This place is...

identical to that of Pennsylvania. I say that because it was very warm this past weekend but has dipped to a very cold week. It is good though here, I really like it so far. I just wish Leslie could be here the entire time. With that being said, she will be leaving Phoenix to come visit me soon. I will not say the dates due to security reasons, but it will be a blast when she comes here. I do have a new mode of transportation, my new bike. It's probably maybe a mile where I work, so its a nice ride(just hurts my butt).

I also have some pretty cool pictures of my dorm room. I still haven't got my shipment from the states but have accumulated quite a bit of items. I had to buy a TV, sheets, and a few other items. Other than that, there really hasn't been anything going on. See ya

Around the base...

is where I spent most of all first week walking. Only high ranking NCO's and officers(and there dependants) can drive on the base. There are also taxis all over base but they are driven by the Korean folks. I have a bike given to me by Adam but have yet to ride it. I plan on finding the subway right off base this weekend and would love to do something adventurous. On the right is a picture of just one of the clubs on base named The Mustang Club. There are 4 restaurants, a coffee shop, slot machines and a night club here.

Even though I spent the last 5 years around the F-16 Fighting Falcon, I will be working on the A-10 Warthog while I am here in Korea. It is a little different than the Falcon, however it is tougher and is known as a tank killer. This aircraft really made a name for itself during the first gulf war in 1990. We'll see how that works out.
On the left is a picture of a typical dormitory here at the base. This one is brand new and opened up last year. I have been in the hotel on base called Turumi Lodge and have been quite inpressed. Starting tomorrow I will be in temporary lodging which isn't that bad, but not nearly as nice as the hotel. If anyone wants to come and visit me, they can stay in the lodge. Except Leslie, she is staying with me. I can't wait for my momma to come here in June.

So, where exactly is...

South Korea? Not everyone will be able to locate it on a map if they were required to. It sits just west of Japan and is about the size of Florida. Osan is located 40 miles south of Seoul and 59 miles south of North Korea. There are about 22 million people located around the Seoul area, give or take a couple million I suppose. South Korea is also a booming economically while North Korea continues to sink into a country of poverty and death. It is so pathetic in fact, if you were to see the imagery of the area and surrounding regions, the North Korean capital of Pyongyang is the only city in North Korea that has any electric. Al Gore should hand his peace prize over to Kim Jong-Il for saving all the energy, but all his people are starving in the process( I forgot to mention that earlier). Below is an interesting image.

Please take note the boundaries of the two countries. There is a little speck of light in North Korea. That is Pyongyang, the capitol and residence of the dictator. Now, look south and notice the light coming from South Korea. That my friends is Seoul and the surrounding areas. So you see that the south has really boomed in recent years. It also has a lot of wealthly individuals living there.

Perhaps the most interesting issue with the 2 Korea's is that they went to war in 1950 and signed an armistice in 1953 to end the war. Armistice? An agreement to stop shooting at each other, that's all. They never signed an official peace treaty. So, for the past 55 years there has been an armistice in place but a peace treaty was never signed. This is why Osan is considered a war zone, even though it is as modern as can be. The wacko running the north is unpredictable, but also sane enough to realize that his country would be annihilated if were to do anything foolish. Follow the link to see more http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/country/northkorea.html

Yellow Dust?

You know, pretty much anyway that I have ever been I probably would've sounded nuts if I told people that I am sniffing yellow dust. It's not exactly like it sounds, but it is strange. All over the South Korean Peninsula there is a haze that resides. Its not just any haze, its a yellow haze and it blows down from China and Mongolia. I was informed at one of my in processing briefings that it is pollen and desert dust. I was joking with Adam saying that it is China sending poisonous dust into the air that will slowly kill us in ten years. So far, most of the days have been really hazy, and there is a noticeable chalky taste in my mouth. He is a picture but keep in mind it is late in the afternoon about 5:30.

Today was interesting because I was issued my chemical warfare equipment. However, I have another class coming up where I will actually utilize it. When it is all together it can be pretty heavy, so we'll see how all that goes.

I am trying to talk Adam in to going up north to the DMZ this weekend but he wasn't really all that enthusiastic. I guess this tour is an underground site and it can get pretty cold. So instead I have shifted the focus to visiting Seoul. Not much else going on today but training. I'll update soon again.

A Revelation hit me today...

when I was walking around in this foreign country that I never really thought I would ever be in. I don't really know if I am just naive, optimistic, out of touch with reality or maybe just plain dumb. Let me shift gears here for a minute. One of my favorite movies is "She's the One" starring Ed Burns, Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Aniston. The story goes like this: Mickey is a cab driver in New York and marries a customer after he drives her to New Orleans. He doesn't know her all that well, I mean he only had a few days to talk to her, and discovers that she is planning to move to Paris to finish up her masters degree. This poses an obvious problem for him because he is a proud New Yorker with nothing to fall back on. He makes this statement to her in so many words: Why would I go to France, they don't even like Americans in France. His newly found wife says: That's not true, they just don't like stupid Americans. Mickey's reply is this: Well, unfortunately I would fall into that category as a stupid American. My question is this: Am I just stupid or is it these lame brain idiots I see all over this base who come across as snotty and look the other way when you say hello to them. Let me put like this, I was warned by a friend to be vigilant and on the lookout for gangs on my new base. What??? Gangs??? Are we not in Southeast Asia? I do have a very good friend here, along with his wife, that has been great so far. I know things will get better as it goes along. It is a really nice base here.

I had the opportunity to go outside the gates yesterday. It was very interesting. It almost has a Manhattan feel to it, however, it is really filthy. It is neat to see all the manufacturers around.

Adam and his wife Vicki are scheduled to leave in May. They will be going to Lakenheath, England. That seems like a very cool assignment and I am sure they will have a blast. I walked pretty much all over the base the past couple days and it doesn't appear to be all that overwhelming after all. It is a little scary being located so close to North Korea, but we have been here a very long time and it seems to be somewhat stable. I have a few pictures of the Starbucks we have on base. It is called Rickenbackers and they have fruit, pastries, cheesecake and coffee. It really seems to satisfy my sweet-tooth early in the morning.

My Journey to Korea...

began on 6 March 2008 when I boarded a plane leaving Sky Harbor in Phoenix en route to San Francisco. That was a very difficult time for me leaving my beautiful wife, Leslie, but we have a plan for her to come in June-July. From there I would fly to Seoul, Korea. It was a very interesting flight. We flew up the coast of California through Oregon continuing through Alaska and down around the coast of Siberia through the Sea of Japan and into Korea. Its funny, my first inclination was Seoul looked similiar to Pittsburgh, Pa minus all the neon lighting. After my arrival in Seoul, it was just about a one hour & forty minute drive to Osan AFB (south of Seoul). The flight was about 12 hours from San Fran but was not bad at all. I watched movies like: No Country for old Men, Elizabeth: The Golden Age & Lions for Lambs(which was a very sad case of left coast propaganda). It seemed like they were feeding us every two hours. Those flight attendants really earned their money.
It is now Saturday afternoon and I am watching basketball that is being broadcasted on ESPN at 1025 pm Arizona time. I wonder how long it will take me to adjust to the time difference. The base is a really neat place. I arrived at Osan around 935 pm and had some friends waiting to meet me. I don't have a dorm room yet, but stayed in Adams (my buddy from Luke) room while he stayed with his wife. I woke up to a nice 40 degree day(Korea is on the parallel as Pennsylvania, so the humidity makes feel like an Arizona 55 degrees) and ventured out only to find a Starbucks close by. I am not a fan of the Starbucks coffee, but figured anything will do right now. I also found it peculiar that a place named Rickenbacker's(small little deli selling donuts and fruit) has Cheesecake Factory products available for purchase. What? Even in South Korea you can get Starbucks and Cheesecake Factory.
There is also a place in the same building that has slot machines to play, a sports bar to attend, and two night clubs. Not to mention a barber shop and a little mini-mart. I also had the chance to visit our local BX with a mall close by with many amenities including Subway, Taco bell, Charley's, a seafood shop and many small clothing stores. Like I said earlier, I thought this place looked like Pittsburgh, but never thought it could have as much as it does. All they need here is a Primanti Brothers and I would be really confused. We also have a Chili's, but I have eaten there too much already in Phoenix. I am really excited to get off base to see the shopping and the native city. My next story I will include some pictures for everybody to see. Until then, everybody take care.