UNC/USFK Commander General Vincent K. Brooks hosted the grand opening ceremony, and dedicated the headquarters building to Retired General John William Vessey, Jr., the first commander of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command. His son, David, was in attendance, and thanked the command for the honor bestowed on his father. Today would have been General Vessey’s 95th birthday.
The building opening and move from Seoul to Camp Humphreys signifies a new transition for the two commands which have worked out of U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan since the end of hostilities during the Korean War. It is a major milestone in the $10.7 billion transformation and relocation effort of the command as it represents the majority of USFK forces have moved out of Seoul.
In attendance were dignitaries from the seventeen sending states to the United Nations Command and the ROK Minister of Defense, Mr. Song, Young-moo.