Korea command officials focus on quality of life

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  • By Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Molly A. Burgess
  • Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  Improving the quality of life for servicemembers and their families stationed in South Korea is a top priority, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea said.

In a "DODLive" bloggers roundtable Dec. 15, Army Gen. Walter "Skip" Sharp said one of his main priorities is to maintain and improve facilities, services, schools and medical capabilities to benefit all current and future servicemembers, Defense Department civilians and families who will call Korea home temporarily.

"We are working very hard to make sure that the facilities, the services, the schools, the medical capability that we have in the Republic of Korea is top-notch, which it is today," General Sharp said. "We are working towards being able to have all of our servicemembers come to Korea for two- and three-year tours and bring their families instead of one year at a time unaccompanied."

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates approved extended tour lengths last year, paving the way to allow servicemembers' families to accompany them with command sponsorship. Extending tour lengths while increasing command sponsorship opportunities reduces stress levels not only for servicemembers, but also for their families, General Sharp said.

U.S. Forces Korea officials will continue to increase the number of sponsored families and the length of tours in South Korea as facilities are available, the general said.

"We have gone from about 1,700 officially command-sponsored families in Korea during the summer of 2008 to 3,700 command-sponsored families in Korea," he said.

About 28,500 U.S. servicemembers are stationed in South Korea.

As U.S. Forces Korea officials continue to lengthen the tours of servicemembers deployed to South Korea, General Sharp said, he expects by this time next year there will be close to 4,900 command-sponsored families. That number is expected to grow three-fold over time to nearly 14,000 command-sponsored families as they make room for this growth by building additional apartments, medical facilities and schools, he added.

During the roundtable, General Sharp encouraged people to visit South Korea to see how much has changed in a country where living conditions once dictated that most servicemembers serve unaccompanied tours.

"It is a modern, wonderful country," Sharp said. "For those old enough ... to remember the 'M*A*S*H' TV series, it's not at all like that. It is a great country that welcomes our troops and really takes care of our troops and our families."

General Sharp also highlighted the DOD school system in South Korea, which he said consistently get the highest SAT scores of any schools in the Defense Department system and well above the national average. Students in Defense Department schools in South Korea also get more service academy nominations and scholarships than those in the system's other schools, he added.