Who makes the sweet passes, leaves, and awards?

Photo By Chung Il Kim | Cpl. Seung Young Yoon and Pfc. Seong Min Lyu are KATUSAs who work hard and long hours in the PAC office to process all of the paperwork.  

PYEONGTAEK, 41, SOUTH KOREA

11.19.2015

Story by Pfc. Chung Il Kim 

2nd Combat Aviation Brigade

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea -- For some exhausted Soldiers after a long, tiresome week, a pass is like candy, leave is like chocolate and an award is like a birthday cake. These sweet compensations are rewards for the hardworking, diligent warriors. However, the process awarding over 2000 Talon Warriors from the 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade cannot be so sweet. Nevertheless, Cpl. Seung Young Yoon and Pfc. Seong Min Lyu are KATUSAs who work hard and long hours in the PAC office to process all of the paperwork.

“I’m in charge of the in-process and out-process for Talon Brigade Soldiers,” said Yoon, a human resource specialist from the Headquarters and Headquarters company, 2nd CAB. “I take care of all the personal information such APFT scorecards, profiles, weapon qualifications and risk assessments.”

Searching through the piles of files, Yoon found a document for a Soldier who asked for Permanent Change of Station (PCS).

“Our workload depends on the season,” said Yoon. “During the summer or holiday season like Christmas, we get hundreds of leave and pass requests.”

According to Yoon, the most important skill to work in the PAC office is English communication.

“We get tons of emails from Soldiers asking about their personal issues,” Yoon said.

As a bridge between the HHC Soldiers and the commander, PAC Soldiers mediate the friction.
“Often times, we have to deal with the unhappy Soldiers who get their requests rejected by the commander,” said Yoon. “We have to clearly explain the problem with their document forms in a polite way.”

Pfc. Seong Min Lyu, also a Human resource specialist, is another worker in the PAC office.

“I take care of the administrative process for award,” said Lyu. “I make sure award documents are in the correct format and then send it to the brigade personnel section.”

Like Yoon’s workload, his also depends on the time of the year. Besides the specified tasks, Yoon and Lyu are responsible for answers and inquiries from the command team to help advise them on personnel actions, administrative and clerical issues. These two KATUSAs have earned respect and credibility from their coworkers.

Pv2. Joseph Wildes, a PAC Clerk said, “Lyu and Yoon step up to take on extra responsibilities whenever possible in order to help their peers accomplish their missions.”

Yoon and Lyu said the most rewarding moment was while working at the PAC office is when they see happy Soldiers with their passes, leave, and awards that they worked on.

• Date Taken: 11.19.2015
• Date Posted: 11.19.2015 01:25
• Story ID: 182312
• Location: PYEONGTAEK, 41, KR