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The difference between the Koreans and the South Vietnamese was like
night and day. The Korean commander immediately agreed to give us all
possible support within his authority. By nightfall the same day, he had sent
a subordinate officer to work out the details, and I went to sleep that night
for the first time with a feeling of confidence. Our relationship continued to
improve throughout my time there. On the day I left, the Korean commander
presented me with a bottle of InSam Ju (wine with a Korean Ginseng root in
the bottle) as a departure present. As I wished this fine officer a fond fare-
well, I sensed the loss of a good friend and reliable ally, a feeling that was to
grow as I had more experience with Koreans in the years to come.
Upon returning to the United States, I faced an important decision. I had
been in the army for seven years. Along with many of my comrades, I had
become disillusioned by the Vietnam War. Most of us were in our middle to
late twenties, old enough and smart enough to have private doubts about
our government’s involvement there, yet we had been determined to do our
duty as officers and soldiers. We felt we had achieved that goal while endur-
ing the frustrations caused by severe restrictions on our operations, work-
ing with a less than ideal indigenous ally, and the lack of public support for
the war. We also believed that we deserved better upon our return than the
mixed reception we received from our government and the American people.
I almost decided to leave the army and return to civilian life, but at the last
minute changed my mind.
Earlier I had heard of an experimental army program in which certain
officers with skills in politics, language aptitude, and other diplomatic-type
skills could enter a special training program. This was designed to train se-
lected officers for duty that required close and continuous contact with for-
eign countries and their military. Usually such officers were assigned to
high-level staff duty or to embassy duty, advising senior officers or civilian
officials on policy concerning their respective countries. After some thought,
I decided to apply for the program and to stay in the army if accepted. Each
applicant was allowed to select three countries, in order of preference. I
thought carefully about which countries were the most interesting and pro-
vided the most possibility for an army officer to have a satisfying and reward-
ing career. I then wrote as my three choices, in order, Korea, China, and Japan.
I was soon notified that I was awarded my first choice and eagerly began to
prepare for training as a Korea specialist. Later I learned that I had been the
first officer selected for the Korean Foreign Area Specialist (FAS) Program.
If my first assignment in Korea had made me wish for better preparation
prior to assignment, the rigorous training of the FAS program satisfied all