VOLUME 8 NO. 22 MARCH 5 – MARCH 18, 2020 SUBMIT STORIES TO: [email protected] STRIPESKOREA.COM FACEBOOK.COM/STRIPESPACIFIC FREE SUBMIT MONTH OF THE MILITARY CHILD STORIES NOW! > > Page 2 Things you must try in INSIDE INFO LET THE South Korea BRACKET Page 14-15 BUSTING BEGIN PAGES 12-13 Veterans see value of Stars and Stripes BY STEVE BEYNON, Stars and Stripes began operations in the Michael Gerstmann, who served in the Army STARS AND STRIPES Civil War and has been a critical, and often as a cavalry scout in Afghanistan in 2009 and Published: February 14, 2020 the only, means for troops on the front lines to left the military as a staff sergeant in 2011. WASHINGTON — Many veterans are speak- keep up with the news back home. Even with “You know, there’s nothing to do in these ing out about the importance of Stars and the post-9/11 wars occurring in the internet [combat outposts]. If you aren’t doing mis- Stripes as a news source for troops in light of age, thousands of troops have been fighting sions or working out, not much is going on. the Pentagon’s decision this week to gut the in war zones where digital access is either in- Stripes was a good way to connect to home, historic news agency of its annual funding to convenient or nonexistent. even with some of the guys not being big free up more money for what it considers to “We were mostly on a mountain near the be crucial warfighting expenses. Pakistan border during the deployment,” said SEE VALUE ON PAGE 5 2 STRIPES KOREA A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION MARCH 5 – MARCH 18, 2020 y children Max D. Lederer Jr. r Publisher ita Lt. Col. Richard E. McClintic il Commander M ur story! Joshua M Lashbrook yo Chief of Staff us Chris Verigan ll or a longer story (300-word Engagement Director te maximum, please). Or you Marie Woods can draw a picture or write a Publishing and Media Design Director ey, all you kids in the military community need to poem. But, whatever you do, Chris Carlson read this. Seriously! So, please put down your iPad, Publishing and Media Design Manager be yourself. Stand up and be iPhone or other digital device for the next couple of Eric Lee H heard. Advertising and Circulation Manager minutes. You’ll survive, and I promise no one will take them. Last year alone, we had Enrique “Rick” W. Villanueva Jr. Now that I have your attention, I want to give you a little more than 3,000 submis- Korea Area Manager job. No, wait! Don’t stop reading! If you do a little bit of work, Jinsun Song sions, but we got them all in Operations Manager you’ll have the opportunity to be heard by tens of thousands of the paper. This year, for sto- Kentaro Shimura people. Seriously! You see, April is the Month of the Military ries to run in the paper, they Production Manager Child, and for the ninth straight year, the Stars and Stripes must be submitted by April Rie Miyoshi Engagement Manager community publications are dedicating it to you, the children 15. As we approach another Denisse Rauda of our men and women in uniform. April, our team is ready Publishing and Media Design Editor Each Stripes Okinawa, Stripes Japan, Stripes for the onslaught. In fact, Publishing and Media Design Writers ChiHon Kim Korea and Stripes Guam issue in April will we’ve already received Shoji Kudaka contain your stories, poems, drawings hundreds and are al- Takahiro Takiguchi and photos about what life is like be- ready loading them Layout Designers Yukiyo Oda ing a military child. Stories must onto the website and Yuko Okazaki For those children who are part of be submitted getting them ready Kayoko Shimoda April 15 Multimedia Consultants the military community overseas but by for the papers. Max Genao Doug Johnson not technically a military child, we want to appear in By the way, Brian Jones Jason Lee to hear from you, too. You and your De- like every year, we’ve been in Hans Simpson Chae Pang Yi Stripes Korea! Gianni Youn Robert Zuckerman partment of Defense civilian parents are touch with teachers across the Pacific who are us- Graphic Designers also a key part of the military community. ing this as a class project. So be ready for that. For those Kenichi Ogasawara Yosuke Tsuji So, what’s life like as a military kid? Tell of you who haven’t participated in our annual salute, we hope Sales Support to hear from you this year. Kazumi Hasegawa Hiromi Isa us. We want to know. And after you share Ichiro Katayanagi Yoko Noro with us, your story, poem or drawing will be Stars and Stripes is very proud to serve the military com- Yusuke Sato Chae Yon Son munity, and it’s an honor to spotlight its resourceful group of Saori Tamanaha Toshie Yoshimizu posted on our special Month of the Military website: Mili- tarychild.Stripes.com and could appear in at least one weekly children. paper. We can’t wait to hear from you! For feedback and inquiries, We are giving you a platform to say what you want. Of Chris Carlson, contact [email protected] course, to have your say, you have to write, type or draw Publishing and Media Design Manager To place an ad, call DSN 755-2255 it. You can be funny or serious. You can write a paragraph Stars and Stripes stripeskorea.com/contact MARCH 5 – MARCH 18, 2020 A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION STRIPES KOREA 3 4 STRIPES KOREA A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION MARCH 5 – MARCH 18, 2020 ‘I can be whoever I want’ Newest American citizens sworn in at USFK ceremony BY KENJI THULOWEIT, from Camp Casey. She joined the U.S. ARMY Army last February with South Korea being her first permanent fter raising their right hands and reciting the duty assignment. Her path to A Oath of Allegiance to the citizenship ceremony from the United States of Clarendon, Jamaica, was long America, 52 mem- and far in distance, bers of U.S. Forces but relatively short at Korea became Amer- the same time. ican citizens Feb. 13. “The process The group repre- started when I was in sented more than 20 [Advanced Individual different countries, Training] maybe six according to organiz- months ago and now ers, and traveled to here I am, a United U.S.F.K. headquar- States citizen,” said ters from across the Modha Grant. “It marks a Korean peninsula for new beginning for this once-in-a-life- me, new opportuni- time ceremony. ties, and I get to share Fifty two members of U.S. Forces Korea were sworn in as American citizens Feb. 13. Photo by Cpl. Jihwan Moon The majority of in the traditions of the citizenship, according to Mili- ROK-US Division. “I can start But, according to him, this has the new U.S. citi- United States. I’m re- tary OneSource. Among the my own business, I can be inde- been a longtime goal. zens are members ally excited to contin- benefits are shorter residency pendent on my own two feet.” “Just to be a citizen of the of Eighth Army with ue on this journey as some civilians and an American.” requirements, no state-of-resi- Modha, an AH-64 Attack He- United States of America; to sister services repre- Every year, thou- dence requirement and applica- licopter repairer, joined the U.S. keep supporting the land of the sented. sands of foreign-born tion fees are waived. Army out of St. Cloud, Florida. free as I serve in the Army for as Grant Specialist Simelia service members and “I can be whoever I want,” He says Indian law does not al- long as I can,” Modha said. Grant, 579th For- their family mem- said Pfc. Vishal Modha, 602nd low dual citizenship so people Officials say U.S.F.K. plans ward Support Company, 6-37th bers become U.S. naturalized Aviation Support Battalion, 2nd like him would have to turn in to hold another citizenship cer- Field Artillery Battery, made the citizens. Joining the military Combat Aviation Brigade, 2nd their Indian passport if they take emony at the beginning of the trip down to Camp Humphreys can offer a faster path to U.S. Infantry Division/Combined another country’s citizenship. summer. MARCH 5 – MARCH 18, 2020 A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION STRIPES KOREA 5 VALUE: ‘Stars & Stripes was a link to home’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 facility] on [Combat Outpost] we look forward to the current Francisco-based nonprofit that generation, Stars and Stripes Speicher [in Iraq], and it was a budget proposal and beyond, provides services to veterans fac- holds historical significance to news people, it was still some- lifeline to what was happening the DOD must prioritize spend- ing homelessness and unemploy- veterans of past generations. thing to do. Anything to take your back home. Read it front to back ing to support our warfighters in ment or struggling with disabili- David Nelson, a former cap- mind off stuff was always good.” every day I could,” said John Is- the most critical areas of need. ties or substance abuse. tain in the Marine Corps who In Afghanistan and Iraq, the may, a former Navy lieutenant Therefore, the department has “They do such incredible work served in 1971-1973, has kept U.S. military set up dozens of commander who handled bomb made the difficult decision that, covering the DOD and [Depart- decades-old copies of Stars and combat outposts where small disposals and now is a New York beginning in fiscal year 2021, it ment of Veterans Affairs], which Stripes.