KATUSA Stories: Sergeant J.S. Song Leads US Infantry Squad (1967)
Serving with Korean Augmentees to the US Army (KATUSA) is an experience with a long history for US military servicemembers in Korea. So when I was recently browsing through the Stars & Stripes archives this article about a KATUSA leading a US Army infantry squad caught my attention:
From the November 8, 1967 edition of the Stars & Stripes.
The KATUSA Sergeant J.S.Song due to his competence was chosen as a squad leader for Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division that served on the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Back then just like today most KATUSAs are not given positions with such responsibility due to language and cultural differences. The fact that Sergeant Song was given such a position especially back then when combat on the DMZ was a common occurrence shows how competent of a KATUSA Sergeant Song was. Here is what his Platoon Sergeant Guy E. McKean and Sgt Song himself had to say about be given this leadership opportunity:
It is stories like this that makes me wonder if Sergeant Song ever did return to being a farmer after his service was completed. If so he would be an old man now, but hopefully he still has good memories about his time leading US troops on the DMZ.
