[REVIEW] 'The Tree at Panmunjom' vividly revisits 1976 tensions
In the summer of 1976, a soldier fresh out of basic training named Bill Davis arrives in Korea and finds himself assigned to Camp Kitty Hawk just before serving a tense 24-hour shift at the nearby Demilitarized Zone’s (DMZ) Joint Security Area (JSA). Given the opportunity to ask questions, the one he poses is, “How long before this starts feeling normal?” The reply, “I’ll let you know when it…
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In 1976, a brand new soldier named Bill Davis was posted to Camp Kitty Hawk, just before being assigned to a tense 24-hour duty at the nearby Demilitarized Zone’s (DMZ) Joint Security Area (JSA). When asked how long it would take for the situation to feel normal, he received a curt response: “You’ll know when it does. Normal isn’t part of the package.” This sets the tone for Jeffrey Miller’s latest novel, The Tree at Panmunjom, which vividly depicts the events that led to Camp Kitty Hawk being renamed Camp Bonifas.
On August 18, 1976, an operation to prune a tree in the JSA took a tragic turn when two American officers, Captain Arthur Bonifas and First Lieutenant Mark Barrett, were murdered by North Korean forces. This incident would forever change the name of the camp where the unfortunate event occurred.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- [REVIEW] 'The Tree at Panmunjom' vividly revisits 1976 tensions koreatimes.co.kr
