Chicol Village" officially had not been used since 1962 when Songtan became Songtan-eup or a town. However, Edward Caler of San Mateo CA stated "When I left in 1973 Chico Village was still called chico Village." Others confirm that the Songtan area was referred to as "Chicol Village" or "Chicoville." On the other hand, Kalani O'Sullivan remembers that when he first came TDY to Osan in 1974 from Yokota AB, Japan, it was referred to only as "Songtan" by everyone -- including the store owners on the tags of they sewed onto tailor-made garments.
Blue Bus Service Implemented On 30 Jun all bases (USAF) in Korea switched to USAF Blue Bus service as commercially contracted service was terminated. (Source: 51st Composite Wing (Tactical) Chronology (30 Nov 1940-31 Dec 1980)) Osan AB Developments On 5 Aug the construction of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) for Osan AB began. On 2 Oct 71, an additional 2,000 feet of runway was completed at Osan AB extending it to 9,000 feet total. (Source: HQ 51st Composite Wing (Tactical) Chronology 30 November 1940 - 31 December 1980) This addition would have been on the west end of the runway -- and was probably started in the summer ( perhaps Aug 1971) after the massive flooding of the monson season experienced in August of 1971. (SITE NOTE: In Jan 1971 the runway at Osan was closing because of BAK-12 barrier arresting equipment problems and associated problems dealing with ROK-US communications procedures that needed to be resolved. In turn this closure would have affected the operations of the 36th TFS F-4Cs use of the runway when it picked up the 347th TFW's SIOP mission at Osan AB in about Apr 1971. (SPECULATION) We believe the 36th TFS operated from Taegu AB based upon reports that the Det 1, 347th at Osan AB -- when they were shutting down -- were directed to transport all their F-4C support equipment to Taegu (K-2) on flatbed trucks and leave it there. At the time, there was uncertainty as to which squadron was going to fulfill this SIOP role. The 36th TFS was selected in about April 1971. The bottomline is that the runway at Osan was closed for a significant amount of time up to Oct 1971 leading us to speculate that the 36th TFS was at Taegu until Nov 1971 when it moved to Osan AB.)  West-end runway extension overrun showing the Whisky arches (Aug 2007) (Kalani O'Sullivan) The 36th TFS Squadron History stated that in Oct 1971 "F-4s were housed in hardened aircraft shelters commonly referred to as "Wonder Arches". (Source: 36th TFS Squadron history, p21) (SITE NOTE: These are also known as "Whiskey Arches".) The hardened arches construction project was started by Red Horse during the Pueblo Crisis, but was turned over to contracting under the Corps of Engineers, Far East District. We have not been able to identify the contractor who built the original arches at Osan, but we believe it was the Samil Co. The Samil Co. had a three-year contract #F62087-71-C-0108 for "Maint Hardened Aircraft Shelters, Kunsan AB" from May 25, 1971-June 25, 1973. It is assumed that the same company erected the arches at Osan in the same time frame under the same specifications. (SITE NOTE: Previously at Osan the SIOP commitments were with F-4Cs in revetments on A/B Diamond, but not in hardened arches.) On 1 Jan 1971 a 19.5 percent pay increase was put into effect for all Korean National employees at US military installatens in the ROK. On 25 Oct 1971 the ground was broken at the site of the planned Data Automation Center by the Honorable Spencer J. Schendler, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Affairs. (Source: HQ 51st Composite Wing (Tactical) Chronology 30 November 1940 - 31 December 1980) On 20 Jun 1971 an RF-4C from the 18th TFW crashed near Osan AB.  51st FW It would be redesignated the 51st Composite Wing (Tactical) on 30 Sep 1974 and later the 51st Tactical Fighter Wing on 1 Jul 1982. It would become the 51st Wing on 7 Feb 1992 and then the 51st Fighter Wing on 1 Oct 1993. History: Absorbed resources of 301st Fighter Wing in Aug 1948 and assumed air defense of Ryukyu Islands using F–82 aircraft. Moved to Japan and commenced combat operations over Korea in Sep 1950. Moved to South Korea, in Oct 1950 and continued combat air patrols, close air support, and armed reconnaissance in support of UN forces. Returned to Japan in Dec 1950. Operated a detachment of wing elements at Suwon AB, Korea, beginning in May 1951, and transitioned into F–86 fighters later that year. Relocated at Suwon AB in Oct 1951, with maintenance and supply elements remaining in Japan until Aug 1954. Continued to perform patrol, escort, interdiction, and reconnaissance operations until 27 Jul 1953. Wing pilots claimed 312 victories against enemy MiG jet fighters, including the first USAF victory in the first all-jet aerial battle on 8 Nov 1950.On March 15, 1971, the 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing was activated at Kunsan AB. At Osan AB, PACAF activated the 51st Air Base Wing to assume host-unit responsibilities at Osan AB on Nov. 1, 1971. On 13 Nov 1971, the 36th TFS, assigned to the 3rd TFW, Kunsan AB, Korea began split operations from Kunsan and Osan AB, and assumed alert air defense commitments for Korea. (Source: HQ 51st Composite Wing (Tactical) Chronology 30 November 1940 - 31 December 1980) Up to 1974, the 3rd TFW (of which the 36th belonged administratively) had been pulling the nuclear SIOP mission at both Kunsan (35th/80th TFS) and Osan (36th TFS). From 1971-1974, the 36th TFS F-4Ds were housed in the Diamond area on nuclear alert with two-four aircraft "hot cocked" with two spares. (See 1971: 36th Moves to Osan and SIOP Nuclear Alert Commitment) In 1974 with the arrival of the 8th TFW to Kunsan, the nuclear alert SIOP commitment was switched to the 18th TFW in Okinawa. Now freed of the SIOP commitment, the 36th was free to finally transfer administratively to the 51st CW which had taken over Osan Air Base. The 36th TFS transferred to the 51st Composite Wing (Tactical) on 30 Sep 1974 and assumed a primary role of air defense, secondary role of air-ground defense (which would later be removed) and a tertiary nuclear SIOP mission. 51st Air Base Wing/Composite Wing/Tactical Fighter Wing/Fighter Wing commanders at Osan AB:   (L) Bldg that Taekwondo was practiced on base (R) The 6134th Transron and then 51st Transportation Squadron area (1971) (Edward Caler) 611th MASS Opens New MAC Terminal The 611th Military Airlift Support Squadron became fully operational under Operation Beddown on 29 Aug 1971. The new MAC terminal began operations with the first two aircraft, a C-141 and a Boeing 707, arriving in that order. (Source: 51st Composite Wing (Tactical) Chronology (30 Nov 1940-31 Dec 1980)) On 29 Aug 1971 the dedication ceremonies were held for the new Military Airlift Command (MAC) passenger terminal at Osan -- the US Military Gateway to Korea. The terminal was operated by the 611th Military Airlift Spt Sqdn which relocated from the former passenger terminal at Kimpo AB. The squadron moved more than 200,000 passengers and 20,000 tons of cargo annually. 501st Signal Company The 501st Signal Company, 1st Signal Brigade was a small detachment from the main unit at Camp Humphreys (K-6). They provided radio relay services for the USFK as part of the communications link of the 8th Army Long Line Battalion. It operated from its location up on Antenna Hill -- alongside the POL tanks that had been there since the Korean War. According to Bob Furer wrote in July 2006, "2ndRRSq turned the site over to the Army in May-June 1955, along with my Highpoint Site, SE of Chonan." Thus the unit had operated from the location since the mid-1950s. The site was code named "Bucket" site for unknown reasons, but most likely the Army humorous response would be "bucket of sh_t".  Antenna Hill (1971) (EUSA photo) (Source: 1st Signal Brigade Site.) The microwave antenna is in front of the buildings at the top of the hill. The dirt road to the left leads to Hill 170. In the background outside of the site is Namsan-tau and the vegetable fields there. The road to the right leads to the Main Gate area where the Civil Engineers are now located. A portion of the hill projecting out was returned to the ROK to construct the Namsan Village Road in the late 1980s. Notice in the distance the growth of Chicol Village in the 1960s to Songtan in the 1970s. Notice that the growth was still limited to the sides main road to MSR-1 (Shinjang Mall Road) towards Namsan-tau. However, construction was spreading out towards Milwal-dong and down into the Shinjang 2-dong area as more and more of the rice fields were filled in. Also construction was spreading out east of the MSR-1 as rice fields were reclaimed in that direction as well.  Osan Bucket Site Antenna (9 Oct 1963) (EUSA photo) (Source: 1st Signal Brigade Site.)  Osan Bucket Site South View (9 Oct 1963) (EUSA photo) (Source: 1st Signal Brigade Site.) (NOTE: The Korean War POL tanks in the photo were disassembled in the 1990s.) 36th TFS Moves to Osan and SIOP Nuclear Alert CommitmentOn 13 Nov 1971, the 36th TFS, assigned to the 3rd TFW, Kunsan AB, Korea began split operations from Kunsan and Osan AB, and assumed alert air defense commitments for Korea. (Source: HQ 51st Composite Wing (Tactical) Chronology 30 November 1940 - 31 December 1980) (SITE NOTE: Though "alert air defense commitments" is the official words used, in reality the 36th TFS performed a primary air defense mission with a secondary nuclear alert in the Diamond area of Osan AB to fulfill the SIOP mission formerly of the Det 1, 347th TFW at Osan AB. The 36th would retain this role until 1974 when the 8th TFW took control of Kunsan AB. In 1974 with the arrival of the 8th TFW to Kunsan, the nuclear alert SIOP commitment was switched to the 18th TFW in Okinawa.)Decisions for Closure and Transfer of units The decision to move the units from mainland Japan to Kadena for F-4C units was because the US "owned" Okinawa as a protectorate. The choice of Kunsan over Osan for the new 3rd TFW was based on the lessons learned from the 1968 Pueblo Incident. Osan -- though more "hospitable" for living conditions -- was a 15 minute flight from the DMZ and considered too close to be able to react swiftly in case of a surprise attack. Thus only Interceptor units were stationed at Osan and Suwon during the Pueblo Incident with the bulk of the F-4s, F-105s and F-100s fighter-bombers and other aircraft operating out of Kunsan and Taegu. Also memories of the Korean War where Seoul was overrun three times bore the fact that Osan wasn't really defensible against any Chinese involvement. (NOTE: (SPECULATION) All three affected squadrons (35th, 36th and 80th) had illustrious WWII and Korean War records. Though the 80th's history dated only to WWII, the history of all three would probably NOT weigh in the decision process. Some say the Great Tohuku Earthquake of May 1968 played a part in deciding on the closure of Misawa in 1972. Reports were that the flightline rippled and water was shooting in the the air from cracks between the concrete slabs. However, we do not believe this was a major issue as Naval units remained in Misawa after the USAF left.)Reasons for Misawa Closure and Yokota Downsize The two most significant reasons for the closures was probably the Nixon Doctrine of 1969 and the escalation in Vietnam. The Japanese and US relations were very tenuous at the time as the Nixon Doctrine of 1969 demanded that allied nations were expected to shoulder more of their own self-defense -- coupled with the Japanese rise in economic prominence by using the US nuclear "umbrella" as a shield and shuttling the savings in defense into supporting its "kiretsu" (favored companies) system. The reductions of forces in Yokota and Misawa could be seen as pressure to get the Japanese to shoulder more of its defense costs in building up its Self-Defense Forces (SDF). After the Nixon Doctrine of 1969 was announced, tensions between the US and Japan mounted. The political climate had made stationing war-fighting aircraft on mainland Japan intolerable. Okinawa -- once a U.S. "possession" as a protectorate -- became a part of Japan in May 1971 after an island referendum. The bottom line was that the US was reducing its troop levels in Japan and at the end of 1971 no fighter aircraft were left at either Misawa or Yokota. All of Misawa's F-4D aircraft were sent to Kunsan. All of Yokota's F-4C aircraft were sent to Kadena. At Yokota, the base was administered by the new 475th Air Base Wing (ABW) in November 1971, flying UH-1N Hueys and CT-39As to support HQ 5th Air Force. At the same time, the US was escalating the war in Vietnam and needed more and more troops to prosecute the war. It had become common for fighter squadrons/wings to be nothing more than "paper" squadrons/wings as their fighters were drawn away for Vietnam. An example of this was when soon after the 35th TFS moved to Kunsan, it was deployed in a surprise notice on April 1972 to head to Vietnam and then Thailand. The 36th TFS was rotated down from Osan AB to "fill" As for the choice of Korea, the Park Chung-Hee dictatorship had been "bought off" with promises of financial aid, equipment upgrades for the ROK military in exchange for its Vietnam support with troops. The ROK took over the defense of the DMZ in 1971 and the 7th ID was removed from Korea. Expanding into Korea was to the ROK advantage. At the same time, the US was stuck with Korea as the staging area for its nuclear alerts. It had been operating nuclear alert commitments in Korea starting in 1958 at Kunsan and Osan because of the vehement objections of Japan to nuclear weapons on their soil. Though in violation of Article 12 of the Armistice agreement on the introduction of new weapons systems to Korea, the US simply took a position of neither confirm nor deny on any discussions of the topic. The movement of the 8th FBW nuclear alerts to Kadena in 1960 was countered with the introduction of the nuclear-capable Matador missiles from 1960-1962. The 347th restarted the nuclear alerts at Osan in 1968 first with F-100s, then F-105s and finally with F-4Cs. Kunsan AB as the home for the 3rd TFW was chosen from the perspective of lessons learned from the Pueblo Crisis. Osan was only fifteen minutes from a surprise attack -- and was the reason only an interceptor unit was stationed at Suwon with other aircraft deployed there constantly on alert. Kunsan received the bulk of the aircraft until Taegu was opened -- and then Kwangju. The lesson was that aircraft should be stationed as far south as possible to preclude a surprise attack catching the aircraft on the ground. Also the lesson learned of how Seoul fell three times during the Korean War played a factor as well. In addition, there was an on-going nuclear alert commitment dating back to 1958 from Kunsan. Dependent on the world situation, the nuclear alert was pointed at China, Russia or North Korea. During the summer and fall of 1971, President Richard Nixon administered a series of jolts - or Nixon Shokku, as the Japanese dubbed them - which challenged the strategic and economic relationship that prevailed between the United States and Japan since the Occupation. For over two decades, containment of Chinese and Vietnamese communism and the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty formed the strategic pillars of Japanese and American cooperation. Also, a strong dollar and "open" American market had served as engines driving Japan's economic growth. |
