Subscribe
The predawn quiet of a rainy, peaceful Sunday morning, June 25, 1950, abruptly shattered by the crash of cannons and the snarl of automatic weapons as soldiers from North Korea marched southward. The invading hordes breached the 38th parallel and rolled back the lightly-armed Republic of Korea Army constabulary forces toward their capital of Seoul.
Two days later, the United Nations called on the countries of the world to unite and assist in driving the invaders from the ROK. In its resolution, the UN Security Council named the United States as executive agent to implement the resolution and direct UN military operations in Korea.
The first non-ROK and non-U.S. unit to see combat was No. 77 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, which began escort, patrol and ground attack sorties from Iwakuni, Japan, on July 2, 1950.
Following closely behind with ground-based combat troops, the British Commonwealth's 27th Brigade arrived at Pusan to join the UNC, which until then included only ROK and U.S. forces on Aug. 29, 1950. Troop units from other countries of the UN followed in rapid succession including Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand and Turkey.
The Union of South Africa provided air units which fought alongside the air forces of other member nations. Denmark, India, Norway and Sweden provided medical units. Italy provided a hospital, even though it was not a UN member.
During the three years of the Korean War, military forces of these nations fought and died together as members of the UNC. They fought for the freedom of the Korean people and to demonstrate the UN resolve to stop unprovoked aggression.
To this day the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission comprised of those same nations is still in place to monitor and enforce the armistice, said Lt. Gen. Thomas Bergeson, the Air Component Command, Republic of Korea/U.S. Combined Forces Command and 7th Air Force commander.
“It’s important we have them here to train in these exercises as these nations provide not only capability but also bring legitimacy to our operations,” the general continued.
That same sentiment echoes with the five multinational representative states from the United Nations Command including Australia, Canada, Denmark, France and Great Britain which joined the U.S. and ROK for this year’s iteration of the annual command and control exercise called Key Resolve 2017.
Flt. Lt. Kyle Hornberg, the Air Mobility Division Multinational Coordination Center liaison officer with the Air Mobility Control Center at Royal Australian Air Force Base Richmond, Australia, explains his role in KR17 and what it means to him to sustain his nation’s heritage in fighting for the freedom of the ROK.
“All sending state air mobility assets coordinate through me,” he said. “I have to come up with the best plan that works for both parties who may be here or virtually anywhere around the world.”
Hornberg said he works hand-in-hand, face-to-face with ROK and U.S. allies at Osan Air Base. In his capacity, he’s continuing what his Australian brothers and sisters began nearly 70 years ago as he proudly carries his nation’s torch of friendship.
“We’ve always been there for our allies and will continue supporting them wherever they may be,” he explained as he looked up for a moment, reflecting on his country’s continuous involvement, he continued, “Our participation in Key Resolve just demonstrates how committed we are to the ROK and that we can be relied on in real-world contingencies.”
Hornberg works side-by-side with ROK, U.S. and other Allied nation counterparts ensuring the best possible air mobility in support of the Combined Forces Command.
“It’s great having the Australians on our team as it adds an additional level of experience to our operations,” said Maj. Kyle Tobin with the 621st Air Mobility Squadron at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. “If our units can’t support an airlift request, we know we can rely on the Australians to pick up our slack.”
However, with any exercise involving non-English speaking partners, translators play a key role and for Republic of Korea Air Force 2nd Lt. Dongjo Kim, an interpreting officer with the Air Component Command’s joint plans and coordination division at Osan AB, he’s made a lot of connections between the Koreans, Australians and Americans.
“Whenever they need to coordinate an airlift with a Korean counterpart, I’m there with the translation,” Kim said. “It’s been a great learning experience and I’ve enjoyed working with such knowledgeable teammates.”
Today’s fight requires loads of preparation and thought by all nations who aim to keep the Korean peninsula safe. Hornberg says they’re committed to the fight just as much today as they were back in 1950.
“Australia is just as much a member state of this region as Korea,” Hornberg said referencing the Indo-Asia-Pacific. “We are still here [in Korea] and will help however we’re needed.”
[Editor’s note: The United States Forces Korea Public Affairs Office contributed to this article.]
| Date Taken: | 03.23.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 03.22.2017 21:52 |
| Story ID: | 227800 |
| Location: | OSAN AIR BASE, KR |
| Web Views: | 157 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, United Nations remain committed to Korea’s peace, prosperity, by MSgt Benjamin Stratton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
LEAVE A COMMENT