US and ROK Soldiers celebrate 75 years of friendship and camaraderie | Article

CAMP CASEY, South Korea — U.S. Military bases within the Korean Theater of Operations hosted their annual Korean Augmentation To the U.S. Military (KATUSA) Friendship Week celebration, June 9-12. KATUSA Friendship Week acknowledges and honors the enduring bonds of friendship and camaraderie U.S. and South Korean Troopers have shared by their joint navy service since 1950.

This 12 months’s week-long celebration featured quite a lot of occasions designed to strengthen teamwork and cross-cultural understanding. Actions included sporting competitions, cultural change applications, and joint coaching workouts.

Established in 1950 in the course of the Korean Battle, the KATUSA program integrates South Korean Troopers into the U.S. Military, offering invaluable linguistic and cultural experience. KATUSAs are embedded with U.S. Military combating forces and serve alongside their American brothers and sisters in arms in each aspect of the navy mission. Through the Korean Battle, roughly 23,000 KATUSAs served at anyone time. At present, there are round 3,600 KATUSAs supporting the Military warfighter all through the Korean Peninsula.

Sgt. Sang Bin Lim is one such KATUSA. He served alongside 2nd Infantry Division Troopers on Camp Casey from ’87 to ’89. Lim was a Tank Crewman and Gunner with 1st Brigade, 72nd Tank Battalion, 1st Firm. He was later chosen to function a Senior KATUSA and earned an Military Commendation Medal for his distinguished service.

“By sharing Korea’s wealthy cultural heritage and values, we helped American troops perceive why so a lot of their predecessors gave their lives to assist defend South Korea’s freedom in the course of the struggle,” mentioned Lim. “Carrying the Taegeukgi on my proper shoulder stuffed me with immense pleasure as I served my nation.”

“Katchi Kapshida,” – “We go collectively,” is a slogan generally used amongst U.S. and Republic of Korea (ROK) Troopers. It’s a mantra that signifies the significance of working collectively as one unified staff to perform the mission.

“Fight is a staff sport. Cohesive groups work and practice onerous collectively,” mentioned Brig. Gen. Sean Crockett, Performing Commander, Eighth Military. “Each staff that was placed on the sphere had to determine their positions and the way they have been going to contribute to the bigger total staff to perform the mission. That is precisely the way it’s going to work on the battlefield of tomorrow.”

The KATUSA program has developed over time, however its core mission stays the identical — to strengthen the U.S.-ROK alliance by robust ties and mutual respect. KATUSAs not solely contribute to navy readiness but in addition function cultural ambassadors, bridging cultural and communication gaps whereas growing deeper understanding between the 2 nations.

Sgt. Woohyung Lee simply completed his KATUSA service on Camp Casey two weeks in the past. He started his service within the U.S. Military Garrison Yongsan-Casey Neighborhood Relations Workplace, striving to enhance the High quality of Lifetime of navy service members and create optimistic and long-lasting relationships with a number of South Korean communities inside the command’s footprint. He was rapidly recognized as a self-motivated and disciplined chief with an eye fixed for and a focus to element.

“To me, the KATUSA program was greater than only a navy project – it’s a logo of what belief and cooperation between two nations can appear like,” mentioned Lee. “It’s undoubtedly a cornerstone of our nationwide protection and the ROK-U.S. alliance, and I’m honored to have been a part of it.”

In October 2024, Lee was awarded the Gen. Paik Solar Yup Management Award for his professionalism, selfless service and take care of subordinates. The Paik Management Award is among the highest honors a KATUSA can obtain and is much like the U.S. Military’s Sergeant Audie Murphy Award. Awardees should go a number of rounds of rigorous analysis, geared toward discerning those that embody the best requirements of professionalism and excellence inside the armed forces.

Gen. Paik was South Korea’s first four-star common and is well-known for main his Troopers from the entrance strains in the course of the Korean Battle. Paik was a devoted Soldier with an iron-clad resolve, telling his Troopers to shoot him if he retreated. Paik later went on to function an honorary Eighth Military commander.

To be eligible for the Paik Award, KATUSAs have to be nominated by their commanders, go a number of boards judged by senior enlisted advisors, and submit a private biography. The boards have been held in each English and Korean, testing the foundations of the taking part KATUSA’s linguistic capabilities.

Lee is a extremely adorned KATUSA that acquired three Military Achievement Medals and two Military Commendation Medals for excellent acts throughout his tenure. A few of his different accomplishments embody finishing the Norwegian Ruck March and being chosen for Senior KATUSA service.

“Each Soldier and NCO, each U.S. and ROK, are there to assist you. Take the initiative to ask questions, search recommendation, and be taught from them. Lots of alternatives like management roles, competitions, and even friendships come merely from being curious and proactive,” mentioned Lee.

This 12 months marks the seventy fifth 12 months of the KATUSA program. This 12 months can be the Military’s 250th birthday, formally reaching this important milestone on the finish of KATUSA Friendship Week, on Saturday, June 14.

Further images from 2025 KATUSA Friendship Week may be discovered at https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/KATUSA.