Oh, For Pete’s Sake – “The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves”, Part 2
“Buy me drink, GI?” Well, from now on: if you’re stationed in Korea, in those establishments known as “juicy bars” the answer damn well better be, “Sorry – no.”
How so? Well, it seems that the USFK CG just made that against regulations – and thus unlawful under Article 92, UCMJ.
Why? It seems as if some “juicy bars” were suspected of being a front for, or otherwise associated with, the skin trade.
No! Say it isn’t so! I’m shocked, shocked! Scandal!
Hell, General, I’m guessing that’s been the case since not too long after the first bar of any kind on Earth opened – probably in Ancient Egypt or China. Money talks. And where there’s money to be made, you’ll find practitioners of trade – no matter what trade you’re talking about.
Look, I don’t approve of the skin trade. I think engaging in sex-for-hire, either as a customer or a service provider, is stupid – pathetic, actually. And no, we shouldn’t be encouraging it.
But sometimes, young men with spare $$$ (and at least some young women, too) are gonna go out looking for a temporary “good time”. I don’t care how many stars you have on your shoulder, you’re not going to change 10,000 years or more of human behavior by making a pronouncement from on high. Nor are you going to end the world’s oldest profession by fiat.
In my book, treating the troops as adults plus hammering miscreants when caught would be a far more effective way to deal with this. Hiring a prostitute is already against the UCMJ.
The troops can deal with that; they’re adults, and deserve to be treated as such. Seems like their chain-of-command should be able handle the situation equally well.
But that’s just my opinion – one obviously not shared by the guy currently in charge in Korea. These days, they seem rather to like using mass punishment in the “Land of the Morning Calm” instead of providing their troops adult leadership.
I’m pretty sure the USFK leadership has any number of more important things to worry about than Joe buying a bar girl a drink, anyway. If they don’t . . . well, then maybe they just don’t really need to be Generals any more.
Category: "Teh Stoopid", "The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves", "Your Tax Dollars At Work"
I bet they’re missing JD Thurman about now.
Max’s bro? What’d JD do? Max was an asshole.
JD (no relation to Max) was the last USFK Commander. Served with him in the mid eighties in Germany when he was a Troop Commander in the 11th ACR. Ran into him again in Bamberg when he was 2/2 ACR’s Commander and later after he got his first star. He was old school and led from the front. Good man.
The Thurmanator
Some of the best friends I ever had were PI bar girls. Took care of us Sailors in more ways than one. I swear if I went back to Subic today and if they were still there (kind of hope they’re not), they would remember me, my name and my favorite drink. No shit, GI.
Having said that, they would have stuck me with one of their butterfly knives if I ever called them a hooker. Just points out the complex morality of the PI bar trade.
Anyway, I read this story a couple of days ago. I had to laugh when I read that the chain of command SUSPECTED that some hanky panky was going on outside the gate in the juicy bars. Guess they don’t get out much.
Wasn’t there some scandal about 15 years ago in Korea on an army base (Pyongtaek?) when it was “discovered” that the lady barbers were giving “happy endings?” Talk about service! LOL! You can’t make this stuff up.
Actually, there was even a barber on Yongsan HQ that was full of lady barbers giving “happy endings” as part of the service. Though as I understand, the Officers Wives club on Yongsan didn’t approve, so once they found out, they had it shut down.
At the same time, during exercises they pushed their husbands to change the location of exercise billeting to a Korean Air Base outside of Seoul. It was on Yongsan in Walker Center and every gym n’ racquetball court on the base. However, the officers wives club didn’t like all the military vehicles on the base. (Yes, really. I was told that by an officer’s wife who was a reservist I worked with there. She told us all the little fun things the OWC would pull.)
I’m guessing there were those barbers on every army post in Korea, but even on Yongsan about a 5 minute walk from the 4-star HQs building.
This’ll sound familiar than, shipmate. 🙂
http://goatlocker.org/resources/nav/airdale.htm
LOL! Love it!
Thought ya might. 🙂
That was my Navy. The old “Hairy Navy”.
Looks like Good Times…
When the money dries up in the local community, policy will be revisited.
I was at Clark during the strike in the mid 80s. The base put downtown off limits. After about 30 days of that, the bar girls took matters into their own hands and beat the strikers. Shortly after that, no more strike.
I was never stationed in the PI, but I deployed there a LOT.
I was TAD to NSGA Clark one time for a short while and one of my shipmates told me that you could call downtown to have a girl come visit you on base. He called it “Dial a Hook.” Don’t know if it was a sea story, but having made far too many trips over “Shit River” it wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
Maybe that started when downtown was made off limits.
What…no booze and NO BROADS! How’s a troop to get some lift time? I mean getting your hedge trimmed was the past time of MANY in Vietnam and Thailand.
MSgt. Big Joe from Kelly’s Heroes, would not approve.
What will the whole Hooker Hill area outside Yongsan do?
PX Massage Parlor, on post, in Pusan, was known to offer steam jobs and blow baths. At least that is what I’ve been told!
You have ration card GI?
I worked directly for the CG of 2ID (MG Jack Farris) back in the day. He was interviewed by media at an event. One reporter asked him about the soldiers visiting the whore houses, titty bars etc. He essentially said “..I know they are there, but there is really no way to stop it” the reporter, looking for his Pulitzer, rephrased and asked essentially the same question. MG Farris, clearly annoyed, responded back (almost a raised voice) “well, you know what there is nothing I can do about it. Now that’s enough!” I about started laughing out loud as I stood there. Even got to watch it on the TV the next day. Awesome.
This is the same commander that stopped his car to ask a question of a soldier that had fallen out of a run one morning:
Farris: Stop the Car
Driver: Yes Sir
Farris: (he stopped the soldier)
Soldier: Good morning sir
Farris: You’re Fat. Who are you?
I dont remember what the guy said, I was too busy ducking and laughing my ass off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMIyDf3gBoY
Attn: My, My, My who “…worked directly for the CG of 2ID (MG Jack Farris) back in the day….”
Hey, I was there just after you. As the Dep. Asst. G5, the G5 and I had to go on weekly patrols to ensure all was quiet. I recall a few courts martial I had to attend because the soldier got drunk and beat up his live-in; bar fight; etc.
Ahhhhh …. the good ole’ evenings of patrolling TDC’s night’s activities keeping law and order in the various and sundry establishments of vice.
After the change of command we had to brief MG Woodall — explaining why it was allowed [and expected] for him, as the CG, to give bottles of whiskey as presents to local digitaries …. he said he’d be okay with giving wine.
rgr1480: We may know each other. I worked for MG Woodall (Jack also). He is/was a good man though I did not relish walking his dog, Muffin. . You and I have met I am sure. I spent 16 months there, straight. 12 was mandatory, but you had to have at least 6 mos remaining to come back, I had 4, and elected not to extend. TDC was fun. Do you remember Rendezvous????
“Never issue an order that will not be obeyed.”
General Douglas MacArthur
The sex slave sob stories that Stripes and other news and politicians keep spouting is bullshit. This has been going on for so long, every woman that signs up knows exactly what kind of job she’s getting into. It’s like someone joining the military, then flipping out when they have to do pushups or deploy.
Korea in 98, a guy in my troop fell for the BS a juicy girl was feeding him about how she was trapped, being forced to be a sex slave, etc. He pays off her contract and goes AWOL to the Philippines to marry her. Once she found out he was AWOL, she dumps him and he turns himself in and gets kicked out. Not even a month later, the same girl is back at the same bar and suckered some other dumbass into marrying her ands bringing her to the states.
Prositution is just like real estate — there’s a high end, and a low end. Some of the girls end up as high end, high class mistresses…and some of the girls end up dead — and everything in between. Real sex slaves don’t live to grow old.
Wow. You really believe that shit don’t you. Why don’t you actually read something sometime about the shit those women go through. You would rather believe that women there are a bunch of conniving bitches that confront the fact that most have no options. The men that pay for it are part of the problem. No demand, no women getting used. All you have is one story, about one guy.
Fuck you. And fuck guys who do this.
Also, I’ve noticed that no one on here has directly admitted to paying women for sex. That to me tells me that we all know it’s shameful.
I believe I said that last (it’s a sleazy, shameful racket) quite clearly in the article, Intel Pog. What do you think “pathetic, actually” means?
And yes: there are indeed willing participants in the service provider part of the sex trade – just like there are some who are forced into it. Sounds to me like you’re ignoring that part of reality in your rants here.
However – just because you or I think something is “sleazy” or “shameful” is no reason to ban it. Many people think masturbation is a shameful, sinful act. Do you want to outlaw that as well? How about alcohol itself? After all, it kills literally millions?
Prohibition didn’t stop the sale of alcohol – it just drove it underground and out of sight. Sex is a stronger and more universal urge than drinking. Do you really think prohibition will work to stop the sex trade? If you do, I have a unicorn for sale . . . .
A commenter here referenced a quote by MacArthur that said it best: “Never issue an order that will not be obeyed.” A leader who knowingly does so is posturing – not leading. And one would have to be a moron to believe this order won’t be evaded or disobeyed on a wide scale. Human nature guarantees that.
“Saigon tea”
Nothing changes… love you long time, GI!
I was there in the 90s constantly TDY from Hawaii for exercises and other fun events. I know that there were changes made and things got more strict after 9/11, but I haven’t been back to Korea since. I also recall my old CSM telling me one time “you know, back in the Korean War, SGMs used to run the whore houses. They would make sure the Soldiers didn’t beat up the girls, make sure the girls were clean, etc. It was a MORALE issue. Happy Soldiers fight harder.” I thought that was pretty funny to hear. It is ridiculous to think that they’ll do this in Korea, of all places. So does that mean they’ll prevent Soldiers in CONUS from going to bars and buying a girl a drink? What’s the criteria for it being illegal to buy a girl a drink? “Hey private! You bought that girl drinks and she had sex with you the same night you met her! That is illegal, you’re getting punished!” “But 1SG, she’s a slut, she banged half the company already and I only bought her two drinks!” “Tough shit, its still illegal because you bought her a drink, oh wait, you said you bought her TWO drinks?!? Well that’s twice the punishment stupid!” I met quite a few girls in my time there, I never paid for it (though sometimes I figuratively “paid” for it), but I did hang out in those bars at times because they were the only decent ones in some places. Besides, the girls were hot, talkative, and fun to hang out with. I also learned a lot of speaking Korean from those clubs. (I also learned within 2-3 days of an exercise what day the exercise was ending because they ALWAYS knew and ALWAYS were right on the dot about it.) In the 90s, the 34th ASG had agreements with the Seoul police that in the case of fights, disruptions, etc., in Itaewon, Koreans took away the Koreans and MPs took away the Americans. The MPs would even patrol Itaewon to be at the ready, they… Read more »
Eric, sounds like the PI. Especially “I also learned within 2-3 days of an exercise what day the exercise was ending because they ALWAYS knew and ALWAYS were right on the dot about it.)” We were in awe of their intel talent. Beat the KGB hands down.
A buddy of mine pulled into Subic after being in the SCS for quite a while. They were supposed to be in port for at least a week. Well, they headed down to Gordon Avenue and as soon as they hit their usual bar, the girls all said, “what are you doing here? You’re going out to sea!” About 5 minutes later, the shore patrol was out telling everyone from their ship to report back, liberty was cancelled.
Awesome!
I know, right?
People in my unit didn’t believe me the first few exercises I was there for. I ended up going there for about ten exercises and eventually they’d listen to me about it. “How did you know that?” “I have my intel sources, I know things.”
I always figured it was a 50/50 between high ranking officers talking to them and the Koreans telling them because the exercises always involved the ROK military who’d tell their family, who’d tell their daughter working in a juicy bar, etc etc.
A couple times the 8th Army CG would even say, “The exercise will end on this date.” And I’d tell everyone, well, I heard it was the day prior to that. I’m guessing the CG just wanted everyone to plan for that, but knew full well the exercise would end when I was told it would to keep troops motivated and driving on. An early ending exercise was always a positive morale event because troops got a day off basically.
Was in Pusan ever so briefly, but spent time in Alongapo… in the 60’s.
Whoo EEEE! Olongapo in the 60s! Must have REALLY been the wild West then!
Pusan…via Chinhae.
Another lesson–make VERY sure the taxi driver knows you want to go to Texas Street, or go with enough very large A-gangers that the taxi driver won’t dare argue with you for another 10,000 won.
I got that exposure early on my first Westpac.
Seems that the stevedores knew not only when we were going to be back, but knew EVERY PORT we were hitting for the rest of that Westpac down to the day. And damned if they weren’t right.
I don’t know how they knew, and I’m not really sure I want to.
I was in the 2nd ID 92-93 when monthly Division Alerts were a part of life and supposedly at random. All one had to do to find out when they would happen was to be good friends with the Waitresses at the NCO Club or be on good terms with a buddy who was, they “magically” knew at least two weeks in advance!!
So much for Grandpa’s only find memory of Korea…
Ya know, General Patton once famously said that, “An army that can’t fuck can’t fight!”
That’s supposed to say “fond memory.”
Fucking iPhone.
suddenly that fat buck toothed female specialist in Supply is going to be getting a lot of dates……
Or not considering the whole “sexual assault in the military” scare.
Next stupid order for USFK-all porn websites will be blocked.
rumor had it that the “queens for a year” had a higher STD rate than any of the girls downrange.
The Camp that our Brigade HQ was in during my tour in A-Stan was rumored to have had 40% of its Female Personnel test positive for Chlamydia!
While I was in Bosnia in 97 we were told a considerable percentage of female personnel were returning home pregnant.
Which is crazy since Former Yugoslavian women were smoking hot gorgeous (as long as they didn’t show you their teeth).
I remember at the end of my first tour reading the porta-shitter wall and it saying “enjoy it while you can, in a week you’ll be ugly again”.
Do not be a shirker!
Daughter was in Korea last year. Said the juicy girls were going strong and young GI’s were still buying their crap to get to the states.
I was on Carl Vinson years ago when she was on her “Around the World” tour.
We pulled into Subic, of course, and hit the beach.
The next morning one of our maintenance guys, about 18, who looked like the Pillsbury Dough boy if ole Doughie had a mustache and glasses, informed us all that he was in LOVE. I mean REALLY in love.
Of course we were all very, very interested in seeing the lucky lady.
He pulled out a picture of her (already he had one!??) and she was a knockout extraordinaire. Seriously hot.
Well, we all saw the writing on the wall except for our in love shipmate who started to tell us that he wanted her to move to West Virginia and live with his mother while he finished up in the Navy.
His blushing bride to be was able to bring him to his senses…and convince him that it would be better if he just started an allotment for her. The life in PI was just so much cheaper, honeyko!
He bit. Oh, and he bit that she “would only let other men buy her drinks while he was gone.”
Lucky for him there was an OLD PACFLT hand on board and in our division. Former Marine, Force Recon, multiple tours VN, changed to Navy so he would have a job when he got out.
The salty dog went up to the boot and told him “Son, we HAVE to talk.”
Strangely enough, there were no nuptials.
But I betcha THAT story was repeated many times in the beautiful Philippines.
There was a guy on my first boat we called, “Manila John” for much the same reason.
Only problem is, he went UA, missed movement, etc.
32 days worth of gone. When his pesos disappeared, so did she. Poor numbskull even had to ask his mom for plane fare back to Pearl.
“But Chief/First Sergeant, she’s DIFFERENT. She’s not like all of the other bar girls. She LOOOOOOOOVES me!”
Had a knuckle head who DIDN’T listen to the First Sergeant and went ahead and married his ‘true love’ in the Phillipines. Spend months trying to get the Corps to front the money to bring her to the States. Despite that Page 11 Entry that stated “Dependents are NOT command sponsored and no government funds will be expended to house or relocated said spouses.”
He finally ponied up the money on his own. She left him 6 months after arriving in the states….
AWALT… they’re all like that.
Yeah, let’s punish everyone for the transgression of a few. Perfect.
This is why we have to wear reflective belts everywhere.
This is why there are DA Civilians at every brigade who do nothing but safety.
Because stupid people do stupid things and instead of letting them suffer, we have to protect the because they don’t learn.
Good. I see a lot of “Boys will be boy’s” Comments on here. But as Military members and former military members we pride ourselves on protecting those weaker than us.
Most of the women in that trade aren’t screwing GI’s and Marines because they love sex and found a way to get paid for it. They are taking our cocks because they are forced into it one way or the other. Anything that takes the power away from the pimps and the madams is fine in my book.
I would love to see a blanket reg that said if you are caught with a prostitute, you’re out. Boom. Just like the 80’s and 90’s with drugs.
Unfortunately, zero tolerance means a lot of people who shouldn’t get hammered do.
I don’t agree with the end result of “buy me drinkee” or whatever you want to call it. Sadly, it’s not victimless, as has been claimed.
But at the same time, we’ve seen too many of the above description where you need a CPA for her to keep track of who’s giving her how much and how many marriages she’s juggling at any given point.
Happened when I was a baby nuke at prototype, too. Girl marries kid, divorces, gets alimony, goes back, lather, rinse, repeat.
Yeah in that whole in the wall bar, you might see run down equipment, furniture that’s falling apart, etc.
In the back room, there’s a NASA level computer/server system that’s tracking every dime, who makes what, how much comes from who, cash vs cards, etc. Even back in the 90s that’s how it was.
To say “most” are forced into it is a stretch. I read up on South Korea, it seems they are more concerned “internally” with child sex trafficking because that’s a bigger problem. At the same time, don’t generalize that every woman in a hostess/juicy bar is forced to work there and forced to have sex with customers. Most do not have sex with customers at that. They want to get the guy to buy them drinks until the guy is drunk and broke and they just had 20 shots of water or apple juice. (Caveat, HUGE difference between hostess bars and whore houses.)
“I would love to see a blanket reg that said if you are caught with a prostitute, you’re out. Boom. Just like the 80’s and 90’s with drugs”
Well don’t worry IP, they are kicking people out for everything else now, so its just a matter of time before they come up with more excuses to kick people out. (Except of course the Flag Officers and their Senior Non-Comms that will be “exempted” from those rules, just like everything else in the UCMJ. – i.e., sexual assaults)
No one is disagreeing that sex trafficking is a bad thing. The US pushes on other countries to fix their shit year after year. Some countries do, some don’t.
I think everyone here would be more than happy to have the Army hunting down sex traffickers and cutting their nuts off vice going to Ebola country and “hugging and kissing” infected people like the Islamic Extremist Caucus in Congress wants us to do.
I’d rather be going to countries and finding those sending them to other places and putting them in GTMO to be turned into bitches for anyone and everyone.
Intel Prog (and yes that’s no typo) perhaps you should read up on the history of both the Philippines and Korea. Were it not for the sacrifice of tens of thousands of young American lives in WWII, those young women could now be serving as unpaid “comfort women” in military-run brothels authorized by the Imperial Japanese Army. B-Girl status trumps outright sexual slavery in my book.
I believe I’ll defer to General Patton’s wisdom referenced above rather than yours.
I’m feelin’ tense boys!
Time for a,”Thunder Run”,
to the vill!
I was working with an LTC in Korea who took me on my first Thunder Run there. I woke up an hour late, walked into the office and got told by the O-6 we were with “SPC, I don’t ever want to hear about you going out and getting out drank by an old, broken down, vietnam vet who can barely stay awake all day ever again.” “WILCO Sir”
After that I had to start practicing to prepare and was able to keep up just fine. But that first time, wow.
good times…
In my book, treating the troops as adults plus hammering miscreants when caught would be a far more effective way to deal with this. I’m generally skeptical of this argument because I see it overused. On my Iraq tours, I noticed this: When a brigade issued (and enforced) a no-visitation policy (no girls in the boys’ trailers, no boys in the girls’ trailers), they had to punish a few troops for violating the order (always “watching movies,” don’tcherknow)…but they never had a rape accusation. When a brigade “treated the troops like adults”…they always seemed to have at least one. And of course the commander was the one who’d have to answer, “Why didn’t you do enough to prevent this?” So when some some angry Soldier asks why he can’t be treated as an adult, my answer is, “because your commanders have the same responsibilities as parents. Long as they’re responsible for what you do, they need to power to control it.” Now on this particular issue, the military zeitgeist — proceeding from the highest levels — is strongly in favor of “prevention of human trafficking”…that is now part of your mandatory predeployment and overseas travel training…and one of the most likely ways for our troops to be involved in human trafficking is for the lusty young lads, paid a lot better than the locals, to be buying enslaved prostitutes. So I can see the point to the order and do not think it’s evil. Hate to spoil a young person’s good time, no, really I do, and I don’t begrudge any veteran his happy memories. But if the commander’s got a mandate to stop drug use, and he puts the local drug hangouts on the restricted list, he’s doing his job; and if he’s got a mandate to prevent human trafficking, and he puts overseas prostitution hangouts on the restricted list, he’s doing the same thing. Maybe prevention of human trafficking shoudln’t be a military priority…getting it on with a slavegirl doesn’t hurt military fitness in the same way a cocaine habit does…but the fact is, it is, and I… Read more »
I can see your point of view, but I disagree. This policy is assuming that any and every hostess bar in Korea is involved in human / sex trafficking. Many of those girls in those bars are just doing that to make extra money for their family, or whatever. Of course they also just like making money hand over fist (literally and figuratively I guess) by even the simplest thing, having a conversation with a guy and getting him to buy a drink for her. Yes, plenty are looking to come to “the land of the big PX” but there are just as many, if not more, who aren’t interested. (Yes, really) This is where the old-timers in each unit should be pulling their young newbies aside when they first get there and explaining how shit works. Even (Gasp!) going out with them to show them how things work. (As many others have identified here) The first time a troop goes out and loses his paycheck, he’ll learn a hard lesson from it, but know for the next time to be wary of his paycheck. (While the old timers sit around and laugh at him of course) I went to plenty of bars and had drinks with plenty of women, danced, played chess, learned Korea, etc. In regards to “off limits” lists, those are easy to do. Commanders already have that ability and can designate specific bars off limits. (They did when I went, even at CONUS installations there are memos) If a Commander hears about a particular place having that kind of situation, they tag it as off limits. Simple as that. And as I mentioned before, where does this end? What if its an on post bar and they meet a girl and buy her a drink? What if they meet a girl at the library and have sex with her? Are they violating the policy? Are they “Supporting sex trafficking” around the world? Soldiers are Soldiers and look for enemy to kill, alcohol to imbibe, tobacco to utilize, and Sex. Plain and simple. Lastly, far too many… Read more »
I can only really speak to the PI. I’ve been to many parts of the Orient and the Middle East, but I only saw the bar scene in the Philippines.
As a police officer, I’ve been exposed to the reality and effects of human trafficking. It is an overreach to make a blanket statement that what we experienced was that. I knew many, many bar girls (and no, not “know” in the biblical sense. They were friends.) and the ones I knew could not be characterized as victims. Not one. If you respected them as women, they gave back that respect. If you didn’t respect them, well, God help you. Life would become very uncomfortable if you insisted on going into town.
And there were many times I would show up at a bar to see a woman and I found out that she went back to the provinces. Not something that happens in human trafficking.
There was another comment about “boys will be boys.” Actually, a better way to describe it would be “men and women will be men and women.” The vast majority of women I knew loved men and enjoyed themselves immensely with us. They treated us very well and no, I don’t just mean sexually. We had some really fun times together.
Alberich: two issues with your comment above.
First: Korea isn’t an active combat zone. Combat zone measures aren’t generally applicable there, nor are many of them feasible.
Second: following your argument to its logical conclusion, the proper course for commanders in Korea would to restrict all US troops to base except when performing official duties simply because a few knuckleheads might do something stupid. Sorry, in my book that’s not providing leadership – it’s abdicating one’s responsibilities as a leader.
Simply because a commander possesses the authority to do something does not mean doing it is a good idea.
In the 80’s we head Team Spirits. The bar girls wore little tags safety pinned on their ‘uniforms’ it had a # on it and meant they had been checked for STD’s by the Corpsman. Every bar was a ‘buy me drinky’ bar. I have the pics to prove it. What the hell has happened?
I guess we grew up.
They still had Team Spirit in the 90s here n’ there.
I used to do the trifecta every year: RSOI in the Spring, UFL in August, and Foal Eagle in the Fall.
I loved being at Yongsan because there was so much more to do there. (And Seoul was just across the bridge)
Taegu was boring as hell and there were only 4 bars in the city and the MPs walked into every one of them checking for drinkers. (Bastards!)
Pusan wasn’t bad, (Koreans would speak Russian to me there because they didn’t realize I was a GI) I stopped going there when the Russian Mafia completely took over everything.
I wasn’t as impressed by Osan as everyone made it out to be. The Air Base itself was sweet, but outside the gates wasn’t that great.
I went to Pyongtaek once, that was enough.
#war on hetero males
My father was AD in the Army from ’55 to ’58 (and Reserve until ’65), and for one year and three months he was stationed in Korea. Not long before he died back in 2007, he told me this story (which, if it isn’t true, it damned well ought to be):
Dad (a corporal at the time) was walking down the street outside his base minding his own business when, just as he was passing one of the local “houses of ill repute,” he glanced up and noticed his battalion commander coming out of the place. Dad snaps off a salute and a “Good afternoon, sir,” and the colonel returns it, adding, “Corporal, be in my office at 0900 tomorrow morning.” Dad assured the colonel he would, in fact, be there, and the two men parted ways.
The next morning, my father reported to his CO at the hour of 0900. Dad never told me about the conversation he had with his CO, but he did say this: He entered the colonel’s office a corporal, and came out a sergeant.
Like I said, if it isn’t true, it ought to be.
Today, he’d have gotten an Article 15 to “discredit” him in case he ever talked…
Dad said the only reason he told the story to me at all was because he knew the colonel had recently passed away. He said he never shared that story while the man was alive. You’d have to have known my father; he kept quiet when asked (or ordered) to do so.
Well what really stops human trafficking is killing the traffickers. We never actually attack a problem at its root source. We fight a war on drugs by jailing the guy next door getting high in his garage while the manufacturers of those drugs lives like Bill Gates in a 30 million dollar mansion in Central or South America. We fight a war on human sex trafficking by restricting some horny teenagers and their early twenties friends from hanging out at bar sniffing around some strange.
It’s certainly one way to approach the problem, but it never actually resolves anything.
If we say we are going to resolve these issues through a “war” on whatever perhaps it’s time we start fighting those wars by wiping out the enemies logistical sources. Catch human traffickers and kill them, blow their homes up and kill everyone in the compound who isn’t a slave. Not really too hard to figure out. Either legalize drugs or fight the fucking drug war like you mean it, send a couple of cruise missiles into Colombia or Panama and blow those fuckers up right in their compound with the Lambos and Land Rovers….do the job or stop pretending you are doing the job and supply an alternate plan.
Amen, VOV, and I’ll wager that if we eliminated ALL human trafficking in the areas under discussion here that there would still be plenty of bars and clubs where young women engaged in prostitution with American servicemen.
Despite the ambitions of all those like Intel Pog to control human behavior through morally superior, authoritarian means, human history proves, through such events as Prohibition and the War on Drugs, that such ambitions are futile and ultimately foolish.
I must admit I like how you think!
Yep. As I said above: it takes far more than a pronouncement from on high to change 10,000+ years of human behavior.
This moral high ground and political correctness makes me want to vomit. Skin trade my ass. These woman know exactly what they are doing and do it with a professionalism that most other trades could learn from. Dont get me wrong, evidently there is some covert sex slave trade going on somewhere in the world. Every time some hooker has things blow up in her face out comes the victim card. Bullshit. I lived with three strippers at one time. I can name every strip club that used to be on Court Street in Jacksonville. I wont even go into the clubs in Puerto Rico, Rota, Ibiza, PI, VI, or even a quick drive through Huntington, WV. If you have some moral hangup with strippers and hookers, dont pay for one. Saying that the women in these hand job clubs are victims of human trafficking is just pure nonsense. Shut down the clubs they will be doing it in the street. If you think that the sex trade industry is not competitive you have obviously never been to Odessa, Ukraine. If you think a charge sheet is going to stop an 18 year old Marine from getting a hand job you live in LA LA land.
Happy ending, GI? (Nope, never stopped before… )
Ok, I know I will get some panties in a bind, but watch this and try not to laugh.
I’m still laughing…
My reaction to this is simply to ask why we still have combat troops in Korea anyway. There’s no reason anybody should be on an unaccompanied tour in Korea.
Literally the only reason I can think of to keep US combat troops in Korea is to boost the local economy with GI cash and lucrative US government contracts. There’s no other reason. If NDtBF were to get froggy and start shooting the ROKs would clean his clock.
Every camp North of Seoul should be turned over to the ROKs. Keep an administrative/HQ unit in Yongsan if we need one (I don’t think we do) but there’s no reason that even one battalion of US infantry or artillery should be anywhere on the Korean peninsula. The ROKs have more than enough combat troops to defend the place.