Osan Air Base: Dante,Tracy, and Jameesa
The Trip to the Osan Airbase started off with a bit of excitement, but towards the end the day it turned into an enjoyable and memorable trip.
Traveling to the airbase was very sobering. For me, it was a refreshing experience to travel during the morning hours and pass by fields of rice patties and farm land. The experience of feeling the wide open space around you, sweating with the hard sunshine beating down, smelling the warm musty air, and the sound of trains in the distance is truly a remarkable feeling.
To begin the day, to all of our dismay, our lovely Hau-mo-knee (spelling phonetically, so please excuse me) could not enter the Airbase due to lack of two forms of identification. Sadly she had to retreat to Naksongdae and join the rest of the group in Incheon (which actually isn’t a sad thing at all, J). The three of us joined Eric and Captain Lynn Khel on a trip around the base.
I found Lynn’s blunt and honest style to be a refreshing reminder of the Wild Wild West, a.k.a our home the United States. Throughout various periods of the day the group divided along gender lines, allowing for personal experiences and dialogue to develop. The girls were shown some of Lynn’s favorite shopping locations, while Eric and I bonded as males.
After an initial tour of the base we had lunch with Lynn, Eric, and a friend of theirs Officer Van Dam. He shared his experience with us and offered his perspective on various questions we had for him and the group. Van dam wanted to meet us, because he was also a graduate from Michigan. I think he enjoyed being reminded of home; he was from Grand Rapids (Lena, Hau!). Go Blue!!
The base is a self-sustaining community. Korean and U.S contractors are on base to provide all the essential needs of life back in the U.S. Business is done in U.S. dollar and so are some shops surrounding the base. The community is certainly geared towards satisfying the military population, you can find many Koreans who will speak to you in broken English. Soldiers are never far, you will undoubtedly run into one eventually.
We had an opportunity to visit the highlight of the base, the Airfield. We visited shopping centers; community facilities; Eric’s living quarters; Lynn’s house; and a golf course with a huge and very old Ginko Tree. We were also able to engage with some of the military community by participating in a Taekwondo class. Afterwards we discussed the difference in performance and discipline between the American and American-Asian students. There was quite a noticeable difference—I think Lynn referred to the American (white) kids, as “wild heathens” (or something along those lines)…. I think you get the picture though.
I felt this was the first time Tracy, Jameesa, and I were really able to connect and spend time together. I felt that we were able be together and enjoy ourselves. I think it was a good experience for Tracy to be near something familiar, since she has a friend serving at Osan Airbase currently. For me it was another opportunity to evaluate my options, and consider what I would like to do after I graduate with my Master’s. Joining the military as an officer is a path I have been seriously considering lately. Jameesa was a great participant and really asked good questions of our guides. I enjoyed her presence, and loved that great laugh of hers (you know the sort of pulsed eh eh, followed by a big smile).
Towards the end of the day I gave the old ginko tree a big hug, we ate dinner, and we walked through the warm air to the train station together. The girls stayed behind for shopping, I said goodbye. It was a great day.
I would like to leave some food for thought. Throughout our trip we have heard from many different perspectives regarding the U.S. military presence in S. Korea. We have become aware of the positive and negative impacts, opinions, and facts. We have seen with our own eyes the situation here, and listened in first person the personal experiences of people on almost every side of the story. The one perspective that remains elusive is that of the women who are trafficked and exploited.
Though we don’t have every perspective, I think some of us may have been able to start formulating an image of the situation. And my question to the group is… what do you believe? How do you feel about the situation, given the perspectives of all those we have met?
For example, do you think it’s inevitable to stop the trafficking and prostitution? To Eric and Captain Khel this is a reality of life. What do you think?
Do you think that U.S. presence is preventing N. Korea from going to war again? To the Allied Friends speakers, U.S presence is doing more good than harm, and preventing any large scale attacks from N. Korea. As we have seen there isn’t any visible presence of tensions in daily life, does that mean anything?
Who do you think is right? Who do you think is wrong? There doesn’t necessarily have to be a right or wrong, or even a correct answer. Rather where do you stand on the issue? What are the perspectives or new information that we are missing that could resolve the multiple conflicts that we see?
p.s Oh and we held our hearts and stood quietly to the sound of the National Anthem, Yay U.S.A!!
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