Heartbreaks, Prosecution, and Retribution

Chapter 11 : The Year of 2004'

While waiting in the seating area at the airport, I noticed that I was going on the flight with two other soldiers from my last unit. They too were also going to Korea. Both of them got promoted during the time at Ft. Myer to Sergeant. I, however, was only promotable. I was told that going to the promotion board before I PCS'd would be a good idea instead of getting to a new location and getting re-evaluated in my work.

The flight to Korea was quite annoying. I had to catch two connecting flights. It was a long journey. I had to fly back to the East Coast then catch a flight from there across Canada over Alaska and then down to Korea. After I boarded the Korean flight, it was around twelve hours of continuous flying. This was quite boring since it was twelve hours of practically sitting restlessly. But since I was seated near my two fellow colleagues, we did talk here and there on the trip. I found out that both of them had pin-point orders which told them where they were going, but for me, I was just directed by my orders to go to reception. From there I would get my actual unit assignment.

Once landed in Korea, it all had begun. My initial arrival there was filled with sadness and depression because I left my family. I got there on a Friday night. I had to stay in a hotel for the weekend. Well, at least it was paid for by the military.

Since my pin-point orders were not yet appointed to me, I had to wait until the following Monday. Once I got settled into my hotel room, I started to observe the settings. Everything in the room just seemed slightly different than an American hotel, but the same nonetheless. Of course, I came from a small country town in Kansas so I didn't have much variety to really compare it to. The hotel was supposed to be equivalent to a three-star hotel, but it didn't seem any classier than an economical hotel room.

It was a different atmosphere here. The air was tinged with an ever so faint odor, not necessarily bad just different. Like someone from the country traveling to the city or vice versa, the change of smell. The location of the hotel was off called post which was on the main strip in Itaewon. The street was filled with vendors and clubs. When you walk down the sidewalk, nearly every vendor would try to sell you anything from sunglasses to clothing apparel. They even attempt to sell you knock off clothing, such fake name brand products from America. This place was a tourist attraction here in Seoul. They did, however, have a Burger King, KFC, a Subway and a McDonald's on that strip. I ate at those locations quite often at first.

That Sunday, the day before I got ready to be processed into my new unit, I called back home just to hear their voices. Someone picked up the phone answering "hello" a general salutation. It was my dad.

I replied, "Hi, Dad, It's me!"

"Oh, thank God!" he said if sounding a bit sad from something happening after my recognition over the phone.

"What's wrong?" I replied. He responded, "It is Jessica; she got injured. She got hospitalized because she stepped on an unsecured manhole cover." My dad continued, "She was walking through her sister's front yard to get to the car. As she was walking, not paying attention, she steps on and through the manhole. When she stepped on it, all of her weight went on one side pushing half of the cover down and the other side up. The force on that leg caused her to fracture her tibia, and when the edge of the cover came up it sliced the inner portion of her thigh upwards towards her pelvic area."

As soon I heard that I was emotionally broken knowing I couldn't be there. My initial arrival here in a foreign country wasn't pleasant. Now I'm not only away from my family but have an injured wife as well whom I couldn't be there for. I just wanted to go home mainly to support my wife. It is rough leaving my family again but also knowing I had a year tour here. I could not see them, except on leave. One year is a long wait, though it isn't going to be too bad, it will go by fast, I tell myself. It was just the initial separation and getting adjusted.