Chief Warrant Officer 2 Davey Baik with the 6th Ordnance Battalion, shown here at Camp Casey, South Korea, on June 26, 2026, is the first Eighth Army soldier to earn the General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award. (Julie Masson/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP CASEY, South Korea — An Army warrant officer stationed in South Korea has become the first soldier assigned to the Eighth Army to win the prestigious General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Davey Baik, a senior ammunition technician with the 6th Ordnance Battalion based at Camp Carroll, roughly 160 miles south of Seoul, is one of 13 active-duty Army members selected for the annual award.
The award recognizes company-grade officers and warrant officers who exemplify the ideals of duty, honor and country through exceptional leadership, professional competence and service to soldiers, according to the Army’s website.
The award is named after Gen. MacArthur, an Army commander who led Allied forces in the Pacific during World War II and later commanded United Nations forces during the Korean War.
When Baik learned of his selection, his initial surprise was soon replaced by a deep sense of appreciation.
“The first word that came to my head was ‘gratitude,’ ” Baik said in an interview on Friday.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Davey Baik with the 6th Ordnance Battalion poses at Camp Casey, South Korea, on June 26, 2026, after winning the General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award. (Julie Masson/Stars and Stripes)
Looking back on his 19-year Army career, he credited his accomplishments to the leaders and mentors who helped transform him into the confident leader he is today.
“When I first enlisted in the Army, I was very timid. … I always hid in the back,” he said. “But as I progressed in my career, I met some great leaders who have molded me to always lead from the front.”
Baik, the son of Korean immigrants, grew up in Los Angeles, where his family often struggled to make ends meet, he said. The Army’s “Be All You Can Be” television campaign depicted an opportunity for a better life and he enlisted in 2007, Baik said.
As a senior ammunition technician, Baik helps oversee munitions operations across the peninsula. In his first year as a technician in Korea in 2023, he led a no-notice emergency mission for 45 consecutive days despite his company facing a significant shortage of Korean national employees.
He said the experience taught him that soldiers can accomplish difficult missions even without relying on the usual workforce.
For young soldiers hoping to become effective leaders, Baik’s advice is simple: Find a mentor.
Somebody had to push him from behind to get to this point, he said. Technical expertise is something you can learn, but the drive to go after what you want, coupled with guidance from a mentor, can help you reach your goals, he added.
Baik’s battalion is part of the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, headquartered at Camp Henry in Daegu, South Korea.
Baik’s selection “is a proud milestone that reflects the caliber of the professionals within our ranks,” Brig. Gen. Jin Pak, the 19th ESC commander, said in an e-mail Tuesday from command spokesman Cpt. Anthony Corey.
Having the first soldier in the unit’s history receive this honor “underscores the world-class leaders we have and the impact of our sustainment operations here on the Korean Peninsula,” Pak said.
A ceremony for the awardees will be held at the Pentagon on Aug. 13, according to Baik.
