Let's make things even harder

I doubt commanding a company is ever easy, but command in Korea has a few added layers of difficulty.

First, there's the issue of curfew. In the U.S., soldiers can stay out as long as they want, as long as they're back by Monday morning. However, in Korea commanders are required to ensure everyone is back on post by 1:00 a.m.

Second, there's the Korean augmentation soldiers. They have different promotion, vacation, discipline, and training systems. As such, you have to train your sergeants on what they are and are not allowed to do with the KATUSAs in their sections. It just makes things more complicated.

Add in the fact that all Korean junior enlisted personnel are draftees making less than $500 per month, and you have a recipe for a real headache.

Then there's the ration control system. To prevent black marketing, there's a limit on how much alcohol and food people are able to buy on-post. As with the curfew issue, any rule you set means there's punishment you have to be willing to impose. And that means time out of your day spent on non-productive issues.

Finally, there are some added personnel issues. Married couples who want to divorce either have to be from a state that allows in abstentia divorces or they have to wait until they get back home.

I have one situation right now where a spouse got arrested for an offense and given the choice of either paying a fine or going to jail. That person chose jail time, which apparently threw the Korean government for a loop. The sentence has been delayed for a while they figure out the implications.

This puts the soldier in a bad position. The service member can't divorce the spouse while they're here; neither can they leave until the jail term is finished. And the U.S. government won't pay for two separate residences while they're still married. It's a rough situation, but one I have to monitor and report on nevertheless.

It makes me wonder if I'll get any "bonus points" for this when it comes time for my next assignment.

Probably not.