Charlie C. Schuetz.
Appointed as the commander of the United States Forces Korea following Ronald’s Greater Asia Strategy, he was an African American. Though not particularly large in stature, he had a sturdy build and piercing eyes. He looked every bit the quintessential soldier at first glance.
Indeed, a US four-star general would have meticulously followed the elite military course.
But why would such a person come to a reserve training camp?
Well, considering reservists are also a major force in wartime, it wouldn’t be entirely strange for the wartime operational commander to come and inspect their training status.
“……”
No, this is strange. This situation is clearly bizarre to anyone!
The reservists spoke in hushed voices.
“Isn’t this being broadcast on terrestrial TV?”
“Terrestrial TV? It’ll be reported by foreign news outlets too.”
“I bet it’s being broadcast on North Korea’s Korean Central Television right now.”
That was a strong possibility. From North Korea’s perspective, they would be keenly interested in the every move of the commander of the USFK.
The sudden appearance of the US military put the reservists on edge. Everyone who had been dozing off or sleeping was now wide awake.
The battalion commander spoke in a trembling voice.
“Ah, um. Commander of the United States Forces Korea, General Schuetz, has visited to encourage you reservists. Please welcome him with applause.”
His expression seemed to say, ‘Please clap! Please! I’m begging you!’
Fortunately, the reservists clapped dutifully.
Clap, clap, clap!
Commander Schuetz stepped forward and began to speak. It was naturally in English, and a US military officer who appeared to be Korean-American provided immediate interpretation.
“Greetings, reservists of Korea. I am Charlie Schuetz, commander of the United States Forces Korea. I am very pleased to meet you reservists in this setting. I am well aware of the crucial role of the reserves in the defense of Korea. I thank you reservists for diligently performing this difficult training for the nation. And lastly……”
Commander Schuetz looked around at the reservists sitting in the auditorium and said with a smile,
“I will ensure that everyone is dismissed early today.”
Two days in a row of winning the early dismissal lottery.
Upon hearing the translation, the reservists once again raised their arms and cheered.
“Woooooo!”
I was quite surprised.
To think the commander of the USFK would so accurately understand what the Korean reservists wanted!
Commander Schuetz shook hands with each of the soldiers and reservists, offering words of encouragement.
Everyone who shook his hand shouted with enthusiasm.
“Private First Class Kim Hee-chan! I will do my best!”
“Major Lee Han-jun! It is an immense honor to meet the commander!”
Of course, this was limited to the active duty soldiers.
The reservists shook hands casually (but respectfully).
When it was my turn, Commander Schuetz grasped my hand and said,
“I’ve been wanting to meet you, Mr. Kang.”
I smiled and said,
“The pleasure is mine.”
I have quite a history with the US military.
During the Big One incident, both the National Guard and federal troops were deployed for victim rescue. I had the opportunity to meet the US Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Army, Secretary of the Navy, and the Chief of Staff of the Army while accompanying Ronald.
They all expressed their deep gratitude to me.
“The United States will never forget what Mr. Kang has done. Please visit our bases anytime.”
I nodded.
“Understood. I will definitely visit when I have the opportunity.”
My ties with the US military are this deep.
So why do conservative groups and some politicians call me a pro-North Korean communist?
***
The dismissal ceremony, two hours ahead of schedule, ended.
After returning my rifle and gear, I was finally free. It felt like shedding a heavy burden.
“Is this the end of reserve training for this year?”
“Why are you like this, acting like an amateur? We still have the wartime mobilization training left.”
“……”
I really should change my nationality.
Or maybe just move the headquarters to the US?
Whether it was because the commander of the USFK had visited or not, there was a large crowd of reporters in front of the gate. Fortunately, we got into the car driven by my bodyguard before the reporters could catch us.
I called the head of the public relations team on the way.
[Aren’t you in training right now?]
“It just finished.”
[I see. You must be very tired from the difficult training.]
Just sitting there is tiring, though.
I took off my military uniform top in the car and said,
“Find me someone.”
***
Back home, we changed into comfortable clothes and relaxed on the sofa. I thought about stopping by the office since we finished early, but once I got home, I didn’t feel like doing anything.
The company runs fine without me anyway.
The commander of the USFK’s visit to the reserve training camp was, predictably, a hot topic. As soon as I turned on the news, Commander Charlie Schuetz’s image appeared.
Since he hadn’t brought any reporters with him, there were no pictures of him shaking hands with me. Instead, interviews with reservists who were there were being aired.
In the evening, Ellie came over to visit. She was still in her business suit, having come straight from work.
“Hi! I’m here.”
“Welcome.”
“I brought sushi for dinner.”
Instead of going to the dining table, we decided to eat at the living room table. While Ellie was unpacking the sushi, I took a bottle of white wine from the wine fridge.
“Thank you for the food.”
We lightly clinked our wine glasses.
“You both must be tired from the training.”
“Tired? We just sat around and came back.”
“Still, I was a little worried. I’ve heard there are a lot of accidents in the Korean military.”
Taek-gyu nodded.
“True. Our Jin-hoo had a big accident in the military once.”
Ellie’s eyes widened at his words.
“An accident?”
“Well, it’s….”
There’s no need to hide it now, is there?
I told her about the mortar explosion accident that happened during training in the past. Of course, I left out the part about seeing a vision for the first time.
Ellie gasped and covered her mouth with both hands.
“R-really? Something like that happened?”
“No one knows about it except Taek-gyu.”
I didn’t tell my mother either, worried it would concern her. She still doesn’t know.
“Weren’t you hurt?”
“Of course not. As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”
Fortunately, I saw the vision right before the accident and ducked, so nothing serious happened. I suffered from hearing problems for a while, though.
If my reaction had been even a second slower, I would have been killed on the spot or seriously injured.
“But why did the mortar explode?”
I gave a bitter smile.
“It had a defect from the start.”
Taek-gyu found an article from that time on his phone and showed it to her.
The KM188 was a new type of mortar developed by Hwa-an Precision Chemicals. It was first supplied to the Korean military, and overseas export contracts to Turkey and Indonesia were also in progress.
If it had simply exploded, they might have covered it up somehow. However, one person died in the explosion, and another was seriously injured.
Once the explosion accident became public, the investigation team collected all the KM188s and conducted a thorough investigation. The results were shocking. The new mortar had a serious defect from the beginning. Naturally, all military supplies and overseas exports were canceled.
But it didn’t end there.
The subsequent investigation revealed that the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) had been aware of the defect but had manipulated the inspection results to pass it.
Ellie asked with a bewildered expression,
“So, they approved the supply even though they knew about the defect?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because they received kickbacks.”
Corruption in the South Korean military has a very long history.
The most famous incident is the National Defense Corps Incident.
When the Korean War broke out due to the North Korean invasion, the Syngman Rhee government conscripted civilians to form the National Defense Corps, a force of approximately 500,000 men, to counter the advancing enemy forces. It was a kind of reserve force.
However, the commanders at the top embezzled the budget meant to clothe and feed this force. The soldiers, without proper supplies, suffered from hunger, cold, and disease. In the end, without ever engaging in combat, 20 percent of the force died from starvation, exposure, or disease during marches.
Approximately 90,000 allied soldiers died not from enemy bullets, but from the corruption of their commanders!
This is one of the worst incidents of its kind in the world.
Decades have passed since then, but military supply and procurement corruption has not been eradicated. While soldiers no longer starve or freeze to death, deaths due to accidents are still common.
Listing all the examples would fill several books.
“How can soldiers whose job it is to protect the country do such things? Isn’t that tantamount to treason or betrayal?”
Taek-gyu took a piece of sushi and said,
“Some call it a livelihood crime.”
Ellie asked, looking bewildered,
“A, are you joking?”
I sighed and said,
“The Minister of National Defense actually said that.”
Taek-gyu nodded.
“It was the Minister of National Defense appointed by the President.”
When it was revealed that the mortar explosion was not a simple accident but a man-made disaster caused by DAPA’s corruption, the political world was shaken.
At the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee plenary meeting, lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties strongly criticized the military procurement corruption. However, Minister of National Defense Ha Min-gyu infuriated the public by stating that “unlike in the past, many cases of military procurement corruption these days are livelihood crimes.”
One lawmaker was so dumbfounded that he jumped up and shouted,
“Jean Valjean stealing bread because he’s hungry is a livelihood crime, but accepting billions of won from defense contractors and turning a blind eye to defects is a livelihood crime?”
Logically speaking, would a staff sergeant or a second lieutenant receive bribes or kickbacks? Of course, it would be generals with several stars on their shoulders who would take the money.
Anyway, this incident led to an expansion of the investigation into military procurement corruption in general, and even a former Chief of Naval Operations was arrested.
At this point, it’s no exaggeration to say that the entire military is a hotbed of corruption and irregularities.
I finished the wine in my glass in one go. I hadn’t had many glasses, but the alcohol was hitting me quickly tonight.
“Because of that ‘livelihood crime,’ someone lost their life, and someone lost their leg.”
The voice of Private Kim Jae-hak, clutching his leg and crying out in pain, was still vivid in my mind.
“Was there proper compensation?”
“Of course not.”
While hospitalized in the military hospital, I had the opportunity to meet other soldiers lying in their beds.
The military never sends you to the hospital unless you are seriously ill. Therefore, being hospitalized in a military hospital meant you were badly injured. Most of them were worried about future treatment and compensation.
I learned there that South Korea prohibits soldiers from filing compensation lawsuits against the state.
Ellie asked, looking like she couldn’t understand.
“Really? There are very few countries that prohibit soldiers from suing for compensation.”
“They made that rule to avoid responsibility after a large number of casualties occurred during the Vietnam War deployment.”
While I was receiving treatment, the company commander, battalion commander, and division commander visited me in turn. They all emphasized that I should not do anything that could create a negative perception of the military, such as giving media interviews or posting things online.
If word got out, it would cause trouble for the entire unit.
Since I had already asked them not to contact home, worried it would worry my mother, I had no intention of saying anything anyway.
Ellie asked,
“Doesn’t Korea have systems like national merit recipients or veterans’ affairs?”
“They do, but…”
Becoming one of them is harder than a camel passing through the eye of a needle.
Taek-gyu said,
“Don’t the employees of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs become national merit recipients even if they trip while hiking or stub their toe on a threshold?”
This might sound like a joke, but it’s true. There’s even an employee who became a national merit recipient after causing a traffic accident and injuring others.
Ellie’s face was slightly flushed, the alcohol starting to take effect.
“Why doesn’t Korea take responsibility for soldiers injured while serving the country?”
“Who knows?”
They’re called the nation’s sons when they’re being drafted, but when they’re injured or die, they’re someone else’s sons. That’s why people say dying in the military is like a dog’s death.
“What about that senior soldier you were close to? How is he doing now?”
I poured the remaining wine and drank it.
“I wonder that myself.”
***
A few days later.
I was at the office, discussing lunch options with Taek-gyu, when Public Relations Team Leader Jung Gi-hong burst into the CEO’s office.
“What’s wrong?”
Senior Gi-hong said to me,
“We found the person you mentioned, Kim Jae-hak.”
