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Blade and bat drawn in brawl involving 4 US soldiers

By Jon Rabiroff and Yoo Kyong Chang
Stars and Stripes
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1413
Published: March 16, 2013
170313BRAWL-PIC
U.S. servicemembers walk down the main street of The Ville, the entertainment district just outside the front gate of Camp Casey in South Korea that is home to close to 70 juicy bars. Four U.S. soldiers were injured in the early morning hours of March 16, 2013, in a brawl that involved a knife and baseball bat.
Jon Rabiroff/Stars and Stripes
SEOUL – Four U.S. soldiers were injured during an early Saturday morning brawl that involved a knife and baseball bat outside a bar near Camp Casey in Dongducheon.
None of the injuries were considered life-threatening, but one soldier was in intensive care Saturday afternoon after being treated for a stab wound to the abdomen, a 2nd Infantry Division spokesman said.
The Korean bar manager told police that he was outside his establishment in The Ville shortly after 6 a.m. when the four soldiers "provoked" him into an altercation by suggesting that his club employed prostitutes, according to the Dongducheon Police and 2ID.
While it was not clear what kind of establishment the manager runs, The Ville is home to about two dozen “juicy bars,” where hostesses – usually Philippine women imported to work at the clubs – flirt with soldiers in getting them to buy the women expensive juice drinks for their continued company.
During the altercation, three of the soldiers were cut or stabbed, while the fourth was hit in the head with a baseball bat, according to a 2ID news release. Aside from the soldier stabbed in the abdomen, one was stabbed in the buttocks and another was cut on the hand, officials said.
The 2ID release said the club manager pulled the knife, while police reported that the Korean man said the hunting-like knife was first produced by one of the soldiers, and he managed to take it away and use it during the brawl.
It was not immediately clear whether the soldiers had been inside the club prior to the fight, and who brought the bat into the fray, officials said. Officials did say the bat was not full-sized, but was smaller – police even referred to it as a kind of “toy.”
Two other Koreans tried to break up the fight, and one of them sustained a head injury in the effort, officials said.
After the altercation, the soldiers managed to returned to base, where they were taken for treatment of their injuries, officials said. The club manager was taken into custody by police, according to 2ID, and “a complete Korean National Police and U.S. law enforcement joint investigation is underway. We trust the investigative process will determine the facts."
Thanks to a string of incidents in recent months, even relatively minor alleged acts of misbehavior by U.S. soldiers have received national attention in the South Korean media.
“This incident is not representative of the favorable relationship between U.S. soldiers and Korean citizens in Dongducheon,” the 2ID release said.
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  • bigcreek2

    boys will be boys,,,

  • Michael Zantow

    Ah, brings back memories.

  • maschrack

    There is plenty to entertain anyone that seeks it anywhere you go in Korea.  When you only seek entertainment that involves getting drunk until you pass out there becomes the problem; some can handle it some can not.  While I agree curfews are unnecessary and probably don't really do much; that does not cause anyone to act like a moron. Choices are made to be a moron plain and simple. Whether you assault someone, rape someone, act up on a subway, etc..  it is a choice made by that individual.  These types of individuals are going to be the ones that get in trouble regardless of the rules put in place.  

  • aintnobodybuisness

     Who said they were drunk? no one knows but them what really happened. And we need stick up for our own. Tensions are high right now and frankly alot koreans are voicing they dont want us here. My kids were spit on by an old korean man . things are gonna get worse before they get better. This media junk just causes more problems when we dont know all the facts.Unless you were there , calling them morons is just stupid. People need grow up and stop judging people. No one was raped in this. No one knows what started except them. And we know for fact those bars are full prostitutes  period.

  • Friend Ken

     Your kids were spit on by an old Korean man?  Is this the same man who spit on returning Vietnam Veterans at airports?

  • Joe

    While you make a valid comment, experience tells me if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck. 

  • Toshio Pendarvis

    I've heard all kinds of derogatory comments directed at Koreans from soldiers. There is no upside for a bar owner to cause problems down in the ville. He doesn't want to be put on a restricted bar list. Using common sense I would have to say the solders were tanked and said something they shouldn't have. We have to wait for a rape to worry about conduct in someone else's country?

  • maschrack

    Hey moron! I was generalizing and replying to another post and not specifically referring to these individuals. Now get back to playing World of Warcraft and let the grown-ups talk here.

  • Wherestheequality

    I know Soldiers have acted dumb here before, Im in Uijeongbu right now but Im not going to go point the fingers immediately at the soldiers like so many of you are doing. Koreans while some are very nice, culturely tend to be very over dramatic. The club owner was probably trying to get them to come into his club and they probably said something to the effect of "we cant your bar is off limits because of prositutes." then club owner probably got pissed and started stabbing. I mean it says it in black and white up that he said he was provoked because they said his club has prositutes. And as for the brawl breaking out, what do expect to happen if someones swinging a knife and what not?  This brawl was likely the bar owner stabbing people while they tried to get the knife in the process.

  • maschrack

    Yeah keep on believing that.  Not really sure you understand the culture like you think you do.  I lived there many years and they are no more dramatic than we are.  

  • Friend Ken

    I also lived there many years.  Married one, still married to same one 40 years later, have many Korean friends. You are right, they are no more dramatic than we are, but just like us, there can be those who are more dramatic than most.
    Had to edit, forgot my anniversary just passed.

  • Tina Louise Grantham

    They were still drunk, they provoked him.  There are witnesses to this, there is an investigation underway.  6am, no club owner is trying to get anyone in their club they close at around 2am, the bars don't open back up until 5pm (weekends) & 6pm (weekdays).

  • CPT_Dixon

     Not that one. There are some clubs in TDC which stay open until about 06:00 daily. Some will stay open as long as people are paying. The soldiers obeyed curfew. They obviously went on post at 01:00, drank in the barracks or whatever, then went back out at 05:00.

  • Stav57

    Now. How stupid you have to be to go "back out" at 0500?

  • clearspot

    How can you tell when a general is lying?
    Their lips are moving.
    Duh! What did you expect she would say? 

  • Joe

    What the heck?!?!?!  Where is this coming from?

  • Uncle Remus

    Uhhh, it is called a Fish Bar guys.  They've been around for decades.  You need to learn how to shop around.

  • Friend Ken

     Jeez, I must be old.  I only remember calling them clubs.  By the way, anyone here been in TDC lately?  Is the Rendezvous Club, country/western club still around?

  • paulharrington

    Another display of the lowering of the intellectual standards in todays US Army. The four GIs are lucky they picked a fight with a male bar owner and only got the excrement slapped out of them. If they tried it with mamason they would be on the way to Dover in body bags.

  • guitarest

    I was stationed in ROK and we never even thought of doing this crap. Has the military gone mad? They had Juicy girls in the 90's, you could get free samples if thats what you wanted, then went home to sleep it off. None of this crap lately....

  • nenieves

    I was station at osan air base 1981 - 82 and this happen all the time mostly at the us army camps

  • guitarest

    We were so remote even the few Army guys behaved themselves..... I was assigned to Osan but actually worked between Pusan and Camp Humphrey although mostly Pusan. Only 27 total USAF and a Company of US Army; so small a Maj was in charge of entire operation. I guess we were just good lil soldiers.

  • asonofSocrates

    An assignment in Korea will make it easier for the Army to determine who to keep and who to not keep in the upcoming cuts to uniformed personnel.

  • bwjijsdtd

    What a bunch of loosers ... one Korean vs four GI's .... time to go through basic again.

  • nenieves

    what army are are they in??? lol hahaha

  • Guest

    These sub-standard soldiers need to be courts martialed and jailed for their crimes.

  • Locutis2112

    How's that mandatory curfew and alcohol restriction working out for ya?

  • Patrick David Crofts

    The curfew is 1 am through 5 am so really that was nothing to do with maintaining this. In my opinion what probably happened was some guy used his card in his drunken stoup and the next morning realized it and him and his battle buddies went out seeking to yell at them about it. Then a fight broke out there is very little we can do to mitigate this besides having a full on post restriction but in my opinion worst things still happen in the states I think this situation is being spot lighted during to the current international tensions. Btw there is no alcohol restriction unless you are on post.

  • Leo Cleversley

    Although I am sure that these guys broke some policies during this incident, I have to say that we as the Army leaders need to come up with different ways to "control" this situation as many who have commented stated needs to be done. We can't cage people because we don't want them to do wrong, how does that help? Other venues, other ideas need to be brought to the table that will entice the soldiers to want to do right. I am not sure what's available on post in Korea but it's obviously not enough. 

  • Stav57

    Leo, make up your mind. You blamed the cut on TA as part of the problem in a previous post. Now you blame it on leadership. Wake up and smell the coffee. If you are on active duty you are expected to be an "Army leader". What are you doing about the problem besides posting in Stars and Stripes? A curfew is not "caging" people as you state. Served through a couple in both  Japan and Panama and it was not the end of the world. The truth is that between 0200 and 0600 or so nothing good happens in clubs except people getting stupid.  If you think something needs to be changed/fixed, become part of the solution.

  • skipper060650

    Where exactly are the officers? 99.999% of the military are professionals that do great job and contribute wherever they are located to the society that they are in. That small percentage that isn't must be known to the officers. In short, the officers should be watching these infants and making sure that they don't step out of line. Keep them in the playpen until they learn their manners. I am sure that those officers can find something to keep their minds occupied.

  • DoneBeingNice

    What the officers are supposed to babysit them like children?...these are adults and should act like adults....time for some heavy Art 15s!

  • skipper060650

    Yes, the welfare of their command would be their job wouldn't it? If it takes babysitting then so be it. If it takes tossing someone out on their ear to wake up the other children so be it. Get it done, and stop letting these kids ruin life for everyone else and embarrassed the USA in the process.

  • DoneBeingNice

    Sorry but the days of the military being a social improvement center for immature dirt balls is over.

  • skipper060650

    Maybe that's the problem;-). It used to be part of the job to instill a sense of pride, honor and decency in recruits. Now everyone wants to hide in their offices and hope that someone else will do their job. You take care of your people and occasionally if they need a tougher hand you administer the needed discipline. Just saying, if you didn't want to take the responsibilities that are part of the job, then you probably shouldn't expect the perks that are part of being an officer.

  • skipper060650

    No one said you have to go downtown and babysit. How much effort does it take to get your people on deck and say...you have got liberty...have fun, stay safe but understand that if you step out of line I am going to smoke you until you look like a piece of leather. Then make an example of anyone that doesn't listen. Looks like the approach that they should be acting like professionals isn't quite doing it...or we wouldn't be reading about this day after day. By the way it wouldn't actually do any harm to be seen out and about occasionally.

  • DoneBeingNice

    I expect my personnel to behave like professionals and if they don't I just make an example out the first one to cross the line.  Has worked like a charm for my 28 years. Oh and I don't have to go downtown to babysit anyone.

  • skipper060650

    It would let me reply to you directly so I had to put my reply above your statements. See stripes for the reply.

  • Michael Hasbun

    As an institution, we do a wonderful job of pulling the Soldier out of the street, but a horrible job of taking the street out of the Soldier...  It's time to stop focusing on PT scores and start focusing on IQ's...

  • BadgerMk1

    Michael, I agree with you for the most part but I would change IQ to character. Some character you just can't teach, it has to be there from the beginning--prior to basic.
    Everything else is an extension of character: the desire to succeed, fight, and win, the desire to do well in school, the desire to master your craft, the desire to stay in shape, and the desire to represent your country well. (especially in foreign countries!)

  • Michael Hasbun

    Agreed... Well stated.

  • Leo Cleversley

     It just got harder to do considering "education" is being cut.. again. This time it's the Army education. But I agree with you. We (America) have the worst education system of all the modern countries. Education has taken a backseat for years. Sad.

  • Stav57

    This has nothing to do with "education", the type you get in school. It has all to do with poor parenting followed by poor leadership. Education IS NOT BEING CUT. What is being cut is only TA, it has happened numerous times over my now 30 years active duty and folks still got their degrees. The ones who whine (about TA) are those who want to be "full time students" while on active duty instead of taking care and guiding their troops but sit in their office with the door closed doing their "homework". Is time to lead and that includes getting read ot those who should not be in uniform.

  • Michael Hasbun

    To me, the basic virtues,principles, and guidance you receive from your parents all count as "education". It's not just the formal curriculum, but everything that contributes to your sum total of knowledge..

  • Stav57

    Agree 100% that is why the part about "education being cut" posted by Leo above is both irrelevant and stupid. Leo is not concerned about leadership, he is just upset because his TA got cut.

  • V_dog

    Oh, how I remember TDC, the ville, through time the place has evolved but the business model is the same.  

  • Misawa1960

    While the tensions with N. Korea increasing, these jerks in the 2ID act as if the north was as harmless as a Disney park. Given the situation in the north, the 2ID needs to be put on an increased state of readiness and restricted to post or quarters. Somehow these troops don't get it.

  • Leo Cleversley

     I agree with you to a point but, what happens when you try to cage an animal (I'm not calling these guys animals)? It wants to get out. Curfew, is like jail, although I've never been to Korea, I know that there isn't much going on there to entertain the soldiers. We(they) must come up with better solutions other than.. Lock down.

  • Friend Ken

     Leo, I have been to Korea, 3 times.  First time was in TDC, Camp Casey.  It was back in the early 70's and we had curfew.  You had to sign out to go off post, and you had to have an overnight pass to stay off post overnight.  Only 20 or 25 pecent could stay off post each night, so you had to sign up for it.  I can only remember 1 incident, and I think it was racial in nature, where soldiers ended up having to wear khakis off post.  I think it lasted about 1 month.  The curfew was from midnight to I think 0500.  I never thought of it as being a caged animal, or that it was like jail.  Not much to entertain the soldiers?  I've seen what there is up at Camp Casey now.  I would go to the rec center and listen to music.  Now, people have their wives and families there.  Some did when I was there, but none of them were sponsored.  The spouses were not even allowed in the PX, and there was no commissary.  I'm not trying to tell you how tough it was, or how horrible and bad we had it.  We made do with what little we had without all this type of garbage going on.

  • fridaysmyday

    Here comes USFK curfew again, well at least in 2nd I.D.  I know that this particular establishment will be off limits to military in the future, of course the owner will change the name of it.
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