Learning past to understand the future

Photo By Sgt. Jesse Smith | Soldiers from 3rd General Support Battalion, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade visit the site of the Green Beach landing on Wolmi Island, South Korea, during a staff ride April 30, 2015, recounting the pivotal Incheon landing operation.  

PYEONGTAEK, 41, SOUTH KOREA

04.30.2015

Story by Chung Il Kim 

2nd Combat Aviation Brigade

INCHEON, South Korea – In Incheon’s Freedom Park, a 10-foot-tall statue of MacArthur has stood strong since 1957. In front of the statue, Soldiers gathered from the 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division.

Capt. Richard Pazdzierski, a battalion intelligence officer for 3-2 GSAB, planned and led a staff ride to Incheon, South Korea, to examine and discuss Operation Chromite, the United States’ decisive amphibious operation championed by General Douglas MacArthur, during the Korean War.

Soldiers from 3-2 GSAB went to the MacArthur Park and Freedom Park where they conducted presentations on the significant events, leaders, and locations surrounding the Incheon Landing in September of 1950. The battle, which began in Sept. 15, 1950 and ended on Sept. 19, 1950, led to the recapturing of Seoul and a strategic victory for United Nations forces. The group also hiked Radio Hill and Observatory Hill to view high ground objectives of the Green Beach and Red Beach amphibious operations, and lastly, visited the Memorial Museum.

At an observatory platform where one can observe the Incheon beaches, Pfc. Thomas Nguyen, an intelligence analyst, 3-2 GSAB, presented the brief background of the operation.

“Early in the Korean War, MacArthur designed the Incheon amphibious operation to cut North Korean supply lines and trap enemy troops. However, the port of Incheon was far from an ideal spot for an amphibious assault operation due to the 31-foot tidal fluctuations, restricted approaches and steep seawalls.” He said, “Nevertheless, following the Incheon landing, Eighth Army broke out from the Pusan Perimeter and repelled enemy forces to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang in less than a month.

As he toured the Memorial Hall, filled with historical documents, army uniforms, and weapons, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Edward Pregana, a Battalion Safety officer from 3-2 GSAB, was glad he participated in the staff ride.

“I didn’t know much about the historical background of the Korean War, but the staff ride helped me understand the military tactics used then and learn how important key terrain was and still is on Korean peninsula.”

KATUSA Pfc. Seung Weon Lee, Human Resource specialist, Republic of Korean Army Support Office 3-2 GSAB said, “I never knew how many sacrifices U.S. Soldiers made during Korean War to save my country.”

Looking at the statues of the Korean War Veterans, he said, “What my country has accomplished today would not been possible without their sacrifices.”

• Date Taken: 04.30.2015
• Date Posted: 05.05.2015 19:52
• Story ID: 162344
• Location: PYEONGTAEK, 41, KR