Category: USFK

This is horrible for the airmen in this security force at Kunsan AB:

Members of the 8th Security Forces Squadron salute at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, in May 2022. (Jesenia Landaverde/U.S. Air Force)

An airman was discovered dead at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea on Monday, less than two weeks after the death of a fellow service member assigned to the same unit. Senior Airman Saniyya Smalls, 25, of the 8th Security Forces Squadron, was found at an unspecified location on Kunsan, roughly 115 miles south of Seoul, the 8th Fighter Wing said in a news release Tuesday. Smalls’ death is a “tragic loss” and “has deeply impacted our community,” wing commander Col. Peter Kasarskis said in the release.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link, but condolences to the friends and family of both airmen.

The last time she visited Camp Humphreys was in 2007. It is too bad she did not get a chance to come back and see how much larger the installation is now compared to back then:

Betty Nance Humphreys, of Fayetteville, N.C., the widow of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Benjamin Humphreys, for whom the largest overseas U.S. military base is named, died June 10 at age 93. “It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the passing of Betty Nance Humphreys, a remarkable woman whose legacy is deeply intertwined with the very fabric of our garrison,” U.S. Army Col. Ryan K. Workman, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys, told Stars and Stripes by email Friday. On her last visit to Camp Humphreys, South Korea, in March 2007, she planted a tree in memory of her late husband at the base of Beacon Hill at Memorial Park, according to a post Friday on the base’s official Facebook page. “That tree stands as a living testament to their enduring love and commitment to our military family,” Workman said.

Benjamin Humphreys was assigned to the 6th Transportation Company (Light Helicopter) at what was then called Sub-post K-6. Humphreys died Oct. 13, 1961, when his H-21 Shawnee helicopter developed mechanical trouble and crashed into a rice paddy near Osan, killing him and the seven soldiers he was transporting, according to the Facebook post. The Army renamed the airfield Camp Humphreys in 1962. Today the base dubbed “the Army’s Home in Korea” is home to the U.S. Eighth Army, 2nd Infantry Division, U.S. Forces Korea, the Combined Command and the United Nations Command. The 2nd Aviation Combat Brigade is also stationed at Humphreys. The major headquarters relocated over several years from Yongsan Barracks in the heart of Seoul.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

By the way the picture of above of COL Taliento the former Camp Humphreys garrison commander in 2007 brought back memories. His dispute with the business owners outside the gate had them put up banners asking him to seek psychiatric treatment.

It will be interesting to see if this idea of a trilateral summit between the U.S., ROK, and Japanese legislatures ever happens. It seems it would be hard to do with the ROK National Assembly controlled by the Korean Democractic Party which has many anti-Japanese members who would not want to be seen with anyone from the Japanese government:

This file photo, taken Aug. 18, 2023, shows South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (L), U.S. President Joe Biden (C) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attending a press conference at Camp David in Maryland. (Yonhap)

In an April interview with U.S. magazine TIME, Trump suggested that Washington could withdraw the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea if South Korea, a “wealthy” country, does not increase its contributions for the upkeep of the U.S. troops.

The remarks added to deepening security concerns fueled by Pyongyang’s unceasing push to advance its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and its burgeoning military cooperation with Russia.

In the face of the North’s persistent threats, Bera drove home a reassuring message: The alliance remains sturdy.

“I think it’s as strong as ever, maybe even stronger than it was a decade ago,” he said.

The lawmaker also underscored Congress’ efforts to advance trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan, which has firmed up against the backdrop of growing North Korean threats.

“We’ve been talking about the legislative equivalent of what happened at Camp David, where you could get members of Congress, leaders in the Diet and leaders in the National Assembly together to just reaffirm that outside of the executive branch,” he said.

He was referring to the first-ever standalone trilateral summit that South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held at Camp David in Maryland in August, in a culmination of their three-way collaboration.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It is pretty amazing how far some of the trash filled balloons from North Korea were able to fly into South Korea, to include Osan Airbase:

The U.S. military confirmed Monday that debris found near an on-base school the previous day had been carried by balloon from North Korea. The inflatable came down Sunday on Osan Air Base, near Osan Elementary School, according to principal Allyse Struhs’ email to parents and guardians that evening.

U.S. Forces Korea spokesman David Kim said in a statement Monday that at least one North Korean balloon was found at Osan, home of 7th Air Force and the 51st Fighter Wing about 30 miles south of Seoul. “The debris primarily consisted of basketball-size black plastic bags filled with trash and cloth, which were deemed safe with no threat to the public after investigation,” he wrote.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

I think the situation on the peninsula would have to get very unstable before the U.S. military would consider redeploying tactical nuclear weapons on to the peninsula:

 A ranking member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday proposed the idea of redeploying U.S. tactical nuclear arms to South Korea to beef up deterrence, noting the absence of any immediate diplomatic solution to North Korea’s nuclear quandary.

Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) made the proposal in a report, titled “21st Century Peace Through Strength: A Generational Investment in the U.S. Military,” in which he stressed Pyongyang continues to “outpace expectations” about its nuclear and missile programs with capabilities to target the continental United States.

“Because there is no immediate diplomatic solution in sight, the United States must ensure that deterrence does not erode on the Korean Peninsula,” the senator said in the report.

“That means maintaining readiness with regular U.S.-Republic of Korea military exercises, keeping a persistent U.S. military presence on the Korean Peninsula and exploring new options — such as nuclear-sharing agreements in the Indo-Pacific and redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula — to bolster deterrence on the Korean Peninsula,” he added.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

No foul play is suspected which likely means either a medical emergency of some kind or suicide; tragic either way:

A 22-year-old soldier stationed at Camp Humphreys was found unresponsive in his barracks Wednesday and later pronounced dead, according to the 2nd Infantry Division. Spc. Jaggert Oakes, of Barberton, Ohio, was a human resources specialist assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 11th Engineer Battalion, 2nd ID Sustainment Brigade, the command said in a news release Friday.

Oakes was pronounced dead at 10:23 a.m. Wednesday at Humphrey’s Brian D. Allgood Army Community Hospital, according to the release. No criminal activity is suspected but the base’s Criminal Investigation Division is looking into the death, the release said.

Stars & Stripes

You can read the rest at the link, but condolences to SPC Oakes’ friends and family.

This would probably be an interesting meeting to be a fly on the wall and listen in to:

The military is planning to hold a rare meeting between major South Korean and U.S. Forces Korea special operations officials later this month to discuss ways to improve special warfare capabilities amid North Korea’s threats, Seoul’s defense ministry said Tuesday.

South Korea operates special forces units separately under the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Marine Corps, and regularly stages combined drills with U.S. Special Operations Command Korea troops, but holding a meeting between all of their commanders would mark a rare occasion.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Here is a Korean product that will now be available in USFK commissaries:

CJ CheilJedang has begun selling its new dumpling products inside United States military bases in Korea, where dumplings with Korean meat are prohibited. Personnel there are forced to import from the U.S. in accordance with military regulations, said the country’s major food company, Monday.

CJ has recently released three new vegan dumpling products into the market here. With its latest move, the company said it has acquired more flexibility regarding its shipments to USFK bases which, up until now, had depended solely on Schwan’s Company, its American subsidiary.

CJ on Sunday launched its new Giant Dumpling product with original, japchae and kimchi flavors under Bibigo, the company’s flagship brand for frozen dumplings. Prior to the launch, the company hosted a tasting event for the products at USFK bases for three days starting Friday. One soldier who tasted the japchae-flavored dumplings said that it tasted just like a dumpling that had ground beef in it, according to the company.

The company stacked the products in commissaries of four USFK facilities in Korea. For security reasons, the U.S. military declined to identify which bases have chosen to stock the products. Each product is priced at $6.43.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.