Photo By Sgt. SeoWon Lee | 2nd Lt. Sean Mcnamara, a fire support officer of Headquarters and Headquarters...... read more read more
CAMP HOVEY, South Korea – It’s only been a week since the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, assumed authority in South Korea, but Soldiers are already finding out about the country’s value.
2nd Lt. Sean T. Mcnamara, fire support officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd ABCT, liked Korea as soon as he arrived on the peninsula.
“It reminds me of home more than Texas does,” said Mcnamara, a native of New Jersey. “There are actual trees here compared to Texas. The climate is similar to New Jersey, and the country itself is just as beautiful. I like it here a lot.”
South Korea has lots of places to travel around. With almost 5,000 years of history, Soldiers can experience ancient Asian culture. But not just that, they can also hang out inside the city, experiencing modern Asia.
Korea is a great country for Soldiers who like to hike, since most of Korea is mountainous. For those who lived by the ocean, Korea could be appealing because it is a peninsula. Among all the great things of Korea, the best part is that most travelling can be done in one day thanks to its size.
“So far, I haven’t seen a lot of it,” said Mcnamara. “But from what I have seen, I like the fact that you can walk through Seoul and you will see modern skyscrapers. Then, three blocks away you will see a palace that’s centuries old. Older than our entire country.”
Mcnamara said he has never seen any buildings that are thousands of years old before. Being stationed in Korea provided him a great opportunity to extend his knowledge.
“My first thought (of Korea) was how it was interesting to stand on history that was older than our entire country itself,” said Mcnamara. “The oldest buildings I’ve seen in the United States were some of the missions in San Antonio and some other places in the northeast. It all fails compared to the history Korea has. I like how you can look and see buildings that are thousands of years old, and it’s all part of your history.”
Mcnamara also visited Ulwangri Beach in Incheon during the American Independence holiday on July 4.
“I went to the beach last Saturday,” said Mcnamara. “I was just on the beach for about an hour or two. Then, I went to hiking spots around the beach.”
The language barrier can be a big issue for Soldiers touring around different places. However, Mcnamara points out that there is really no way for Soldiers to get lost.
“The only tip I would have for Soldiers (for traveling) is just to grab a battle buddy or two and just try to figure it out,” said Mcnamara. “The buses are all numbered like the U.S. The only thing that could happen is maybe the bus is going the wrong way, but you can figure it out. It’s not that bad.”
Even as a Soldier, experiencing the country’s culture can be very helpful when relating with local military personnel and citizens. This strengthens the alliance with Korean Augmentation to the United States Army Soldiers and the Republic of Korea Army counterparts, embracing their culture is important, said Mcnamara.
“Latch on to someone who wants to travel,” said Mcnamara. “It will be hard at first, but once you get out and see how fun it is, you will eventually be the person that’s dragging other people out.”
| Date Taken: | 07.15.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.16.2015 22:14 |
| Story ID: | 170290 |
| Location: | CAMP HOVEY, 41, KR |
| Web Views: | 838 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Experiencing Korea to understand Korea, by SGT SeoWon Lee, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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