Today I started off my day not too early in the morning. We headed down for another traditional Korean breakfast where I had some stuffed dumplings, egg, and fried rice. Then we were off to Camp Humphries. Camp Humphries is the largest United States military base outside of the US. It was a great experience. We started off by getting an introduction from the 8th Army Battalion 3-star general, who was also a Pittsburgh local. He spoke to us about the important work the US army is doing in partnership with one of our strongest allies, South Korea. He also told us a bit about the camp. I learned that Camo Humphries is over 4000 acres, which is massive! The camp houses many soldiers and their families and has schools, a waterpark, golf course, and even a Krispy Kreme. We then went to have lunch in the mess hall. Having eaten Korean food for the past few days, the mess hall was for sure a reminder of American lunch cuisine. In fact, the whole camp is set up like a little America, resembling suburban life. At lunch I had a great conversation with a Korean soldier about his experience serving in the Republic of Korea Army (ROK). He is a student in Hong Kong studying business and finance, similar to me. After lunch we went to spend time with the engineering battalion on camp. This was by far the best part of our visit because they showed us many of the machines and technology the army uses to defend the interests of America. One of the notable machines was a soldier transport vehicle used in the Vietnam War. I even got to sit inside and see just how tight it was. Finally, we ended off the tour by driving around the massive camp and seeing some of the various buildings and the runway full of chinooks, apaches, and blackhawks. Overall it was super interesting and I can’t wait to start off tomorrow.
