'Devil' brigade delivers coal to local Korean community

CAMP HOVEY, Republic of Korea -- As the temperature in South Korea begins to drop, Soldiers from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division volunteered their time to the less fortunate residents in Dongduchoen City, South Korea, by participating in the distribution of coal briquettes Nov. 15.

The Devil Brigade U.S. and Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army warriors, joined by Soldiers from throughout the 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-US Combined Division, distributed 5,000 charcoal briquettes to 25 households.

Col. Johnnie Johnson, the 2nd Inf. Div.'s deputy commanding general for maneuver; Director General Jae-joon Kim, the emergency planning officer for Gyeonggi province; and Col. Timothy C. Hayden the commander of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, also volunteered.

The volunteers used carts and wooden backpacks to deliver the charcoal briquettes to the homes of Dongduchoen City residents in preparation for the upcoming winter.

"It is our responsibility to give back, everywhere we go no matter where we are," said Hayden. "We are away from home and this is our community now. We have an obligation to be good neighbors, to be good citizens, and to be good friends."

The coal distribution partnership is an annual event conducted by volunteers from the U.S. Army and surrounding communities and is designed to strengthen relationships with the local Korean populous.

"Relationships with the local community help us do our mission here," said Lt. Col. Moon Kim, the 2nd Inf. Div. chaplain. "All these small things help improve are relationships."

The Fort Riley, Kansas based Soldiers will spend a total of nine months in Korea as part of a rotational force and part of their local community on the peninsula.