From left, Pfc. Justin Craig, 18, of Amarillo, Texas, Lorraine Canty, 15, and Jessica Berggin, 14, of Seoul American High School and Pvt. Jared Copeland, 19, of Wooster, Ohio, stand on a field artillery ammo supply vehicle Thursday. (Seth Robson / Stars and Stripes)
CAMP CASEY, South Korea — South Korean high school students clambered over Humvees, Paladin howitzers and other military equipment at a firing point near the Demilitarized Zone on Thursday as part of a Good Neighbor English Camp program designed to improve their language skills while they learn about the U.S. military’s role on the peninsula.
Twenty South Korean teenagers, accompanied by Seoul American High School students and teachers, arrived at the firing point, 30 minutes north of Camp Casey, to find soldiers from 1st Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment positioning their guns and vehicles on an island of mud surrounded by a sea of rice paddies.
Maj. Ryan Laporte, 1-15’s executive officer, told the youngsters they were free to wander around the firing point, climb on and inside the vehicles and talk to the soldiers about their jobs.
“We are here to deter war and participate in a partnership for peace,” he told the students.
Students Park Jun-Hyeong, 15, of Pyongtaek and Choi Won-Jun, 16, of Seoul said it was their first experience interacting with U.S. soldiers.
For Choi, the visit was the highlight of the English Camp, he said.
“It is a really nice opportunity to know what Americans do on the Korean Peninsula. I knew they were here to protect us and most students think they should be here. We have a concern that the Korean armies are not that strong,” he said.
Another South Korean student, Yoo Eun-Ji, 16, of Pyong- taek said her only previous contact with Americans was when she visited a U.S. soldier’s family with her parents when she was very young. Yoo appeared interested in the soldiers, but she said she didn’t like the mud and was looking forward to the pizza party for the students Thursday night.
Howitzer driver and ammo loader Spc. Jeremy Wood, 21, of Baltimore spent the morning showing the students how he loads the howitzer’s rounds, which can weigh up to 106 pounds, he said.
The training area visit also was an eye-opener for the American students there, they said.
Seoul American High School student Jessica Berggrin, 14, said she and her friends don’t often hang out with South Koreans.
“[The South Korean students] are not what I expected them to be. I thought they would be silent and not talk to us. Now I understand them more. They play the same sports we do and want to go to college and have the same dreams,” she said.
Another Seoul American High School student, John Moreau, 14, said he enjoyed seeing the artillery but was most interested in a visit Wednesday to Osan Air Base, where the camp students watched a U2 spy plane take off and tried out an A-10 flight simulator.
After checking out the military equipment at the firing point Thursday, the students took a break under some trees for a lunch of Meals, Ready to Eat.
South Korean student Jung Eun Jung, 17, of Seoul thought her chicken MRE looked “delicious,” but American student Essence Hales, 16, wasn’t so sure about hers.
“It has a lot of things in it. I’m not looking forward to eating them but I guess I’ll have to,” she said.
From left, Pfc. Justin Craig, 18, of Amarillo, Texas, Lorraine Canty, 15, and Jessica Berggin, 14, of Seoul American High School and Pvt. Jared Copeland, 19, of Wooster, Ohio, stand on a field artillery ammo supply vehicle Thursday. (Seth Robson / Stars and Stripes)
Sgt. Jung Dong-Yul, 23, of Inchon shows South Korean student Jung Eun Jung, 17, of Seoul how to cook an MRE. (Seth Robson / Stars and Stripes)
1-15 executive officer Maj. Ryan Laporte speaks to South Korean and American high school students at a muddy firing point near the DMZ on Thursday. (Seth Robson / Stars and Stripes)
South Korean and American high school students pose with soldiers on top of a Paladin Howitzer on Thursday. (Seth Robson / Stars and Stripes)
Seoul American High School student John Moreau, 14, and South Korean high school student Park Jun-Hyeong, 15, of Pyongtaek, check out a .50-caliber machine gun. (Seth Robson / Stars and Stripes)
