Three-quarter century with US Eighth Army

On Oct. 23, I attended the assumption of command ceremony in honor of Lt. Gen. Joseph E. Hilbert, 37th Commander of the U.S. Eighth Army (8A), hosted by General Ronald P. Clark, Commander of the U.S. Army Pacific at 8A Memorial of the U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys (USAG) in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. The ceremony was performed with the participation of General Xavier T. Brunson, Commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces and his spouse as special participants. Among the sequence of events, my interest was focused on the explanation of the 75-year history of the U.S. Eighth Army in Korea. The average Korean is aware of the exceptionally long-standing presence of Eighth Army. However, they do not have detailed comprehension of the unique connection and its dedication to Korea’s national defense and security, especially younger people born after the Korean War (1950-53). I used to have a special interest in the symbolism of Eighth Army insignia, approved on May 10, 1944. Red and white are used to distinguish the flags of armies. A white cross pattern divides an octagon into eight areaWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times