Good Neighbor Award winner Air Force Staff Sgt. Ellen Lim, center, of Osan Air Base, South Korea, logged more than 180 community service hours in 2023. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — A U.S. airman fed low-income South Koreans. A Marine created an English course for local children. A soldier organized sports for people with disabilities.
These “good neighbors” were among several U.S. troops recognized for their individual community service efforts during an annual awards ceremony hosted Thursday by U.S. Forces Korea.
USFK’s Good Neighbor Award recognized those who make exceptional contributions to the U.S.-South Korea alliance. They’re nominated by their commands and community members, and selections are made by a board of senior officials from USFK, U.N. Command and Combined Forces Command.
Other awards are handed out for group and unit-level efforts.
U.S. Forces Korea commander Army Gen. Paul LaCamera, far left, poses with Good Neighbor Award winners at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, April 4, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)
USFK commander Army Gen. Paul LaCamera described the public servants as “ambassadors” who “made life better for others.”
“The human element of our alliance spans for over 70 years,” he told roughly 150 people attending the ceremony inside USFK headquarters’ Paik Auditorium. “That’s what makes the relationship between our nations so special.”
Staff Sgt. Ellen Lim, of 7th Air Force, one of five individual award recipients, logged more than 180 community service hours, according to a readout of her award.
She provided meals for 480 low-income South Korean families, taught English to South Korean troops, painted the walls of a Pyeongtaek city police station and provided humanitarian aid for Sungnam city residents impacted by flooding last year, the readout said.
Sgt. Sean Nguyen, of Marine Corps Forces-Korea, helped create an English course for 17 children from low-income families in Pohang and organized clothing drives.
Army Staff Sgt. Shane Barnard, of U.N. Command, was awarded for organizing sports events for people with disabilities at Camp Humphreys.
Maj. Blake Benedict, of Eighth Army, was awarded for coordinating cultural and sports exchanges between U.S. and South Korean troops and their families.
Staff Sgt. Jonathan Hemme, of Marine Corps Forces-Korea, was awarded for collecting and distributing gift bags for orphans in Pohang city.
Speaking to Stars and Stripes at the ceremony, Lim said teaching hourlong English classes to South Korean troops was memorable because they had different reasons for learning.
Some wanted to better converse with their American counterparts and needed a tailored curriculum, she said. Others merely wanted to improve their English.
“I always wanted to give back to my community, so it was kind of natural for me,” she said. “At Osan Air Base, I continued to find opportunities to serve.”
