Small Town, Big Heroes: South Charleston, West Virginia
I’ve never visited South Charleston, West Virginia, but after spending the past two days reading about the small city, located four miles west of the state capital and on the south bank (hence its name)…
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What’s in a Name?
We all have one, and although we have no choice in deciding what it’ll be, it’s permanent, staying with us from cradle to grave. It becomes a defining feature of our human character, and long…
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Always Faithful: Three Marines, Two Countries, One Mission
In early 1956, with Elvis songs flooding the airwaves, “I Love Lucy” beaming into living rooms, and Eisenhower preparing to run for a second term, three young men reported to Quantico, Virginia. They were beginning…
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During the Darkest Hours Shine the Brightest Stars
They lived for the moment. They struggled, loved, failed, succeeded, and carried with them the enduring sentiments of optimism and hope, uncertainty and fear. The days, months, and years of their lives passed quickly, and…
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The Kim Sisters to K-Pop – Korean Music Makes Its Mark
Koreans love their music. From Pansori, a traditional Korean, operatic-style performance with a singer and drummer, to K-pop, the phenomenon that’s sweeping the world with its all-boy and girl bands, to the ever-popular karaoke, or…
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The Marine I Never Knew
He’s one of the main reasons I’m in Korea, but he died when I was two, and our family rarely talked about him. He’s always been, in the words of Winston Churchill, “a riddle, wrapped…
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Teamwork, Freedom, and Choco Pies
Remember the footage a few months ago of a North Korean soldier dashing across the border into South Korea, his fellow countrymen frantically chasing, yelling, and firing their guns at him? The video was seen…
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Sending Them to Die
At the age of 16, Lee Tae-won, convicted of helping a young woman escape from North Korea and deemed an enemy of the state, was sentenced to five years in a “re-education” camp, or gulag.…
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Honoring the Past
They’re a loyal, fun-loving bunch. The former North Korean refugees, men now in their seventies and eighties, get together four times a year to have dinner, reminisce, sing, and give thanks for the opportunity to…
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Planes, Presidents, and Presentations – A Look Back at 2017
Nearly eight months ago, on May 11, 2017, I posted my first blog. I had written an article the day before for the Korea Times, Moon Jae-in: From Geoje to Cheong Wa Dae, with my…
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The Kimchi Babies
At some point during the early stages of SS Meredith Victory’s December 22-25, 1950, voyage from Hungnam, North Korea, to Geoje Island, South Korea, a baby was born. The ship’s crew was astounded. The men…
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Hungnam Evacuation – A Christmas Miracle
In December 1950, dramatic events unfolding in the rugged mountains of North Korea captivated the world’s attention. The Battle of Chosin, one of the fiercest engagements in U.S. history, was taking place in sub-zero temperatures…
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A Trip to the JSA
It’s one of the saddest and most intimidating and dangerous places on earth. The Joint Security Area (JSA), or “Truce Village” as it’s frequently referred to, is a complex of small buildings that literally sits…
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Twenty and Counting
North Korea has launched 20 (yes, twenty) missiles this year. And we still have a month to go. Tensions on the Korean peninsula are at an all-time high, and as we look back on the…
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Physically and Emotionally Frozen
Sixty-seven years ago, on November 27, 1950, one of the most monumental battles in US history began in the desolate, unforgiving mountains of North Korea. What occurred over the next two weeks was nothing short…
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He Never Forgot His Captain
On December 14, 2017, I’ll have the privilege of joining J. Robert “Bob” Lunney at a lecture about the Hungnam Evacuation being held at The Korea Society in New York City. It’ll be a memorable…
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Turkey Popsicles and Frozen Gravy
67 years ago today, men of the 1st Marine Division found themselves on the other side of the world. The Korean War was raging, and they had been sent to a cold, grey, and lonely…
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One Restaurant, Three People, and a Dream
Every once in a while, whether you’re in Charleston or Seoul, Rome or Busan, or your favorite vacation spot in between, you stumble upon a restaurant that’s much more than just a place to get…
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Photographing Korean War Veterans – An Unfinished Mission
It was one of those days that goes above and beyond your expectations. Walking toward a restaurant last week with a Korean friend who would be my interpreter for the evening, I wasn’t sure what…
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Veterans Day 2017 – A Message from Seoul
Today, in tribute to all veterans and in honor of my grandfather, Colonel Edward H. Forney, USMC, I’m posting a speech he made at the Marine Corps Birthday Ball in Seoul, South Korea on November…
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Trump’s First Visit to Korea
It’s always fun to write a piece for The Korea Times, and when I was asked to contribute my views on Trump’s upcoming visit I jumped on the opportunity. As I point out in my article…
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Remembering Chosin
It’s a pivotal event of the 20th century. An experience so monumental that it has come to represent, even encapsulate, the ongoing struggle between the forces of oppression, tyranny, and authoritarianism and those who believe…
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Ever Been to a Skygarden?
Until this morning if anyone had asked me, “Have you ever been to a skygarden?” the answer would have been a quizzical, “Don’t think so,” followed by, “What’s a skygarden?” Now I know. Today, as…
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The Domino Effect
As joint ROK/US military drills begin off the coast of Korea and Kim Jong-un revives his threats against Guam, people around the world are understandably concerned. No one knows what will happen next. With Rex…
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The “Great Alphabet”
It’s time for another holiday in South Korea. Tomorrow, October 9, is “Hangeul Day,” a day set aside to appreciate and honor the Korean alphabet, known as “Hangeul” or the “Great Alphabet” (han (한) means “great”…
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For the love of SPAM
Today is the second most important holiday in Korea. It’s called Chuseok (pronounced chew-suk), and it’s the equivalent of Thanksgiving Day in America. We’re celebrating our third Chuseok in Korea, and we love it. Good food, time…
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The High Cost of Freedom
Riding the metro through Seoul last Thursday, I crossed the Han River and was treated to a spectacular view of the city. A seemingly endless array of high-rise offices, apartments, department stores, and eclectic smaller…
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Kyung Hee University and the 36th UN International Day of Peace
Thirty-six years ago – while Americans flocked to the theater to see the first “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” Prince Charles and Lady Diana married, Hosni Mubarak became president of Egypt, and I struggled through my…
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A Famous Landing and an Infamous Missile Launch
Yesterday, the 67th anniversary of the Inchon Landing, was a particularly memorable Friday. For South Koreans, the commemoration of one of the boldest, most successful amphibious operations in military history began with a typical early-morning…
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Honoring Our POW/MIA’s – You Are Not Forgotten
As a school kid in the 1970’s, I remember seeing the six letters “POW” and “MIA” on bumper stickers, billboards, and flags and wondering, “What do they mean?” and “Does it stand for something, or is…
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Long Live the Lane Victory!
She’s a survivor. SS Lane Victory, one of 534 “Victory” class cargo ships built during World War II, has a proud and storied history. From trans-Pacific operations during the final months of World War II,…
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North Korean Manmade Earthquake Reshapes the World
South Korean decontamination crews rehearsing for the worst. (Reuters) It was one of those days. After waking up and making coffee, I scrolled through the top stories on my iPad’s “News” icon. North Korea was…
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We Surround You – Surrender and Survive
In the opening scene of Christopher Dolan’s Dunkirk, Nazi propaganda leaflets, thrown from German planes, reign down on a small group of British soldiers walking through a deserted French street near the beaches of Dunkirk.…
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