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Anyone here have experience as a 15W stationer on Korea? I’m married and debating on if I’d like to request it or not. I know there’s a 1 year option to go alone then 2 if I take my wife. What are some things to consider?
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Korea
15W: Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operator
Korea 15W: Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operator
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 4
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Just came back from South Korea, Camp Humphreys with my wife and 2 kids. Every unit has its ups and downs but besides that, You and your family are what’s going to make the difference if you enjoy it or not. A lot of family time a lot of traveling done with the family. We loved every minute of what South Korea had to offer and are currently trying to re-enlist for it again.
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Camp Humphreys has exploded compared to when I was there in 1998 and 2003. I went kicking and screaming, and here is why I was wrong:.
- Korea in general, is what you make it. If you go determined to be miserable like taking bad medicine, then that will be the outcome. If you can take your family, bonus. I went unaccompanied. You will never experience a place like it anywhere else.
- the focus is go to war. All day, everyday. You will have alerts. You are not waiting for the patch chart to randomly direct your deployment. You are already deployed. Your mission is supporting operations and training that trace directly to 2-3 theater contingency plans. As a consequence, most units are pretty tight.
- my experience with everyday Koreans (not students and agitators), were thankful for our alliance and our presence. The older ones who,lived through the war and the 1968 nK sympathy raids during Vietnam's Tet Offensive are thankful for what we do. I had an older Korean gentleman help me get home once when I was stranded at midnight two towns over.
- you will be on the "clock" and there will be no mystery about getting your next orders. Unaccompanied usually get choice of duty coming back CONUS, or you could request a COT and go to Europe, Hawaii, or Alaska. Don't know if accompanied tours get the same consideration.
- you can walk Korean War battlefields. There are three significant ones right around the Hump. The Airfield is named after a Medal of Honor Recipient (Desiderio Army Airfield). The post is Named after Chief Warrant Officer Humphreys who died in a helicopter crash in 1962. Both actions took place near by. A third, was MoH reciepient COL Lewis Millet, was awarded for an action that occurred where the back gate of Osan AB is today. One man took an entire hill of interconnected trench line with rifle, bayonet, grenades, and hand to hand combat.
- Cp Humphreys has the second or third busiest Army Airfield in the world.
- culture, travel, food. Beef n leaf, Bi Bim Bap, Ramaen, etc Most of it incredible. If you like seafood, then all of it is good. You ain't lived until you had Mr Lee's Yaki mandu and a An Jung-ri egg burger, hopefully those local traditions have endured.
- Take a mid tour leave to Australia or somewhere else in the Pacific Rim for not a lot of money. Would pass on China at the moment. I took a package tour that included air fare, hotel, private driver, and tour guide to Cheju island with my wife for $400 a head, obviously 1998 prices but it's going to be cheaper.
- Korea in general, is what you make it. If you go determined to be miserable like taking bad medicine, then that will be the outcome. If you can take your family, bonus. I went unaccompanied. You will never experience a place like it anywhere else.
- the focus is go to war. All day, everyday. You will have alerts. You are not waiting for the patch chart to randomly direct your deployment. You are already deployed. Your mission is supporting operations and training that trace directly to 2-3 theater contingency plans. As a consequence, most units are pretty tight.
- my experience with everyday Koreans (not students and agitators), were thankful for our alliance and our presence. The older ones who,lived through the war and the 1968 nK sympathy raids during Vietnam's Tet Offensive are thankful for what we do. I had an older Korean gentleman help me get home once when I was stranded at midnight two towns over.
- you will be on the "clock" and there will be no mystery about getting your next orders. Unaccompanied usually get choice of duty coming back CONUS, or you could request a COT and go to Europe, Hawaii, or Alaska. Don't know if accompanied tours get the same consideration.
- you can walk Korean War battlefields. There are three significant ones right around the Hump. The Airfield is named after a Medal of Honor Recipient (Desiderio Army Airfield). The post is Named after Chief Warrant Officer Humphreys who died in a helicopter crash in 1962. Both actions took place near by. A third, was MoH reciepient COL Lewis Millet, was awarded for an action that occurred where the back gate of Osan AB is today. One man took an entire hill of interconnected trench line with rifle, bayonet, grenades, and hand to hand combat.
- Cp Humphreys has the second or third busiest Army Airfield in the world.
- culture, travel, food. Beef n leaf, Bi Bim Bap, Ramaen, etc Most of it incredible. If you like seafood, then all of it is good. You ain't lived until you had Mr Lee's Yaki mandu and a An Jung-ri egg burger, hopefully those local traditions have endured.
- Take a mid tour leave to Australia or somewhere else in the Pacific Rim for not a lot of money. Would pass on China at the moment. I took a package tour that included air fare, hotel, private driver, and tour guide to Cheju island with my wife for $400 a head, obviously 1998 prices but it's going to be cheaper.
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SSG(P) (Join to see)
Exactly sir. I too got assigned to South Korea, and I didn't want to go, because I had 23 days from verbal notification from HRC to my report date. I have a family, pets, and a house. I couldn't make arrangements to PCS everyone in that time, so we decided that I would go alone for a year. I hated the idea of leaving for a third year away from my family. But, once I got there and decided to enjoy it, it was pretty nice (Camp Humphreys, circa 2014-15) Even with all the construction, The Hump wasn't that bad. I enjoyed the high-speed internet in the barracks for peanuts.
As for your duty description, you are correct on that too. Exercises and alerts are geared towards either evacuating the AO (3-2 GSAB mission) or prosecuting the enemy. I got to work at a ROK Army base during UFG for a month. I also worked at the BDE TOC for four months; that was a great experience, as I got to see the Big Picture and everything involved with defending South Korea. It is amazing how much you don't know until you see it. I even got to run an alert exercise right before I DEROSed.
As for the original poster: At 3-2 GSAB, we didn't have any 15Ws that I was aware of, but again that was 5 years now, so that capability might be there, or it might not be. As a battlefield asset, UAVs would likely be towards the DMZ. Perhaps K7 near Yongsan; but that's just a guess on my part. Either way, ROK is a good time; just don't get in trouble, as taking rank is a sport in South Korea. No joke.
As for your duty description, you are correct on that too. Exercises and alerts are geared towards either evacuating the AO (3-2 GSAB mission) or prosecuting the enemy. I got to work at a ROK Army base during UFG for a month. I also worked at the BDE TOC for four months; that was a great experience, as I got to see the Big Picture and everything involved with defending South Korea. It is amazing how much you don't know until you see it. I even got to run an alert exercise right before I DEROSed.
As for the original poster: At 3-2 GSAB, we didn't have any 15Ws that I was aware of, but again that was 5 years now, so that capability might be there, or it might not be. As a battlefield asset, UAVs would likely be towards the DMZ. Perhaps K7 near Yongsan; but that's just a guess on my part. Either way, ROK is a good time; just don't get in trouble, as taking rank is a sport in South Korea. No joke.
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PV2 (Join to see)
Thank you sir and SSG for the advice! I will definitely check out the battlefields and cuisine if I PCS there! I appreciate you taking the time to help me be more informed
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Every duty station is what you make it. I have seen people really whine and complain about Korea or Germany....and I have seen people enjoy. Camp Hump is a great NEW place for families.
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SSgt GG-15 RET Jim Lint
I only did multiple tours there for a total of 7 years and went there in 2015 and wrote a book about Korea. I also was over there last year and I got a great walk through of Camp Hump.
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