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My first thought was for his parents and how his action has shattered their lives forever. There will be no moving forward from this for them. They know his self destructive move will lead to horrors no on can really imagine. Think of what dear leader does to his own people. This is a nightmare from which this family will never recover...
What were his motives? Was it just an impulsive move from a young male brain, was it evidence of approaching mental illness or was he just plain naive, entitled and figuring it was a lark? Sadly we probably will not hear from him again. What a heartbreaking event that did not have to happen.
I read an article where his uncle was quoted saying the young soldier had been "breaking down" emotionally over the death of his 7-year-old cousin in February after a prolonged hospitalization for an untreatable genetic disorder. He was upset that he couldn't be there since he was overseas. Sounds like mental illness to me.
I read an article where his uncle was quoted saying the young soldier had been "breaking down" emotionally over the death of his 7-year-old cousin in February after a prolonged hospitalization for an untreatable genetic disorder. He was upset that he couldn't be there since he was overseas. Sounds like mental illness to me.
It does sound like mental illness to me as well. They also said he was laughing as he crossed the border so he may have been hallucinating. I know. Far fetched but it does happen. Could have been a first episode of psychosis. He is the right age for psychosis to occur with the stress of the death at home, the stress of being in the military and the stress of being in a foreign country. Wonder if there is any family history of mental illness. It can crop up without it of course.
My first thought was for his parents and how his action has shattered their lives forever. There will be no moving forward from this for them. They know his self destructive move will lead to horrors no on can really imagine. Think of what dear leader does to his own people. This is a nightmare from which this family will never recover...
What were his motives? Was it just an impulsive move from a young male brain, was it evidence of approaching mental illness or was he just plain naive, entitled and figuring it was a lark? Sadly we probably will not hear from him again. What a heartbreaking event that did not have to happen.
Guess we have to hope for a miracle on this one.
Exactly I feel very bad for them. My second thoughts were what were the orders given to the escorts that were assigned to him. I have a hard time believing that they had orders to just drop him off at the door and allow him to walk in. Especially given his time in incarceration in a S Korean jail. Someone is going to be having to answer to those questions.
Exactly I feel very bad for them. My second thoughts were what were the orders given to the escorts that were assigned to him. I have a hard time believing that they had orders to just drop him off at the door and allow him to walk in. Especially given his time in incarceration in a S Korean jail. Someone is going to be having to answer to those questions.
He flew out of Incheon, not the military pax terminal at Osan. So once he goes through the entrance to immigration, only passengers are allowed inside there. The escorts would not have been allowed.
If he would’ve been deemed a flight risk, they would’ve sent him back to Seattle on the rotator, while escorting him the whole way to his home base in CONUS.
Hindsight is 20/20, and it seems obvious now that they shouldn’t have let him go in alone to immigration.
What’s ironic is that I have actually done this type of task before, although not in Korea. I was in the Middle East and I dropped off a guy at the international airport for a flight back to CONUS. He had gotten into trouble, he knew he was in serious trouble, and there were people going to be waiting when he landed to take him into custody.
All I did was drop him off at the airport, I didn’t even go inside while he was getting his ticket. Anyway, he did get on the flight and they arrested him upon arrival in the US. But now that I think about it, he could’ve ran away after I dropped him off. That would’ve been crazy, but I don’t feel like it would’ve been my fault if he ran and then perhaps tried to make it to Iran or some kind of nonsense like that.
I was directed to drop him at the airport. I wasn’t directed to watch him in case he made a break for it. But if that had happened, that would’ve been surreal to read posts on boards like this one where people would call me an idiot for not making sure he didn’t sneak off. Haha!
He flew out of Incheon, not the military pax terminal at Osan. So once he goes through the entrance to immigration, only passengers are allowed inside there. The escorts would not have been allowed.
If he would’ve been deemed a flight risk, they would’ve sent him back to Seattle on the rotator, while escorting him the whole way to his home base in CONUS.
Hindsight is 20/20, and it seems obvious now that they shouldn’t have let him go in alone to immigration.
What’s ironic is that I have actually done this type of task before, although not in Korea. I was in the Middle East and I dropped off a guy at the international airport for a flight back to CONUS. He had gotten into trouble, he knew he was in serious trouble, and there were people going to be waiting when he landed to take him into custody.
All I did was drop him off at the airport, I didn’t even go inside while he was getting his ticket. Anyway, he did get on the flight and they arrested him upon arrival in the US. But now that I think about it, he could’ve ran away after I dropped him off. That would’ve been crazy, but I don’t feel like it would’ve been my fault if he ran and then perhaps tried to make it to Iran or some kind of nonsense like that.
I was directed to drop him at the airport. I wasn’t directed to watch him in case he made a break for it. But if that had happened, that would’ve been surreal to read posts on boards like this one where people would call me an idiot for not making sure he didn’t sneak off. Haha!
In this case with SOFA and considering his previous history of incarceration I am sure that a proper escort could have been requested. I was not MP but I did logistics and I was a 1SG. It would be what I would be thinking on. We had provided escorts from our unit in Iraq. An E7 went home with a unit member. Anyway on this kid, I do not know what his actual status was but I certainly would not want to be in this investigation. Someone will answer and proceedures will change. It will be updated in the SOP. This will especially be the case if this young man returns to be interred. I am not having a good feeling about this one too. I remember my first tour in 1976. I was there after two US officers were killed in the DMZ. The brutality of their deaths gives me chills.
I have flown the DMZ (Numerous times, not a Pilot but a CE/FE/FI/SI on the CH-47) from the East to West and backwards, I have even seen the flag pole for the North Korean Flag, and the DMZ is very accessible to either side, sooooo, it can be done.
So once he goes through the entrance to immigration, only passengers are allowed inside there. The escorts would not have been allowed.
Not sure I agree with this either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WK91
If he would’ve been deemed a flight risk, they would’ve sent him back to Seattle on the rotator, while escorting him the whole way to his home base in CONUS.
Again, no rotator, what was the time frame you were in? BTW
Quote:
Originally Posted by WK91
Hindsight is 20/20, and it seems obvious now that they shouldn’t have let him go in alone to immigration.
Again, unless you can show us where he was let go prior to immigration, that would be great.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WK91
What’s ironic is that I have actually done this type of task before, although not in Korea. I was in the Middle East and I dropped off a guy at the international airport for a flight back to CONUS. He had gotten into trouble, he knew he was in serious trouble, and there were people going to be waiting when he landed to take him into custody.
So, you did not go through immigration with him and let him go all because he knew people would be waiting for him? Knowingly he had done something wrong? What vehicle did you drop him off in and what airport, in the ME?
Quote:
Originally Posted by WK91
All I did was drop him off at the airport, I didn’t even go inside while he was getting his ticket. Anyway, he did get on the flight and they arrested him upon arrival in the US. But now that I think about it, he could’ve ran away after I dropped him off. That would’ve been crazy, but I don’t feel like it would’ve been my fault if he ran and then perhaps tried to make it to Iran or some kind of nonsense like that.
Why do you keep shooting holes in your prior comments?
So, lets make this very clear, you took a person to the airport that had broken the law either on base of off, which he was be arrested. They gave this person to you and said....just take him to the airport and drop him off?
Quote:
Originally Posted by WK91
I was directed to drop him at the airport. I wasn’t directed to watch him in case he made a break for it. But if that had happened, that would’ve been surreal to read posts on boards like this one where people would call me an idiot for not making sure he didn’t sneak off. Haha!
I really hope you entire post above was a Haha!
Again, when did you serve in Korea and what was your rank?
Again, no rotator, what was the time frame you were in? BTW
Again, unless you can show us where he was let go prior to immigration, that would be great.
So, you did not go through immigration with him and let him go all because he knew people would be waiting for him? Knowingly he had done something wrong? What vehicle did you drop him off in and what airport, in the ME?
Why do you keep shooting holes in your prior comments?
So, lets make this very clear, you took a person to the airport that had broken the law either on base of off, which he was be arrested. They gave this person to you and said....just take him to the airport and drop him off?
I really hope you entire post above was a Haha!
Again, when did you serve in Korea and what was your rank?
Let me address your points as you appear to be lost.
1) anybody can come and go from Inchon Airport. There are civilian busses leaving to go anywhere in the country. They are very cheap to ride, too.
2) If you aren’t aware of the rotator that lands at Osan, I don’t know where to go from here? There’s an AMC counter at SeaTac if you want to do some research.
3) Have you ever flown out of Inchon? I have many times. They don’t allow non-passengers into immigration.
4). True, I don’t know where he was let off. My assumption is that they escorted him to immigration, but they might’ve just dropped him at the airport like I did in my story.
5). I’m not going to go into detail on my similar experience in the Middle East. If you don’t want to believe it happened, that’s fine, I don’t care. But to sum up, I dropped someone off at the curb of an international airport in the Middle East, who was met at his destination and taken into custody. I will not elaborate further, sorry. I don’t feel like this is a proper forum to discuss intricate details of a situation like that.
6) I’m a retired MSgt and I did 3 separate tours in Korea, all at Osan, for a total of 7 years in country. The first year I was there was 1997, and the last year I was there was 2013.
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