U.S., R.O.K Artillery Battalions camaraderie is 'Second to None'

By Sgt. Scott KimApril 6, 2009

The Paladin explained to R.O.K. counterparts
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Lt. Col. Gordon Richardson, commander for the U.S. Army 1st Battalion, 15 Field Artillery explains, through a Korean Augmentation To United States Army, the capabilities of the M109A6 Paladin to Officers and Soldiers from Republic of Korea's 7th Arti... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
New Paladins delivered to Korea
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

One of the most important aspects for units in Korea is maintaining a good working relationship with their Republic of Korea counterparts. That's why members of the Republic of Korea's 7th Artillery Brigade, 661st Field Artillery, paid a visit to the U.S. Army's 1st Battalion, 15th Field Artillery on Mar. 26 in order to take a tour of the newly received Paladins, exchange military knowledge and participate in a joint soccer match Mar. 26 on Camp Hovey, Korea.

The meeting showed R.O.K Officers from 7-661 FA new equipment 1-15 FA received, the facilities that they operated out of and how Officers and Soldiers in the U.S. Army lived on a day to day basis.

"Today was a get-together between us and our sister battalion where we exchanged tactics, techniques, procedures and got better acquainted with our friends from Korea," said Capt. Christopher Ghorbani, battalion fire direction officer for Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1-15 FA.

The U.S. battalion also showed off their recently acquired 17 new M109A6 Paladins, which, the Officers explained to their counterparts, were actually old Paladins with new parts installed.

"They're actually not completely new, they're 'refurbs,' Ghorbani said. "They take old Paladins and pull out all the junk that they had before and replace it with brand new equipment. For all intents and purposes they might as well be new."

Events such as these strengthen the bonds and increases understanding between U.S. and R.O.K militaries.

"This activity really solidifies the friendship and alliance between the R.O.K Army and U.S Army," said 1st Lt. Yoo, Jae Hyuk, FDO for the 7-661 FA. "Through these kinds of events you can really learn a lot from each other."

Along with a tour, Officers and Soldiers from both sides enjoyed a friendly soccer game to promote 'espirit de corp' between the two groups.

"Instead of unit on unit it'll actually be a mixed game, they're going to break us up by ranks so we'll have the opportunity to not get smashed by R.O.K.A 7-661 FA," said Ghorbani.

Both sides took away a better appreciation of their counterparts realizing that there's always something new to learn every time both sides get together.

"This is my second time visiting here and the facilities are always clean, I had a chance to look at the new howitzers and see some of the improvements of the equipment and liked the nice attitudes of the Officers and Soldiers in this battalion," Yoo said.