SP4 ZOLNOSKI At BLV
Continued, in Ski’s words. (Click on boldface for photos)
I never thought I would ever see Korea again but my stepson who is in the Air
Force needed to put in a tour overseas so he picked Korea as he knew I had
been there. His base was south of Seoul at Oson. His family soon joined him
so we conversed over the computer for a few months before we decided to go
over to visit them. I got kind of excited as I had discovered the Tour Of Duty
site of Ken's and had also met two vets that had been in the same area as me
when I served in Korea. We decided to go in April of ‘04 for two weeks.
Since we live in Cheyenne, Wyoming we had to go to Denver to catch our first
flight to Los Angeles. We had an hour layover in LA and then a non-stop trip
to Korea on a 777. The plane was loaded with Korean people going back. It
flew up the west coast, the Canadian, and the Alaskan coasts. We were lucky
as it was daylight and clear, and I took pic’s of the Alaskan coast. We then
flew on by the Siberian coast and then across Korea to the Inchon Airport. My
son picked us up there in his car that he had sent over—to run around in while
there.
Although it was getting dark on the ride to his house in the Oson area, I could
already see the changes in the landscape. There were few rice paddies! He
told us that the Koreans don't grow much rice anymore but import most of it.
They also have built thousands of greenhouses to grow veggies year round so
they don't have to import them. About everywhere I looked one would see
these houses. When we got closer to the city I could see high-rise apartment
buildings all over. The area was full of them, as their population has grown a
lot since I was there in the 60’s. The city of Seoul has grown to be a few times
larger than New York City now and has spread out all over that area into
suburbs. It was finally dark when we got to his apartment complex. He
decided to live off base as he could get a bigger apartment for his family.
The first day my son got me on his computer and I got to talk to the two vets I
had been talking with before our trip. It was really something to be able to talk
to Dave and Julio at the same time way over in Korea on his computer. I think
they were as thrilled as me about me getting there.
The next few days my son took us around to several points of interest in the
Seoul area. We went to a huge Everland Amusement Park about the size of
Disneyland and to a neat Korean folk village which was set up like the farm
vills we had seen over there when we all were there in the North Country, way
back when. We also went to a huge war museum in Seoul that was interesting
and of course the women went shopping a lot and we ate delicious Korean
food, which I had always liked. Seoul is a huge place with a lot of skyline
now. I even got to see a Wal Mart there. The traffic however is very
congested in that whole Seoul area as I think every Korean has a car now, and
a cell phone stuck in their ears! It is almost as modern as here now and got that
way from when they hosted the Summer Olympics many years ago. There are
a lot of six lane toll highways in that area also.
They are also leveling a lot of Korean hills in the area to have room for more
high-rises so maybe Korea will be flat someday! I also noticed the area is very
polluted as there are so many factories and almost no pollution control there.
The air was always hazy it seemed.
My son had scheduled us to go on a DMZ tour. We got on a bus in his area
and headed north on a highway that runs parallel to the Han River. We crossed
Freedom Bridge and I looked out the window at the wide Imjin River in its
muddy glory. Many memories came back in that instant. We stopped this side
of Panmunjom and a 2ID soldier came on board dressed in combat gear to
check our visas. He gave us a salute when leaving and shouted out "2nd
Infantry, Second To None!" We then went on and started our tour there.
They showed us the big buildings that have been built to facilitate the future
meetings of Koreans if that ever happens. We also got to go into the building
where the long dragged out peace talks during the war were held. [Ski took a
picture of the Bridge of No Return, North Korea, and of a MDL Sign].
We wanted to see the North Korean tunnel tour so we went on that. The
tunnel was 75 feet below ground level and about a mile long. We had to put on
hard hats to keep from bumping our heads on the ceiling as they had been dug
low as Koreans are not too tall for the most part. We rode a small train back a
ways and walked the rest of the way. It was real clammy in there. They said
the North Koreans had told them it was a mining tunnel. There are several
more I guess, but only this one is open to the public.
I had told my son that I wanted to go back up to the 2ID area to see some of it
and to try and get back on my old TDY base Blue Lancer Valley. In a few
days we were off heading north to Indian Country and I was excited to get
going. We drove up the Han River highway again as he was familiar with that
road and I was surprised to see so much tall barb wire fence running all the way
up on the river banks with guard towers every now and then clear up to the
Han River Estuary and beyond. We turned off at the Munsan sign and headed
to ChangpaRi and finally found old Libby Bridge. The bridge was still in use
but in need of repairs, but the Koreans were still using it. I even got to take a
picture of the famous Last Chance Bar there but of course it had been closed
down for years as there were no GI's anymore in that area. Those vills we
used to go in are now small towns and no more straw roofs to be seen. They
are also a lot bigger than they were and are spread out all over. The place
didn't look the same anywhere I went in that area, and I was almost lost at
times. We headed east to the mountains where I had remembered Blue Lancer
Valley to be located. After we got to NulloRi, the vill by BLV, I was still
confused as that vill had grown and looked different. I think some of the old
buildings were still there but all had had a face lift and things just looked
different. No open sewers anymore either as all the streets and roads are
asphalted now. No GI's roaming around either!
We finally found the road up to Blue Lancer and got there. The main gate had
changed as there was a huge burm built like a wall across the main gate area.
The gate guards spoke no English. We had to wait until a captain came that
spoke English and he let us in but rode around with us. He was very nice and
let us take pictures. The camp had been gutted out and hardly looked the same,
but the old theater and gym building were still there, and I found the floor of
my hooch still there behind the theater. I saw one old rusty Quonset still there
where the 702 Maintenance was located. I also saw the old mess building for
the 2/38th Infantry still there. The captain would not tell us exactly what the
camp was used for now, but I saw a radar site on a hill above. I think it must
have been a commo camp now. Anyway I took a lot of pics and we bid the
captain goodbye. I was very lucky to have gotten back in that camp and would
not have been able to if this captain would have not spoken English.
We then headed east, as I was interested in seeing the Gloster Memorial and
on the way we went by the old Turkish compound, which is now a large ROK
base. All the bases in that area are ROK now. After stopping at the memorial it
was getting late so we decided to go back south.
I had my son get on the road that went by the old Camp McGovern and on
down to PobwonNi. I got out there and walked a bit and took some pic’s of
Mickey Mouse Corner. That town was a small city and was spread out almost
clear to Yonjugol. We got to Yongjugol and stopped again and I walked and
took more pic’s. What a change there also was, as there was no more RC#1*
anymore, and few GI's if any! I saw a couple of GI's walking in their civilian
clothes and it looked weird that they didn't have Army uniforms on anymore!
Of course Yongjugol was a small town now and it spread all over like
PobwonNi. We continued going south and went by my old original base that is
now Camp Stanton—a chopper base now or until they closed it last fall. I
never made it past Camp Howze but they tell me it is closed now also. No
more Indian Country! [*Camp Beard and Recreation Center Number One.]
We left Korea and flew back by another route over Japan. This time and it
took only ten hours to get back to the Land Of The Round Eyes again. It was a
nice trip, but we were glad to get back to Wyoming to breathe fresh air again! I
wouldn't mind going over again but would have to win the lottery to do it, I'm
afraid. I would have liked to see more of the North Country another time but---
. I was just lucky to get to go back I think, full circle, in my old life! I would
recommend the trip however, as there is much to see; but Korea has really
changed a bunch. No more old yellow cows pulling carts and no more people
dressed in outdated clothes! It is modern for the most part but it is still Korea, a
dirty little over populated country with a lot of hustle and bustle all the time.
Oh, by the way, OB beer has even changed, as it tastes like American brands
now! "Ski"
All Photos on this page are property of zolnoski@bresnan.net
| Grampa photographs Shopping Spree. Grandma supervises, mommy buys, daddy pays, and baby rides first class. |
