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CAMP RED CLOUD, South Korea - The moment you step off post and visit cities throughout South Korea, you are immediately bombarded with signs you can’t read, introduced to a language you can’t understand or speak and even food that looks different. For a Soldier who's brand new to this country this experience can be extremely overwhelming.
The Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division Unit Ministry Team welcomes new Warrior Soldiers during the Tribe Newcomers Tour, every other Friday and gives them a "taste" of what Area 1 has to offer.
The tour, which begins at the Tribe Center on Camp Red Cloud, consists of a scavenger hunt where during their adventure throughout Area 1. New Warriors reword are set on a mission to find four different objectives with the help of the KATUSAs and take a group “selfie” to track what they find. The groups are dispersed throughout Area 1 and they are given a certain time to come back to the Tribe Center. With each correct objective they find they earn five points. Groups lose one point for every ten minutes over their time limit.
Groups consist of four to seven newcomers. Each group designates one person as the group photographer. Once teams are selected each group is assigned at least two Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army (KATUSA) to assist with the hunt.
The Soldiers are then given a packet which includes hints for each objective, emergency contact information, an email address for the pictures to be sent and bus and subway routes.
This tour provides new Soldiers the opportunity to explore Korea with the help and expertise of the KATUSAs in their group, said Sgt. Devin Shaw, a religious affairs noncommissioned officer with Headquarters Support Company, HHBN, 2nd Infantry Division Combined, and a native of Marquette, Michigan.
"During the tour Soldiers not only learn how to use the transportation system in Korea. They are also building a relationship with these KATUSAs and learning about the Division and Korean history." said Capt. Benjamin Ahn, the chaplain for HHBN, 2nd Infantry Division Combined, and a native of Los Angeles, California.
Once the Soldiers complete the tour they regroup into the Tribe Center where the chaplain gives a small brief on the history and culture of Korea, as well as provide them with a spiritual aspect to what they have recently learned.
“I was at WRC [Warrior Readiness Center] for a week,” said Pvt. Jewdy M. Bautista, a human resources specialist with HSC, HHBN, 2nd Infantry Division Combined, and a native of Bronx, New York. “While on the tour I was able to finally explore some parts of Korea most importantly off post and see what it’s like.”
Bautista said South Korea is his first assignment and after being part of the tour, he feels more comfortable and confidante in exploring this unfamiliar country he gets to call home for the next year. He also added that the KATUSAs were extremely helpful and they even introduced him to some traditional Korean snacks.
Unlike Bautista, not all Soldiers in the HHBN experienced the tour during their newcomers integration to the Battalion.
Sgt. Shenea Andrews, the operations noncommissioned officer for the Division's chaplain office with HSC, HHBN, 2nd Inf. Div. Combined, and a native of Tampa, Florida, said the tour didn't exist when she arrived six months ago program but believes this is a great tour for welcoming incoming Soldiers to a foreign country.
She added that most Soldiers, like herself, learned how to use the different transportation systems and the necessities to get around Korea through their peers. She believes this tour will allow Soldiers to learn how to get around earlier during their integration motivating them to explore Korea sooner rather than later.
Although this tour is mainly focused on getting new Warrior Soldiers familiarized with South Korea, for those service members returning for their second or third time it still brings something new.
Staff Sgt. Michael Malloy, the operations noncommissioned officer in charge for Company B, HHBN, 2nd Infantry Division Combined, and a native of Shingle Springs, California, said that although this is not his first time in Korea, he is new to Area 1, and was still able to gain some insight from the tour. Malloy added that the tour also benefits Soldiers by giving them the opportunity to not only meet KATUSAs but to ask them question thus getting to know each other and possibly building a friendship for their remaining time here in Korea.
The Tribe Newcomers Tour which began in July for the Warriors of HHBN but according to the HHBN unit ministry team with all the positive feedback from the Soldiers going through it it’s going to continue to stay to help new Warrior’s feel comfortable with their new found home.
| Date Taken: | 09.21.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 09.30.2015 02:29 |
| Story ID: | 177563 |
| Location: | CAMP RED CLOUD, KR |
| Hometown: | BRONX, NY, US |
| Hometown: | LOS ANGELES, CA, US |
| Hometown: | MARQUETTE, MI, US |
| Hometown: | TAMPA, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 46 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Welcome to Korea, by SFC Neysa Canfield, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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