Ties that bind – BOSS Soldiers make a difference in their community

CHEONAN, South Korea – Sometimes the little things can have the biggest impacts.

A dozen Soldiers from U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys learned this firsthand while volunteering at Ikseonwon, an orphanage here, July 12.

“Just seeing them light up when we showed up, their faces brightened up,” Spc. Craig Hahn, a Korean linguist from the 719th Military Intelligence Battalion, said while describing his favorite part of the day. “They started getting all energetic.”

Hahn, who is a Korean adoptee himself, said he volunteered for the event to see what the children’s lives were like and to help out.

Another Korean linguist, also with the 719th MI Battalion, Spc. Adam Mohammad, saw the opportunity as a unique and rewarding experience.

“It’s not every day you get to visit an orphanage in a foreign country,” he said. “My favorite part about today was getting to know one of the kids.”

U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys and Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers (BOSS) program collaborated with The Association of Korea-America Alliance (AKAA) to host the event.

BOSS seeks to improve morale and welfare for single and unaccompanied Soldiers, while also increasing retention and sustaining combat readiness.

AKAA is one of 11 U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys’ Good Neighbor Program organizations that improve quality of life for Soldiers, community members and their families and strengthen the ROK-US Alliance by providing free opportunities for cultural immersion and community involvement.

During the event Soldiers brought beads and made bracelets together with the children.

“That was pretty meaningful to me,” Mohammad said.

Those who weren’t Korean linguists spoke with the children via translation apps on their phones. Bilingual staff members also assisted with communication between the children and Soldiers.

However, neither group seemed too concerned about the actual words being spoken – sometimes a smile is all it takes.

For more information on upcoming free cultural immersion activities like this one, follow USAG Humphreys’ Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/usaghumphreys).

(Editor’s Note: Spc. Caelum Astra contributed reporting.)