SEOUL — U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. B.B. Bell gave two soldiers his “commander’s coin” earlier this month for helping a soldier involved in a car crash.

Sgt. 1st Class Shellie Willis, of the 175th Financial Management Company, and Staff Sgt. Paris Bailey, of Alpha Detachment, 176th Finance Battalion, received the coins in recognition of quick thinking and outstanding performance by not leaving a fallen comrade behind at a February car accident, according to officials from the 175th FMC.

Bailey saw the injured soldier on the ground as she passed by in a taxi and stopped. As she called for help, Willis asked military police at a Hannam Village gate to contact an ambulance. She gathered information, took photos at the crash site, comforted the soldier, and followed the ambulance to the 121st Combat Support Hospital.

Seoul sewer line repairs nearing completionSEOUL — South Korean contractors are nearing completion of a four-month effort to repair sewer lines near the Dragon Hill Lodge on Yongsan Garrison.

The contractors have been coating cement pipes with polyethylene to extend the life of the sewer lines by at least 10 years, Michael Chung, head of the garrison’s Department of Public Works, wrote in an e-mail to Stars and Stripes.

Chung said the pipes were beyond their designed life span and that “there’s a good chance it would have broken if it had not been repaired.”

The work, which began Dec. 16, is scheduled for completion Monday.

Children’s author Thaler to visit HumphreysChildren’s book author Mike Thaler — who has penned more than 180 books — will visit Humphreys American Elementary School on Tuesday, according to a school announcement.

Thaler’s schedule includes:

8:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. — Thaler will be reading, cartooning and teaching students how to create their own riddle books in the cafeteria.

10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. — Question and answer session in the school library.

6:30 p.m. — Reading from Thaler’s Bible story series, Heaven and Mirth.

The visit was sponsored by the Area III Masons, Top Realty, Humphreys Community Bank and the school Parent Teacher Organization.