CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — U.S. Army officers from 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division recently travelled to the Korean Military Academy in Seoul to speak and share their military experiences with approximately 80 ROK Army cadets as part of an ongoing initiative to expose the cadets to U.S. military officers and to help them improve their English skills.
Events like this build camaraderie and understanding through the sharing of personal experiences. 2ID/RUCD participates in this exchange two to three times a year. Topics for discussion included deployments, military life, tactics and leadership vignettes.
“2ID/RUCD sends select officers to instruct classes about the Army,” said Korean army Maj. Euibin Lee, the executive officer of Military English education for 2ID/RUCD. “This gives KMA cadets the opportunity to improve their English skills, as well as expose them to Army officers who can impart sound leadership onto future ROK officers.”
Capt. Devonte Baity, an intelligence officer with 2nd Infantry Division Artillery, was one of the U.S. officers who volunteered to speak with KMA cadets. He is a 2017 graduate of the United States Military Academy and shared several reasons why he wanted to volunteer.
“I wanted to go over and see how the Korean Military Academy was,” said Baity. “I wanted to experience what the ROK officers felt like as they were going through their schooling and to ask a couple questions just for my knowledge on what they thought about things.”
During his time as a USMA cadet, Baity interacted with several U.S. foreign military partners which he expressed as a great experience.
“Getting to experience [the foreign military partners] and train with them was always a joy and a benefit,” said Baity. “It exposed us to different military tactics and procedures that I would never have thought of. But also, we could just share and have those experiences with them.”
Baity wanted to give back and share those same experiences with the KMA cadets.
“I hope my time with them gave them a very similar experience,” said Baity. “Something they couldn’t get anywhere else.”
Cadet Byunggil Lee, a senior at KMA, attended Baity’s presentation. Lee agreed with the importance of talking to foreign military officers.
“I have a chance to go to West Point in May and experience other countries like the U.S. military,” said Lee. “But the other cadets may not have any other chance to communicate or interact with foreign officers. So, with this interview the other cadets can know much about the U.S. military or, maybe, how life is for a U.S. military officer.”
One of Lee’s favorite parts was learning about the curriculum and life of a cadet at USMA.
Baity talked about his life as a cadet and which programs at West Point were the most helpful to him as an officer now. This was a quite interesting part of the interview. It was very helpful for the cadets to learn so much from the military officers, said Lee.
Ultimately, the goal is to strengthen the ROK-U.S. alliance and interactions like this work towards that goal.
“I think this helps build the alliance through sheer exposure,” said Baity. “The more we get exposed to each other’s cultures and how each other’s militaries operate, the more we can learn to trust and continue to fight together.”
The 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-US Combined Division is the last remaining permanently forward-stationed division in the U.S. Army. The 2nd Infantry Division deters aggression and maintains peace on the Korean Peninsula; and if deterrence fails, “Fight Tonight” in support of the U.S-Republic of Korea Alliance.
For more information about 2ID/RUCD, visit the official website.
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