Grateful for midnight air raids

Whenever I encounter opportunities to attend U.S. Air Force gatherings or interact with its personnel, a profound gratitude surfaces in my heart — a blessing that extends to my family, spanning my great-grandmother, grandparents, parents, and five siblings. This gratitude finds its roots in August 1950, amidst the throes of the Korean War, when Seoul fell to North Korean forces.

The relentless U.S. airstrikes against the enemy were a beacon of hope in those turbulent times. Recently, on October 2nd, I was honored to attend the 79th USAF Ball, organized by the Korea-America Association (KAA) at Lotte Hotel World under the auspices of the 7th Air Force and Lieutenant General David G. Shoemaker. Among the approximately 500 military and civilian attendees, I found myself reminiscing about those harrowing days.

Also on May 17, 2019, I embarked on a day-long tour of Osan Air Base, an invitation extended by then-Commander Kenneth WIlsbach to 24 members of the KAA. These occasions allowed me to vividly relive the memories of my childhood. During the North Korean occupation, my father, then just 35 years old, was enlisted into the Cultural Maneuvering Squads, a grim reality that sentenced him to fight against South Korea.