wariodude wrote:Go luck in Korea. I was at Camp Stanley 92-93. Just outside Uijongbu. Remember to always stay ahead of the KATUSA's while running during PT. Nothing worse than smelling a KATUSA sweating out the kimchi that he ate the day before. Expecially while running around all the rice patties. I think I'm getting sick just remembering it.
Watch out for the lil meat shops in the villages. They usually have a little dog out front that they feed scraps to. One day he will be gone and there will be another piece of meat hanging in the meat shop. Oh yeah that meat in the shops, I swear it is in there for a least a couple of weeks.
Get used to being called a TURTLE, you will figure it out.
Also enjoy all the tax and tariff free alcohol and tobacco. When I was there it was dirt cheap. I remember a case of MGD bottles was about $8 and cigs was cheaper GPC's were 75 cents a carton after coupon. But that was 18 years ago.
Just about the time you get the hang of it, you will receive order for your next duty station and you will be a short timer.
Also when in convoy, Keep constant vigil for "Terminators". These are oversized dumptrucks that own the roads. They can and will demolish anything in their way. Korean's dont know what stop lights mean and whoever gets to the light first has the right of way,( in their minds). Light colors for Korea's: Green... Haul a**. yellow...Haul a** faster. red....... Haul a** and dodge anything in the way.colors for americans: Green... Proceed with extreme caution! Yellow... Stop look all 4 ways at least 20 times then go Red.... Slow down before you see red light to avoid red. If you still get stuck at red light, kiss your a$$ goodbye.
Finally .... Never go on a family visit on Sponsor Day.
Other than that you are on day closer to returning Stateside.
Troof ^^^
-Terminators are effing scary.
-I landed in the beginning of August, I could literally smell the rice paddies, and them stinky little bastards before they depressurized the plane.
- If you are stationed south of Yongsooung then you are in Candyland, consider yourself lucky and enjoy your stay.
- If you are stationed north of Yongsooung then you are in hell, get used to being in a s*** hole.
- You're a Field Grade, so your stay wont be as s***ty...
- READ THE BOOK THEY GIVE YOU @ REPLACEMENT, it has a lot of very important information about the culture, the language, and how to act.
- LEARN KOREAN, it's imperative that you know what them stinky f***s are saying to you, your rank means jack s*** to a KATUSA, especially the KATUSA NCO's. They will tell you off in Korean and and smile so you think they are saying something nice.
- Trust me those KATUSA f***s speaks good english, most of them have a college education, the privates will speak english, but by the time they get their first french fry (6 months) they'll have conveniently forgotten how. Trust me you think it's nice, give it a month for the newness to wear off, travel every chance you can, and I don't care who you are a ROK Marine SGT can kick your a** before you know what hit you.
** For those of you who don't understand, a KATUSA is a Korean Adjutant to The U.S. Army., In Korea EVERY male has to serve a minimum of 2 years in the military, if you come from a rich family or a family with some sort of power you can buy your slot to be a KATUSA. Typically the KATUSA's have a couple of years of college before they got their slot in the KATUSA program, so they speak English. KATUSA's training isn't as hard as standard ROK Army/MC training, and they discipline within. Don't cross them, they will retaliate. ROK Marines, and Army are ,no other words to describe them, BADASSES, they will infiltrate your perimeters, they will disarm you booby traps, they will take pictures of you at night, and they will steal your equipment and then laugh at you in the morning. The only time the Rok military and the US military work together is at the DMZ.
You are allowed to visit the DMZ, it's a scary scary place, camera's are not allowed, and you have to be in your dress greens when you visit, no BDU's allowed, as soon as you step off the bus your picture will have been taken like 10 times, you being a field grade, may not be allowed to visit, you are HVT and you'll understand if you ever take the wrong bus or fall asleep.
