75 years with Eighth US Army

On Oct. 23, I attended the assumption of command ceremony in honor of Lt. Gen. Joseph E. Hilbert, 37th Commander of the Eighth U.S. Army (8A), hosted by Gen. Ronald P. Clark, Commander of the U.S. Army Pacific at 8A Memorial of the U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys (USAG) in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. The ceremony was performed with the participation of Gen. Xavier T. Brunson, Commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces and his spouse as special participants.

Among the sequence of events, my interest was focused on the explanation of the 75-year history of the U.S. Eighth Army in Korea. The average Korean is aware of the exceptionally long-standing presence of the Eighth Army. However, they do not have detailed comprehension of the unique connection and its dedication to Korea’s national defense and security, especially younger people born after the Korean War (1950-53).

I used to have a special interest in the symbolism of Eighth Army insignia, approved on May 10, 1944. Red and white are used to distinguish the flags of armies. A white cross pattern divides an octagon into eight areas, representing the numerical designation of the army.

As I watched the ceremonial protocol proceedings and listened to speeches delivered by Generals Hilbert and Clark plus other records, I could trace their activation, which officially began in the continental U.S. on June 10, 1944. They were ordered to the Pacific, where they earned the sobriquet of “Amphibious Eighth,” making more than 60 “island-hopping” assaults during World War II. During the campaign to liberate the Philippines from Japan, they launched the five “Victor” operations that resulted in the capture of the southern portion of the occupied Philippine archipelago.

Facing an unexpected all-out challenge when North Korean troops invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950, Gen. Douglas MacArthur of the United Nations Command (UNC) in Tokyo turned to the Eighth Army to stop the communist advance. The Armistice Agreement was signed on July 27, 1953. The Eighth Army continued to be an international unit, closely aligned with the South Korean army and other national forces, remaining as a ground force to carry out UNC responsibilities.

On Nov. 20, 1954, their headquarters were combined with U.S. Army Forces Far East as the major army command in Northeast Asia. The combined headquarters was moved from Camp Zama, Japan to Yongsan in Seoul on July 26, 1955. On July 11, 2017, the Eighth Army established its new headquarters at USAG Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, one of the world’s largest military bases.

I am sure that until a true, lasting peace can be achieved on the Korean Peninsula, the Eighth Army, led by Commander Hilbert, will keep serving the same mission: to deter a renewal of hostilities; and, if deterrence fails, to defeat by force of arms any external aggression directed against South Korea.

The writer (wkexim@naver.com) is a freelance columnist living in Seoul.