SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22
The President will attend church services at the Yongsan Air
Base. Following services, the President will depart for the Korean Training
Center (KTC). The KTC is a Multi-Purpose Range Complex facility near the
Demilitarized Zone where both American and Korean troops stand guard. The
complex supports a multitude of combat vehicles and equipment, including Apache
attack helicopters, M-1 Abrams tanks, and Bradley Fighting Vehicles. At KTC,
the President will visit with troops and share a MRE ("Meals-Ready-to-Eat")
lunch.
The President will next travel to Osan Air Force Base to
address base personnel and their families. Osan Air Base, named after the
village six miles north of the base site, is located 45 miles south of Seoul,
Korea. It was established in late 1952 during the Korean War. Four villages
were relocated to provide the land Osan now occupies. Originally called K-55,
Osan is the only base in Korea built by American forces.
The land on and surrounding Osan has a claim to fame in
military history. Many hotly contested battles were fought here during the
Korean war. It was just a few miles north of here that United States forces
first engaged enemy forces in ground combat during the summer of 1950. The
314th Air Division headquarters building is located at the base of Hill 180,
site of a bloody bayonet charge.
Prior to becoming an airbase, an Army regiment was housed here.
An advance party of the 18th Fighter Bomber Wing was the first to arrive at
Osan, setting the stage for full-scale air operations to support ground forces
during the war. The village of Chap Pong Nee was relocated to make room for the
Fifth Air Force.
The President stays in Seoul Sunday night before departing
for Washington, DC via Guam Monday morning. |