by Larry Bond
Standing at one end of the line, Kevin tried not to smile too broadly as Rhee received Korea’s highest military honor. One was supposed to maintain proper decorum at these events. Rhee’s deputy was next. Then several enlisted soldiers who had done some extraordinary things during the fight. As the sole American, he was okay with being last.
There was a reception after the awards ceremony in the mess tent, which had been decorated with oversize Korean flags and the insignia of the Ninth Special Forces Brigade. Curiously, a DPRK flag, somewhat tattered, occupied a place of honor. It was a trophy that been taken from the missile complex before it was destroyed, and was headed straight to a museum after today’s festivities.
There were two crowds in the tent—one surrounding Rhee and the other at the refreshment table. It had been hot under the sun, and Kevin decided rehydration had priority. His rank as well as his recent award gave him an edge, and he managed to redeploy with a cool drink to a quieter part of the tent.
General Tae had chosen the same tactic, and when he saw Kevin approaching, he smiled broadly and offered his hand. “Congratulations on your award, Colonel.”
“And to you on your success at the airfield, General. It’s much better to have you as an ally than as an opponent.”
Tae acknowledged the remark with a raised glass, then quietly asked, “But will America be an ally to all of Korea? The North was your enemy for over seventy years.”
“Americans were always able to distinguish the Kim government from the Korean people.” Little shrugged. “If you want to take the long view, when the peninsula was divided in 1945, the Soviets promised to hold elections in the north. That never happened, and the first Kim came to power. Now, three or four generations later, the North Korean people will finally get a chance to have that vote.”
The general nodded agreement. “It will be an interesting experience for everyone.” He paused thoughtfully, and asked, “I’m hearing a lot about the South Korean democratic system, but I’d like to know more. Would visiting America help me learn more about politics?”
Kevin was taking a drink, and a little of it went down the wrong way. He coughed, but recovered quickly. “Are you thinking of going into politics?” In the process of translating that question from English into Korean, Kevin tried to mask some of his surprise at the idea.
“Not right away. I believe the military government will have to run things for several years. Actually, President An just asked me if I’d delay my retirement and take part in the negotiations with China, representing the interests of the Northerners.”
“Politics is all about give and take, General,” Kevin answered brightly. “And the talks are in Tokyo. Japanese-style democracy is very different from both Korean and American.”
“Good point,” Tae agreed. The general looked at something past Kevin’s shoulder, and he turned to see Rhee standing there.
The colonel took care to greet General Tae before his old comrade, but then he slapped Kevin’s shoulder. “Congratulations on your award, Kevin! Third Class, Chungmu Cordon! That’s like the American Silver Star. You should be proud.”
“I am,” Kevin answered, “but I’m especially glad for you. That medal makes you untouchable.” He turned to Tae. “There were some high-ranking officers in the ROK Army who were upset with a mere colonel treating with a three-star general.”
Tae laughed. “Generals, jealous? Who ever heard of such a preposterous thing?”
“Actually, it’s no longer a problem,” Rhee said, and showed them a small white box. He opened it and they saw two silver stars, one for each shoulder.
“Brigadier General!” Kevin remarked happily.
Rhee grinned. “General Sohn just handed them to me. He says if I’m going to act like a general, they might as well make me one.”
Kevin saluted his friend, and Tae shook his hand warmly. “This is not too far from where we shook hands for the first time,” Tae remarked.
“We’ve covered a lot of ground since then,” Little commented.
“We’re here because of you, General Tae,” Rhee said. He touched his medal. “This belongs to you as much as me.”
Tae accepted the compliment with a smile. “We had a different awards system in the KPA. Not getting shot was popular.”
25 September 2015, 11:00 a.m. local time
Lake Taesong, United Han Republic
They’d borrowed an army jeep, driving from the port city of Nampo northeast, back toward Pyongyang. Restrictions on civilian traffic had been lifted now that all the areas affected by chemicals had been marked, and the main roads cleared of unexploded ordnance.
The roads were busy, but a good deal of it was still foot traffic. Kary saw vehicles with Southern license plates mixed with the military transports. Only a few Northern vehicles were on the road. She knew gasoline was still very precious.
Civilians plodded along on either side. She studied them, trying to guess their story. A local farmer? A mother and child looking for the rest of their family? She saw several demobilized soldiers, probably headed for home and hoping it was still there.
Cho turned off the main road and headed northwest, keeping the city on their right. The two-lane road was less traveled, but there were scattered clusters of farm buildings. They drove for no more than a few kilometers and she saw they were headed for a line of low hills.
Curiosity building, she finally said, “I still don’t know where we’re going or why.”
“We’re almost there,” he answered, and the road curved around a low hill, paralleling a small river. The river and road both reached a lake and they drove along the shore for few minutes, before stopping near a ruined house. Built on the hillside, it had suffered a fire or other damage, and looked long abandoned. Several small trees were growing inside the outlines of its foundation.
He parked the jeep and got out carefully, favoring his left leg and using the crutch as Kary had taught him. He reached out with his free hand and beckoned, “Please, come.”
She nodded and followed, trusting that he would eventually explain.
Traces of a path led up to the house. The closer she got to the structure, the worse it looked. The masonry walls were shattered, as well as blackened by fire. The tallest part of the ruin was no more than a meter high.
They stopped near what was once an entranceway, and Cho announced simply, “This was my house. This was where I lived as a child.”
Kary, surprised but also shocked at the extent of the ruin, asked, “Did this happen when you . . .”
“No,” Cho answered. “We were simply taken away. But years later, on one of my first missions for the Russians, I was near Pyongyang, and I came back here. We’d been forced to abandon almost everything when we were arrested. I suppose I wanted to find some relic, maybe something my mother had owned. I found the house like this. The army had used explosives to level the place, then set everything on fire. I spent a few hours picking through the rubble, but couldn’t find anything. They probably looted it first.”
Kary tried to imagine the pain Cho had felt back then, the hurt he must still feel. She hugged his arm, searching for words, but could only say, “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Cho answered. “This is what my life felt like until I found something better, something to live for.”
Kary could only hug him even more tightly. She fought to control what would be tears of happiness, but she knew once she started, it would be very hard to stop.
“I want to build our house right here,” he announced. “This was the last place I could call home. We’ll tear out all the wreckage, then build a place for us.” After a moment, he added, “Once we clear the site, I’d like to have a shaman perform a kut. Would that bother you?”
Swallowing hard, she answered, “Of course not. This sounds wonderful, but what about the mission? You know I want to rebuild that.”
“What mission? You mean the new full-sized hospital, school, and church? Your CFK organization did so much in
spite of the Kims, I’m curious to see how much they’ll be able to accomplish now.” He paused for a moment, and became more serious.
“You know you can’t rebuild at Sinan. The village is empty, and it’s contaminated. But there’s plenty of room to build right here. Actually,” he said, pointing back down the road, “back there a few hundred meters. Room for everything, and to grow after that. I’ve already surveyed the site.”
“What?” she exclaimed. “Is that what you have been doing the past few days? And what do you mean ‘surveyed’?”
“I’ve talked to a few people, and I’m starting a construction company.” He grinned. “It’s a growth industry, don’t you know?”
Korean Language Terms
Ajumma A respectful term for a middle-aged woman.
Dongji “Comrade”, referring to someone of higher social standing.
Dongmu “Comrade”, referring to someone of equal or lower social standing.
Halmeonim Grandmother
Oppa “Older Brother,” literally and figuratively. Used by women only.
-seonsaengnim A respectful term used for a doctor or teacher
-ssi Honorific used between people of the same social status
-yang Similar to –ssi, but for unmarried women/female minors only.
Glossary
AA: Antiaircraft
AAA: Antiaircraft artillery
AEW: Airborne early warning
AH-1F Cobra: US attack helicopter.
AH-64D Apache: US attack helicopter.
AIM-9X Sidewinder: US infrared-guided air-to-air missile.
AKM: Russian Kalashnikov modernized automatic rifle.
APC: Armored personnel carrier
ASAP: As soon as possible
AT-3 Sagger: Soviet first generation anti-tank guide missile.
AT-4 Spigot: Soviet second generation anti-tank guided missile.
ATGM: Anti-tank guided missile
BM-11: North Korean rocket launcher based on the BM-21.
BM-21: Soviet 122mm rocket launcher.
BM-24: Soviet 240mm rocket launcher.
BM-25: aka Musudan, a North Korean intermediate range ballistic missile.
BTR-60: Soviet 1960s era eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier.
BVS-1: US Navy submarine optronic mast, replaces an optical periscope.
C-130: US transport aircraft.
CCP: Chinese Communist Party
CEP: Circular error probable, basic measure of a weapon’s accuracy.
CFC: Combined Forces Command
CFK: Christian Friends of Korea
Chonma-ho: North Korean main battle tank based on the Soviet T-62.
CIA: Central Intelligence Agency
CIC: Combat information center
CMC: Central Military Commission
CNN: Cable News Network
CNO: Chief of Naval Operations
CO: Commanding officer
CP: Command post
CT: Cryptologic technician
CTML: Conventional twelve-mile limit
DF-5: Chinese Dong-Feng (East Wind) 5 intercontinental ballistic missile.
DGPS: Differential global positioning system
DMZ: Demilitarized Zone
DPI: Designated point of impact
DPRK: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
E-3C Sentry: US Air Force airborne early warning and control aircraft.
E-8C JSTARS: US Air Force ground surveillance, command and control aircraft. JSTARS stands for joint surveillance target attack radar.
EO: Electro-optical
EMCON: Emission control
ESM: Electronic support measures
ETA: Estimated time of arrival
F-16 Falcon: US fighter-bomber.
F-22 Raptor: US stealth fighter.
FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation
FLASH: Flame assault shoulder weapon
FLIR: Forward looking infrared
FUBAR: Fouled up beyond all recognition (polite definition)
G2: Army command senior intelligence officer.
GAZ: Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod or Gorky Automobile Plant a major Russian automotive manufacturer based in the city of Nizhny Novgorod.
GBU-31: Guided Bomb Unit-31, a 2,000 lb GPS guided bomb.
GBU-38B: Guided Bomb Unit-38B, a 500 lb GPS guided bomb.
GPS: Global positioning system
HEAT: High-explosive anti-tank
HHB: Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion
Humvee: Slang for the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMVV), a four-wheel drive military automobile.
HQ: Headquarters
HUD: Heads up display
Hwaseong-5: aka Scud B, North Korean copy of the Soviet R-17 short-range ballistic missile.
Hwaseong-13: aka KN-08, North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile.
ICC: Integrated command center
IFV: Infantry fighting vehicle
J2: Joint command senior intelligence officer.
J-11: Chinese version of the Russian Su-27SK Flanker fighter.
JAG: Judge Advocate General
JOOD: Junior officer of the deck
JSA: Joint Security Area
JTIDS: Joint tactical information distribution system
K1A1: South Korean main battle tank based on the US M1A1 Abrams.
K2 Black Panther: Advanced South Korean main battle tank.
K21: South Korean infantry fighting vehicle.
Kh-35/SS-N-25 Switchblade: A small Russian anti-ship missile, similar to the US Harpoon.
Klicks: Slang for kilometer.
KN-01: North Korean version of the Soviet export P-20 (SS-N-2A Styx) anti-ship missile.
KN-08: aka Hwaseong-13, North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile.
KPA: Korean People’s Army
KS-30: Soviet heavy 130mm antiaircraft gun.
KWP: Korean Workers’ Party
LCS: Littoral combatant ship
M4A1: A shorter and lighter variant of the US M16A2 assault rifle.
M-46: Soviet 130mm field gun.
Mi-8: 1960s era Soviet transport utility helicopter.
MAC: Military Armistice Commission
MiG-19 Farmer: 1950s era Soviet jet fighter.
MiG-21 Fishbed: 1960s era Soviet jet fighter.
MiG-29 Fulcrum: 1980s era Soviet jet fighter.
MP: Military police
MOPP: Mission oriented protective posture, levels of protective gear used to safeguard personnel in a toxic environment.
MQ-9 Reaper: US armed, unmanned aerial vehicle.
Musudan: aka BM-25, a North Korean intermediate range ballistic missile.
NBC: Nuclear, biological, chemical
NCO: Non-commissioned officer
NK: North Koreans
NIS: Republic of Korea, National Intelligence Service
OOB: Order of battle
OOD: Officer of the deck
OP: Observation post
OPLAN: Operations plan
OPREP-3: US Navy message format used to inform a senior authority of an incident that is of national-level interest.
Osa I: Soviet Project 205 guided missile patrol craft.
P-8: US Navy maritime patrol aircraft.
PAC-2: Patriot Advanced Capability – 2, US Army surface-to-air missile.
PAC-3: Patriot Advanced Capability – 3, US Army surface-to-air missile.
PACOM: US Pacific Command
PLA: People’s Liberation Army
PLAAF: People’s Liberation Army Air Force
PLAN: People’s Liberation Army Navy
Pokpung-ho: North Korean main battle tank based on the Russian T-72 and Chinese Type 88.
PRC: People’s Republic of China
RAM: Rolling airframe missile, US Navy short-range point defense missile.
Rodong-1: aka Nodong, a North Korean medium-range ballistic missile.
ROK: Republic of Korea
RPG: Slang for rocket-propelled grenade. In
Russian, it stands for “handheld antitank grenade launcher.”
S-400: Russian long-range air defense missile system.
SAG: Surface action group
SAM: Surface-to-air missile
Sarin: A nonpersistent nerve agent.
SATCOM: Satellite communications