When a Panton leaves the 35th Fighter Squadron, we have a party to remember their year or two in the squadron and wish them the best as they move on to their next assignment. We call this party a Sweep, which has many traditions. One of these traditions is the Sweep shirt you see Lana and I in below. This past weekend we had a Sweep, and it's both exciting and sad to realize we'll be "swept" away at the next Sweep in December. As much as there is to dislike about Kunsan, Lana and I have come to enjoy our time here in Asia with the many new friends we have made over the past year on base and from our church. It's been MUCH better now that Lana is with me more due to the fact she's on maternity leave while pregnant.
We will be spending Thanksgiving with some good friends of ours who are stationed at Osan before enjoying a great week in Guam the following week. Upon our return, we'll have 3 weeks to pack up, outprocess the base and celebrate Christmas and New Years together. The 2nd of January we'll be wheels up on a plane bound for the USA...essentially 4 years after I left the USA bound for Italy. God has been good and we're looking forward to what He has for us in the years to come!
Lana and I spent Veteran's Day at Naejangsan National Park (내장산), which is about 1 hour from Kunsan. It was a perfect blue sky day for a hike in the park after the previous few had been filled with clouds and rain. The temperature was pleasant and some of the trees still had their colored leaves on them... shades of red, orange, and yellow. We had such a good time and are a little bummed we didn't do more hiking in the parks around over the past 10 months or so.
After parking, we entered the park and hiked about a mile to the gondola station which ran about 1000' up a small mountain where we had a nice view of the valley below. We also had lunch, even though there wasn't too much we found appetizing...would you like bugs for lunch, seriously?! Since it was such a nice day, we hiked down from the mountain to a temple complex. It was made up of many different buildings, most of which had a idol of Buddha inside and Koreans worshiping. It reminded me of Psalm 115 where is says, "Their idols are silver and gold, the work of man’s hands. They have mouths, but they cannot speak; they have eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but they cannot hear; they have noses, but they cannot smell; they have hands, but they cannot feel; they have feet, but they cannot walk; they cannot make a sound with their throat. Those who make them will become like them, everyone who trusts in them."
It was a great day for Lana and I...it's these days together here in Korea where we appreciate the chance we've had to live in Asia. If the temperature doesn't drop too quickly and we have another spare weekend, we hope to do the same again. Six weeks and counting...
More Pictures:
Naejangsan National Park
Video:
This past weekend Lana and I finally made it to the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. The DMZ was established roughly along the 38th parallel at the end of the Korean War in 1953 and runs the entire width of the peninsula...155 miles. The DMZ is a 4km wide "zone" of land providing a 2km buffer on the north and south sides of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). Each buffer line is marked by a tall fence with barbed wire and observation posts every now and then to sound the alarm in case of an attack from the north.
The main sites we visted were the Joint Security Area (JSA), Dorasan Station and Tunnel 3. The JSA is where high level talks used to take place between Generals of North and South Korea. It has also been the location of a few fights over the years at tensions always are high. Even though it has become a well known tourist attraction, we could even feel the tension in the air while there. Directly across the MDL in the JFA is a well known North Korean building where a lone soldier stands at the top of a set of steps and peers through a set of binoculars every now and then. From the JSA the "Propaganda Village" can also be seen...a town built to make viewers think everything is just fine in the North when in reality people outside the military have it very tough. Dorasan Station is the northern most railway station in South Korea. The tracks actually connect the two countries, but is rarely used. For some, it is a symbol of hope that one day the North and South will be reunited. Towards the end of our trip we visited a Tunnel 3 or the Third Tunnel of Aggression. In all, 4 tunnels have been found crossing underneath the DMZ from the North. It wasn't found until 25 years after the war ended, so it's unknown how many soldiers actually crossed through before it was found.
Touring the DMZ again reminded me of why we still have so many American troops in South Korea. I personally don't think North Korea will attack merely because the leadership isn't willing to give up their control (they would because we'd crush them if a war broke out), but it's not worth gambling with the lives of the South Koreans until they are fully able to take care of themselves.
More Pictures:
Video:
We will be spending Thanksgiving with some good friends of ours who are stationed at Osan before enjoying a great week in Guam the following week. Upon our return, we'll have 3 weeks to pack up, outprocess the base and celebrate Christmas and New Years together. The 2nd of January we'll be wheels up on a plane bound for the USA...essentially 4 years after I left the USA bound for Italy. God has been good and we're looking forward to what He has for us in the years to come!
After parking, we entered the park and hiked about a mile to the gondola station which ran about 1000' up a small mountain where we had a nice view of the valley below. We also had lunch, even though there wasn't too much we found appetizing...would you like bugs for lunch, seriously?! Since it was such a nice day, we hiked down from the mountain to a temple complex. It was made up of many different buildings, most of which had a idol of Buddha inside and Koreans worshiping. It reminded me of Psalm 115 where is says, "Their idols are silver and gold, the work of man’s hands. They have mouths, but they cannot speak; they have eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but they cannot hear; they have noses, but they cannot smell; they have hands, but they cannot feel; they have feet, but they cannot walk; they cannot make a sound with their throat. Those who make them will become like them, everyone who trusts in them."
It was a great day for Lana and I...it's these days together here in Korea where we appreciate the chance we've had to live in Asia. If the temperature doesn't drop too quickly and we have another spare weekend, we hope to do the same again. Six weeks and counting...
The main sites we visted were the Joint Security Area (JSA), Dorasan Station and Tunnel 3. The JSA is where high level talks used to take place between Generals of North and South Korea. It has also been the location of a few fights over the years at tensions always are high. Even though it has become a well known tourist attraction, we could even feel the tension in the air while there. Directly across the MDL in the JFA is a well known North Korean building where a lone soldier stands at the top of a set of steps and peers through a set of binoculars every now and then. From the JSA the "Propaganda Village" can also be seen...a town built to make viewers think everything is just fine in the North when in reality people outside the military have it very tough. Dorasan Station is the northern most railway station in South Korea. The tracks actually connect the two countries, but is rarely used. For some, it is a symbol of hope that one day the North and South will be reunited. Towards the end of our trip we visited a Tunnel 3 or the Third Tunnel of Aggression. In all, 4 tunnels have been found crossing underneath the DMZ from the North. It wasn't found until 25 years after the war ended, so it's unknown how many soldiers actually crossed through before it was found.
Touring the DMZ again reminded me of why we still have so many American troops in South Korea. I personally don't think North Korea will attack merely because the leadership isn't willing to give up their control (they would because we'd crush them if a war broke out), but it's not worth gambling with the lives of the South Koreans until they are fully able to take care of themselves.
