Korean Service Corps trains on North Star

By Jim CunninghamApril 20, 2010

Korean Service Corps trains on North Star
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

NORTH STAR RANGE - The 15th Korean Service Corps Company located on Camp Stanley gathered all 169 members together at North Star Range to train, evaluate, and test themselves in 17 special Army Warrior Tasks in accordance with the U.S. Army Soldiers Manual. They trained in a simulated field environment using training aids and left-behind equipment, which would simulate the same conditions if a shooting war resumed on the peninsula. The training took 48 hours beginning April 14 and ending the 15.

The U.S. Army Soldiers Manual specifies 17 tasks in which Soldiers must demonstrate a high level proficiency. Among them are six types of first aid, from the Heimlich maneuver to individual preventive medicine, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons protection, weapons familiarization, and special map reading skills. All skills are taught by Soldiers with special certifications in each field.

"The 15th KSC Co. trains and tests these skills on an annual basis," said Kim Chungpil, the company's executive officer. "We must be proficient with all of these skills if a shooting war resumes."

The KSC will perform all their peacetime missions to include the wartime missions if shooting resumes.

"Many think the KSC only perform service tasks such as regular maintenance on garrison grounds," Kim said. "We are tasked to support the U.S. Army Soldiers in time of war and provide services in every war fighting skill plus provide diverse services like medical evacuation when MEDEVAC helicopters cannot reach wounded or disabled Soldiers."

Although KSC members do not train with weapons on the firing range, they do familiarize themselves with both the 9-millimeter pistol and the M-16 carbine. They will join the ranks of U.S. Soldiers when the need comes during a shooting war.

"All KSCs are civilians," Kim said. "We train to be soldiers when we are called to do so. We cannot say any one of these skills is more important than the other. They are all very important because they will be needed if a shooting war resumes in Korea. We have peacetime missions and we have wartime missions, but if we are to support U.S. Soldiers in wartime, we will do all necessary missions."

The peacetime missions of the KSC are to support the diverse military units on the garrisons in Warrior Country. A lot of the renovations done on the garrisons are done by the KSC. Many members are degree engineers and have degrees in scientific fields.

In the past, the KSC would support the U.S. Soldiers with transportation and warehousing duties. Today these paradigms have changed.

"The tasks we are training with today are the same tasks Soldiers must train with," Kim said. "These tasks are not special to the KSC, but will support tasks every Soldier in the U.S. Army will do. Only one thing has not changed today, we always support the U.S. Soldiers during peace or war."