U.S. ARMY GARRISON - YONGSAN, KOREA -- Maj. Steve Scuba, a U.S. Army Nurse Corps officer assigned to the Brian Allgood Army Community Hospital, also known as BAACH, was awarded the grand prize in the 23rd annual essay contest sponsored by the Korea Corporate Members of the Association of the U.S. Army (KCM-AUSA) on June 14, 2017, at a luncheon held at the Dragon Hill Lodge hotel. The peninsula-wide contest was open to all U.S. service members and their dependents. Participants were asked to write about a meaningful experience they have had since coming to Korea.
In his essay, Scuba elaborated on a special experience he had with a coworker's family as they endured the unbearable hardship of seeing one of their loved ones dying of lung cancer. He said he became a de facto family member to them during a number of visits he made to the hospital through the shared pain and sorrow that the family and he faced as their loved one passed away.
"Developing a strong relationship with our Korean counterparts is a vital component of our military mission here in Korea," said Scuba. "And being able to share such a deeply, personal experience with others through the KCM-AUSA writing contest was both touching and an honor. I was humbled when I heard that my entry was selected as the grand winner out of the 106 essays submitted."
Scuba has been serving at BAACH for the last year as the head nurse of the pre-operation and post-anesthesia care units. Prior to that he served for a year in Area 1 as the only Army brigade nurse on the Korean peninsula and was stationed at Camp Casey with the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team "Blackjack", 1st Cavalry Division.
By sharing a special friendship that he built with a local national coworker, Scuba emulates the ideals of the U.S. military's "Good Neighbor" program in building a meaningful relationship with the surrounding community. Part of this shared experience is his respect toward Korea's family oriented society which is a major part of the Korean culture. Through his story, the ROK-U.S. Army community in Korea once again witnessed another genuine example of a deeply rooted friendship between the U.S. Army and the Korean community.
"This essay contest reinforced my notion that although each culture has its own unique differences which are to be celebrated and experienced, there is also a universal, common experience that all of us share irrespective of where we come from. That's why being stationed here in Korea is so amazing," said Scuba.
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