Eye on Korea_ An Insider Account of Korean-American Relations

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indicates that the continuation and successful completion of the defense-

improvement program is necessary and important, and I hope that those

who abuse their position of responsibility will continue to be exposed and

punished.

Retirement from the Army

In early January, , I was faced with a difficult decision. My assignment

as defense attaché was scheduled to end that summer, and the most likely

next assignment was back to Washington to either a high-level staff job in

the Pentagon or as East Asia bureau chief at the DIA. Neither of these jobs

really appealed to me, and I was anxious to try my hand at something differ-

ent. I had never had the burning ambition to be a general and felt as if I had

already accomplished everything in the army that I wanted; I had enjoyed

an exciting and rewarding military career. After discussing it with my fam-

ily, we decided that I would voluntarily retire from the service that summer.

This was not an easy decision since, including my cadet years, I had worn

an army uniform for thirty-one years. But all good things must come to an

end eventually.

The days leading up to my retirement were busy and passed quickly. It

seemed as if all my friends wanted to provide a farewell party, and I will re-

member those times fondly. There were retirement and award ceremonies

at the embassy, hosted by Ambassador Gregg, and also at the Pentagon af-

ter we returned to Washington. There was also an award ceremony at the

South Korean Embassy in Washington a few weeks later—all in all, I left

active military service with a great deal of satisfaction and contentment.