Photo By Sgt. 1st Class John Healy | Republic of Korea Army and U.S. Army Soldiers strain at the rope during a game of...... read more read more
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BUCHEON, South Korea - Soldiers from the 8th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, went on a field trip to a Republic of Korea Army base in Bucheon, South Korea, to spend the day playing sports and creating friendships with the soldiers of the ROK Army’s 1-58th Engineer Battalion, Sept. 30.
The Soldiers began mingling the moment they stepped off the bus. Each company of ROK Army Soldiers was assigned a group of American Soldiers to participate with in the games. Soon Soldiers were wrapped up in a game of three-legged soccer with each pair consisting of a Korean Soldier and an American Soldier.
“I’ve gone out a little bit to Wejonbu and Incheon but not too often. This is my first actual integration with Koreans,” said Spc. Benjamin Schoonover, a combat engineer from Bethany, Illinois, assigned to Bravo Company, 8th BEB.
“These guys are more interactive with us versus the general public, who doesn’t interact with us as much as the soldiers do,” said Schoonover.
After soccer, the ROK Army soldiers took Schoonover and his company to the post’s Korean barbecue-style dining facility for lunch.
“Over lunch, I got to see how they eat their lunch every day and how they act and joke around, which was really cool,” said Schoonover. “They’re not really that different from us. They have the same personalities and stuff.”
Overcoming the language barrier that exists between the two forces was made easier by involving physical team-based activities.
“Some of the other Koreans know a little English and they talk to each other. They taught me certain words so I could understand them,” said Pfc. Quinton Robinson, a combat engineer from Memphis, Tennessee, assigned to Bravo Company, 8th BEB.
Robinson appreciated spending time with the ROK Army soldiers, an opportunity which few Soldiers have.
“It gives us a chance to understand other cultures better,” said Robinson. “This is a very different culture and a very different army. They have different standards for everything.”
After lunch the Soldiers were treated to a Tae Kwon Do demonstration performed by some of the 1-58th’s soldiers. Some of the American Soldiers even had a chance to go up and smash some boards themselves.
The demonstration was followed by a pushup and situp challenge with the winning Soldiers receiving prizes. Spc. James Huggins, a combat engineer from West Palm Beach, Florida, assigned to Bravo Company, 8th BEB, stepped up to the plate. As Huggins did his pushups and situps, the ROK Army soldiers he was attached to cheered his name.
“It’s just good to be with somebody else and mix with another culture,” said Huggins. “I just see it as an eye opener for me, learning different things outside of what I know. Especially when we had lunch with them.”
“They were showing me how to eat, because I was having a difficult time with chopsticks,” said Huggins. “They asked if I wanted a spoon but I said no, I’m going to try to fit in and do what you do so I can learn different things.”
Just as the American Soldiers used the day to absorb as much as they could about Korean culture, the ROK Army soldiers did the same.
“I taught them stuff about American culture, about R&B and different kinds of music they like,” said Huggins. “I had a lot of fun mixing in with them.”
This kind of cultural exchange is exactly what the leaders of the 1-58th were hoping for in organizing the event.
“It’s rare for us officers, noncommissioned officers, and soldiers to meet U.S. Soldiers,” said Capt. Park Sanngurn, commander of one of the 1-58th’s support companies. “We were able to lean more about American culture and build friendship thanks to this event.”
The competition concluded with an award ceremony for the top teams and individuals in each event, with some words of hope to continue this kind of cultural exchange between allies.
“Beginning from today, I wish we would continue to interact more by having this kind of sports competition,” said Sanngurn. “I think what’s important is that we get to sweat together and build friendship.”
| Date Taken: | 10.19.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 10.28.2015 21:42 |
| Story ID: | 180250 |
| Location: | BUCHEON, KR |
| Hometown: | BETHANY, IL, US |
| Hometown: | MEMPHIS, TN, US |
| Hometown: | WEST PALM BEACH, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 102 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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