Out of here!

Alright ya'll ... tomorrow is the big day! I leave Atlanta bound for Osan AB, Korea and then head to Misawa AB, Japan - all for the next three weeks. Ah ... the joys of being an international traveler!

Korean: Annyong-hi kashipshio
Japanese: Itte rasshai
English: Good bye (see you soon)

[coolbeans326]

will you being going to any theme parks whilest in Japan?

Don't forget to pay for SixFlagFiesta's spelling lessons [;)]

Just one thing TJ why are you ecited to get out of here? The wheather? Stupid justice system? What?

RR, no, just the chance to travel overseas.
SF, I have those numbers written down on the inside of the balloon I swallowed.
Matt, I don't have that much cash on me.
CB, I may try if I have time -- that is certainly a possibility!

[Oscar]

SO finally INS catches up with you and is deporting pieces of you to their rightly places

bye have fun [:D]

at Slap.
Yes, and of course, I gave them your name as well -- see you soon.


PS - 14 hours on a plane sucks.

[jayman]

yeah? try 28.. yes 28, on a c-141 what is it with your guys? we'd land for fuel and they wouldn't let us off the friggin plane.. AND WHAT THE HELL WERE WE DOING STOPPING IN BOM -FRIGGIN -BAY? and those jump seats SUCK!!!! have fun.........

I flew Delta over here. And "what is with us" is the fact that once you are on a government plane, you are secure and treated like luggage, so enjoy your free flight and hush.

Have fun! You should've booked with Travelocity and traveled with the roaming gnome! lol

[Brtnboarder495]

Have fun!

Yeah, I hope the weather is better. You'll probably be able to still post, am I correct?

[jayman]

Originally posted by TConwell

I flew Delta over here. And "what is with us" is the fact that once you are on a government plane, you are secure and treated like luggage, so enjoy your free flight and hush.

enjoy what ? the veiw? there was no windows!!!!![lol][lol][lol][lol] can't beat the price though, except that you don't get to choose where you go!!

At some point I will post a very long trip report of my experiences at the Demilitarized Zone and of course the Demarkation Line yesterday in Panmunjeom, Korea. Truly, this was the most incredible experience I have had to date in my 16 year military career!! I will not have pictures of the day uploaded until I get back to the states after the 21st of August, but I will say that if you are ever in this area, you MUST make the trip to this historic location. Standing where heroes have sacrificed with their lives and others still stand guard today will change your perspective forever of the events of the Korean War and why our presence is mandatory to the survival of peace in that region.

Edit:

This is not my whole TR, but it is some info to get things rolling.

When we went to the actual border we were briefed VERY heavy to not make any gestures, remarks, or do anything at or towards the North Koreans. Those idiots, following their leaders assinine thought process of course, are looking for anything to say we did something to provoke them. Even though they stand there and make throat slashing gestures, laugh at us, or even spit in our face - we can do nothing in return. They do not believe they should follow any rules of engagement, and if we say we do, then we have to do it ALL the way and never give them any ammunition.

When we got to the border, there were no less than 8 cameras on us, recording at all times and we were told those images would be studied for DAYS to look for anything that they could use against us or the ROK (Republic of Korea). It is messed up I know - but that is the price you pay when dealing with China's gloryhole (and yes, the pun is intended there).

Here is a picture I found from the web:



The tall building in the center is the North Korean headquarters and you can see one soldier standing out in front of it, and the cameras on top of the building. The soldier standing in the front is briefing the tourists and behind him is "Conference Road". The other soldiers (backs to you) are the ROK soldiers who's motto is: "Standing in front of them all." These guys are bad arses, and they are all multi-degree black belts in something. They are the FIRST defense against the North. You will notice the one on the right is standing in what is called ROK Ready, which is a modified Judo stance and he only shows half of his body, this is to give the North a smaller target to shoot at should they want to do that. The other soldier is his superior and he walks between the buildings all day moving back and forth and checking on the soldiers who are standing guard.

If you look between the buildings you will see a concrete slab that runs across between them -- that is THE demarkation line which divides North and South and runs the length of the country. If you cross it, you are fair game to the North, and they have every right to come get you and drag you back with them. As you can only see one guard, the rest are standing behind the buildings and not interested in showing themselves. You can see building T-3, and to the left of that is T-2 where the North Koreans signed the Peace Accord to end the war.

The silence there is deafening ... it is almost sacred it is so quiet, and honestly, they just stand there and look at one another, all day, every day - ready to fight tonight.

*NOTE* You can always search for Panmunjom on Google and read to your hearts content as well, but I'll get more information as I am able.

More to follow when I am able, cheers.

wow thats kinda creepy

Note to the world .... Japan is boring and basically sucks, in my opinion.

Man, that does look harsh...my dad's heading to South Korea at the end of the month, so this makes me interested towards his travels.