'Base relocation likely to affect 2ID mission'

Maj. Gen. Thomas Vandal, commander of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division, speaks during a recent interview. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

New commander proud of 2ID tradition

By Kang Seung-woo

CAMP RED CLOUD, Uijeongbu ― The new commander of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division (2ID) says that moving the main component of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) to Pyeongtaek could impact on deterrence against North Korea.

“So, would you assess that location and movement down to Camp Humphreys has a mission impact?” Maj. Gen. Thomas Vandal asked rhetorically during a recent interview.

“Yes, our understanding is it would and so we conveyed to our headquarters those concerns," he said. “But I fully support any decision made by our higher headquarters regarding the relocation plan.”

Rarely has a senior U.S. military officer in Korea made public such worries about the relocation of U.S. military units further southward, especially when the relocation is well under way as part of a ROK-U.S. agreement.

The division is scheduled to move to Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province by 2016 under the Land Partnership Plan (LPP), signed in 2002.

Vandal said that the two governments are working together and he is sure that a good resolution will be found.

He didn’t reveal whether the bilateral consultations have anything to do with a request by the Korean government to delay the plan to regain wartime operational control (OPCON) of ROK forces.

The U.S. base relocation is being pushed as part of the OPCON transfer plan.

In reply, the U.S. first rejected Korea’s call for a delay but now reports have it that the two sides will continue to work on the request.

The 53-year-old, who took command on June 24, said that 2ID, whose motto is “Second to None,” has “such a great lineage,” that it makes him feel proud.

“The 2ID has the most Medal of Honor winners of any U.S. Army division in history and the most Medal of Honor winners in the Korean War and World War I,” said the native of Rhode Island.

The award is the U.S. military’s highest honor and is given for personal acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty.

He added that 2ID, the first unit to reach Korea directly from the United States when the Korean War broke out, had the highest number of casualties with over 7,600 soldiers dying on Korean soil in defense of the freedom of Korea during the conflict.

The division, which accounts for about a third of the 28,500-member USFK in terms of size, is small in comparison with other U.S. Army divisions, but the two-star general, a graduate of West Point, said that its capability outperforms rivals.

“It is one of the smaller divisions, quite frankly, but has all of the most modern equipment that the U.S. Army has,” he said.

“It also has some unique capability that you do not find in other divisions. Let me explain. Our 210th Fire Brigade at Camp Casey (in Dongducheon) has more multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) because of our counterpart task force mission,” he said.

“Most divisions do not have MLRS fire brigades, so it is a very capable unit. Our combat aviation brigade likewise is capable, as well.”

The 2ID also has the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, two field artillery brigades and the 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade.

USFK service members including those from 2ID often made headlines for incidents of misconduct off duty earlier this year and there was growing criticism over the U.S. troops.

But the commander, whose three sons are all military officers, said a small number of soldiers behaving inappropriately are damaging the division’s reputation and it is running programs to stop misbehavior and reshape their values.

“What I would say first of all is one bad apple spoils the whole batch. When teenage soldiers come fresh out of basic training, they have very little experience and they may have not necessarily been taught all the right values, so we spend a lot of time with our young soldiers instilling those in them and it is reinforced at every level within the chain of command,” he said.

“I know we receive a lot of media attention, but 99.9 percent of our soldiers are all doing what is right and understand how important it is that they are good ambassadors to the Korean people.”