On day two of Plus3 South Korea, we had the opportunity to visit Camp Humphreys, the largest United States military base outside of America. While the United States played a major role in helping its South Korean allies fight for freedom amongst Japanese occupation and during the Korean war, Camp Humphreys was not given its name until over a decade after the Korean war. The once small Japanese airfield was refurbished and enhanced by the American military in order to provide support to the South Korean military in deterring attacks from the North. In 1962, the fortress was renamed Camp Humphreys and is now home to the most prominent United States military alliance in the East (1).

Visiting the Base

After around a 1:30 drive from the bustling city of Seoul to Pyeongtaek, we watched as a city filled with vibrant Korean culture slowly morphed into what looked like a US state. Our Korean Program Director, Kay, informed us that as American soldiers made their way to the Korean peninsula, local entrepreneurs looked to open businesses that would cater to the interests and culture of the foreign military (2). After passing through the little stretch of America, we came upon the military base, which is in essence, a very large American town filled with both South Korean and American soldiers and their families. At the base, we had the amazing opportunity to meet and receive a presentation from the three star general in charge of the American operations and soldiers on the base. In the presentation, he discussed the the purpose of the military base and the day to day operations of the Army companies on campus. As General Christopher LaNeve is a Pittsburgh native himself, the entire group was able to make an immediate connection with him and had the chance to ask him questions about his views on current affairs and journey throughout the Army.

Camp Humphreys is a beacon of international cooperation between two of the strongest allies in the world. The overwhelming message of the presentation and interactions with all soldiers on the base is that their mission is to protect the American and South Korean freedom. The highlight of conversation was with a soldier very close in age to us carrying out his mandatory military service while taking a gap year from his college in China. We enjoyed talking to him and found he was very excited to have the opportunity to interact with American college students as he almost attended UCLA. After having lunch with the young soldier, we then met with the Engineering Regiment of the US Army and learned about their duties operating, designing, and deploying field equipment. As they spoke, they showed us and even let us ride in vehicles from their motor pool. As we were not allowed to take pictures of the soldiers, I felt that it was best to not take pictures at this point of the tour, but we were then given a “windshield tour” which was much more camera-friendly. Best of all, I got to capture Apache Attack Helicopters awaiting takeoff on the airstrip. The base, its soldiers, infrastructure, and equipment are all marvels of the strength of the human spirit and military might. Camp Humphreys makes the message clear, unity and partnership will prevail over hate and dictatorship, no matter what.

The Excursion to Namsan Seoul Tower

Instead of deciding to rest after a very long and thought-inspiring morning at Camp Humphreys, I decided to join some of my fellow group members on a trip to the Namsan Seoul Tower. While we could have taken a conventional route along city streets or a cable car to get there, we all subconsciously made the decision that we were willing to get lost. After walking halfway up a mountain and failing to use google maps, our group decided to hike up a flight of stairs leading to Namsan park and, to our delight, the Namsan Tower Excursion Trail. Although this hike was quite literally up an entire mountain, we found the 500+ stairs to be trivial because of the absolutely breathtaking views. The higher we got, the more we saw, and the more we grew to love the views of the sprawling city.

When we reached the top, the group decided to buy tickets to make their way up to the top of the Namsan Tower. Before reaching the top, the excitement began in the elevator as it lit up and showed us a 360-degree animation of the construction of Seoul city from the very beginning. Upon reaching the top of the tower, we were simply awe struck at the mosaic of mountains and skyscrapers divided by the ever-winding Han river. Having grown up on the east coast of America, witnessing the might of the Taebek Mountains on the east coast of the peninsula became an experience that I will never forget. Experiencing the harmony of man made and natural beauty of South Korea has been a life changing experience, and thanks to the brave men and women serving the allied partnership with the United States, this beautiful country remains protected and strong.

References

(1) https://installations.militaryonesource.mil/in-depth-overview/camp-humphreys-usag-humphreys

(2) Korean Program Director – Kay