Camp Walker celebrates opening of 2nd Army Family Housing tower

By Pfc. Jacob Ward, AFN DaeguOctober 8, 2019

Camp Walker celebrates opening of 2nd Army Family Housing tower
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – CAMP WALKER, Republic of Korea -- Leaders from across the Korean peninsula join Army Pfc. Jonathon Gribbin and his wife, Kelsea, to cut the ribbon and officially open Tower II on Camp Walker, Sept. 30. The Gribbin family was the first family to move ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Camp Walker celebrates opening of 2nd Army Family Housing tower
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – CAMP WALKER, Republic of Korea -- Army Pfc. Jonathon Gribbin, a signal support specialist from 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, and his wife, Kelsea, cut the celebratory cake commemorating the opening of the second newly constructed Army Famil... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Camp Walker celebrates opening of 2nd Army Family Housing tower
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

CAMP WALKER, Republic of Korea -- U.S. Army Garrison Daegu and Area IV celebrated the opening of Camp Walker's Tower II, also called Baekje Tower, with an official ribbon cutting ceremony Sept. 30.

Baekje Tower is the second Army Family Housing tower to be completed on Camp Walker. Towers III and IV are expected to be completed in two to three years.

The four Army Family Housing towers are named after the three kingdoms of Korea -- Baekje, Shilla, Goguryeo, and the fourth, named Kaya, was a confederacy kingdom of Korea close to where Daegu City stands today. The Army Family Housing tower project at Camp Walker will improve the quality of life for Soldiers and their families in Area IV.

"Priority number one in the Army is people," said 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command Commanding General Brig. Gen. Mark T. Simerly, "and within that is quality of life for our Soldiers and our families. Every Soldier and every family member in the U.S. Army should have the expectation of a high quality housing experience when they live on our installations."

The Camp Walker tower project is equivalent to high end luxury apartment buildings you would expect in downtown metropolitan cities stateside and here in Korea. These 4- and 5-star level high rise apartment buildings provide Area IV Soldiers and their families with a high-quality standard of living and quality of life commensurate to their outstanding military service.

"A Soldier here with his family is going to be a better Soldier; they're going to be more disciplined, going to be more focused on their job," said 8th Army Deputy Commanding General of Operations Brig. Gen. Patrick Donahoe. "It'll strengthen their marriage. It'll further attach that Soldier and their family to the Army and all the Army offers."

The new and improved Army Family Housing project on Camp Walker is part of a peninsula-wide initiative to make Korea the assignment of choice.

"You want to go to a place that is modern. You want to go to a place that is vibrant. You want to go to a place that is exciting to live, work, and explore," said Donahoe. "I can't imagine a place anywhere in the world with all of that like it is on the Korean peninsula today."