Camp Casey and Mount Soyosan
Today we huddled up at 8:20 and were off on our first charter bus since Friday to Camp Casey. Camp Casey is South Koreas 2nd largest military base located just about an hour south of Seoul. Founded during the Korean War, it was originally established as a base for the 2nd army infantry stationed in Korea. We were able to tour the campus as well as have an information session with one of the units. A Pitt alumni, first lieutenant Grace, is on rotation there and is a part of the CBURN branch that deals with various kinds of chemical, biological, a radiation-based threats. Her team are the ones that go into suspicious areas and take samples of the outside to see if there are any harmful elements to the soldiers like mustard gas or radiation. One of the tools they use that we were able to see was the striker, basically a lab on wheels. The striker has 13 sensors both in and outside the vehicle and contains thermal night vision, 4 radios, and can fit 4 people. It takes 7 weeks to train and be certified as a driver of a CBURN striker which is the heaviest striker model in the entire military. Missions can be carried out for up to 36 hours in the striker and they are so heavy that only other models of that striker can tow it other than much larger and heavier specialized vehicles. We were also giving multiple demonstrations of the different suits they utilize to protect themselves from the materials they may be exposed to.
Afterward we were able to have lunch in one of their on base restaurants impact zone. I was able to get the lunch buffet and I had so much pizza and pasta I was absolutely stuffed.
We then went to Mount Soyosan and did a little walk. I was able to walk into the mini shrine to Buddha that was in a small cave at the base which was really interesting as well as see the waterfall and river next to it.
Exhausted we went back to the hotel and attempted to go to dinner at Texas Roadhouse however, it was closed when we got there so we found a burger place called The Bear. I got a truffle burger for under 11 dollars which was so funny and absolutely fantastic. We were then so tired and went straight to the hotel to relax and go to bed.
Signing off until next time