If you read the expat Korea-related blogs that post daily, you will have noticed over the months one of the fairly frequent topics of discussion is --- the latest incident with a GI and a taxi in Korea.

What is up with you military guys and taxis?

Seriously.

I think this is something the military people need to start bringing up with each other and really hash it out.

I'm not military. I was in the navy briefly in the early 1990s before being discharged with a blood problem. But, I have had plenty of family members who served and more than a couple as a career.

I also set up the www.usinkorea.org site because of the amount of risk American society accepts by staying in South Korea and because of the amount of disdain Korean society likes to enjoy for the US in Korea - especially dislike for GIs.

So, I am not one to jump quickly on the bandwagon of negative ideas in Korean society about the US or USFK -

--- but there are too many of these taxi cab events.

Eventually, it makes you wonder what the heck is going on and why USFK leadership doesn't make a better effort to instill the understanding of how much events like this -- even if isolated considering how many GIs pass through SK each and every year -- help GREATLY to give anti-US USFK thought in Korea new, fertile ground to grow.

And by "leadership" --- I mean any soldier with enough pride in the organization to speak out to others about this topic --- whether he is a private or a captain.

What I mean is --- there are so many of these cab stories coming up each year ---- it seems necessary for to me that people in USFK start putting out the message that GIs who get into minor (or major) negative events with taxi drivers and taxis ----- are doing too much to hurt the rest of USFK - there fellow soldiers, the organization, and even the rest of the Americans who live and work in Korea --- as well as those who will rotate in country in the future.

Now, I know enough about taxis in Korea to know a fair percentage of the taxi cab incidents are not the fault of GIs.

Having taught Korean adults for a couple of years, I know they have a very low opinion of cabbies in general.

I know a good number cabs like to rip off GIs and foreigners.

But ----- the amount of events that have been happening the last few years --- even if the number is only 4 or 5 a year that make the press ----

would lead me, if I were a USFK member, to somehow get some chats going every so often about how me and my fellow soldiers should swallow our pride in certain situations if involved with a bad taxi driver

and/or should rebuke the hell out of our fellow soldiers if we see them acting like a bunch of dumbasses in public and possibly on the verge of getting USFK 's name in the paper again - whether it involves a taxi or not.

If I were a sgt or someone with people under my command -- I would most definately make it a point a few times a year to have a "taxi cab" talk and a "don't smear the good name of the fellow soldiers who came before you and will come after by being a dumbass".

I wasn't a soldier in Korea. I made it a point to de-soldierize my appearance because I came around the time of the 1995 subway incident and heard from Korean adult students that GIs are sometimes targets.

But, I still had about 1 or 2 run-ins with a Korean with a chip on his shoulder (and usually drunk) each year. (In 2002 - I had 4 or 5 in half a year).

I had a couple of instances of people pushing and pulling on my arm sleeve.

But, I managed to disengage without escalating the conflict -- and getting my name in the paper.

It would be better for all of the US related to Korea --- the whole big thing year after year ---- if there were more individual GIs out there making it a point to encourage others to ----- go out of their way to encourage some to get their heads out of their asses and remember how much damage they can do for all --- for years --- by getting into big trouble in Korea.

Like I said, I taught nothing but adults between the ages of 20-45 or so my first 2 years in Korea ---

I know how much even routine, minor street altercations between a taxi driver and a GI -------- influence the mind-set of average Koreans when they hear about it.

Each new even minor event ends up being significant in the big picture.

Good topic. I have no doubt that there have been incidents with Korean cab drivers initiated by young G.I.'s. All G.I. do not subscribe to the I am an ambassador theory, I guess. I remember quite a few where the G.I. 's had no money after the ride and jumped from the cab running with a mad as hell taxi driver chasing them. I guess things like this make it into the publicity stream much faster these days. There is however a point I need to make and that is this: The way Korean law allows disputes and such to be settled between the two parties via a quick cash payment and signature of release, (we do this in the states too, but it is widely used in Korea for many disputes), anyway this is an incentive for certain Koreans who would happily do so, to target a foriegner to try and make some quick cash. I myself was targeted, as a civilian and it cost me 300 greenbacks to resolve it. Koreans have foreigenrs in their country by the short hairs in legal disputes, more often than not anyway. Sofa status or not.

__________________
Turk Quid Pro Quo

Alchohol...

A contributing factor to the rise of blotter incidents is the quality of recruit entering the services now. It's a direct reflection of U.S. society...the pool from which to draw from is indeed tainted...(cursed music videos!!)

willy is exactally correct in saying that.

Here is the thread.....http://www.usfkforums.com/general-mi...age-troops.htm

Do you not think that we have classes on a monthly basis about stuff like this? About "how you act" and "when you go down town" you are representive of the President of the United States. My compnay gets it once a weeks.

If you are a SGT or not, that does not matter.

Just ask the Bar owner in Seoul who had his Jaw broken 2 weekends ago by 3 NCO's.

__________________
CH-47 SI

They must find it difficult...

Those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as the authority. --Gerald Massey

My point was to stress that the vast majority of you guys who make up USFK --

---need to exert some pressure on the knuckleheads and borderline knuckleheads.

And the military should be an org that this can have some effect.

The ESL mob has its fair share of nimrods. I can think of a couple right away.
And my telling them to stop acting like asses could have some effect --

but there is no ESL chain of command or unity between hakwon "units".

I have the feeling we need to have a major growth in a trend of average GIs looking at other GIs behaving badly as a direct affront to the homeland ---

that soldiers acting like that --- when they know Korean society is one just waiting to publize such things and Korean word of mouth just loves to play up each new infraction ------- as going out of their way to piss on the American image as well as the military they represent.

It seems obvious to me USFK does some of this for people rotating in:

In the recent protest of exercises at the beach where the GIs were confronted and at least one pushed and pulled on --- he did everything to ignore it.

I've seen other similar incidents like this off the anti-US videos.

Then you had the range break in in 2003 where the visiting Stryker unit did briefly tangle with the protesters who were burning the US flag.

But, what I am saying is that ---- perhaps we have gotten to the point of seeing stories like this come out so frequently ---

it is time for individual soldiers to stop just feeling the personal responsibility not to screw up and give the anti-US culture a good momentary boost by banner headlines about GIs behaving badly ---

----perhaps it is time for GIs who understand the situation and have some pride to ---

start to exert a good bit of peer pressure both when out in the ville and in general talk while on base and on duty ----- as a matter of fairly frequent rountine.......

What I mean is ----- get it turned into a trend to have this stuff mentioned enough so people get the point that they are not just offending Koreans if they do something stuipid........

What I have in mind is hard to describe but I think you all would get it.

There is something different between - say - a AFKN infomercial about this - or a memo read aloud to the company - or the sgt giving the weekly "you represent the President" talk ---

-----and average GI Joe and Jane in a group conversation saying, "It really pisses me off when some jackass does X in the ville. Don't they know...."

Or somebody out in the street seeing some people begining to act like jerkoffs passing by and saying something about why don't act like they have some pride --- or something that fits the situaiton --- to drive the point home.

I'm talking about peer pressure.

Not the more official bla bla bla that is so easy to ignore.

I'm fairly pessimistic most of the time ------

----but I have a hunch there are enough individuals in USFK who do care enough that ----- if they believed their joining in would cause a continuous trend --- they would be willing to exert some peer pressure ---- and collectivlely it would have a big effect.

How can that be done when almost 75% of the people coming over here have never been anywhere. These kids know nothing, they know they come in the Army and are sent to forgien country, first time away from home and there family.

Don't get me wrong I agree with what your saying, but looking from the inside out (me) to what your saying, we are doing what you are saying.

Just because they are now starting to show more and more videos, does not mean they were not happening before.

__________________
CH-47 SI

They must find it difficult...

Those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as the authority. --Gerald Massey

I also thought I should repeat ---

I've had enough close calls of my own over the years I was in Korea to know a good percentage of these incidents that make the press are not the fault of the GIs.

It would be better if they could do as I did when provoked - even when hands are laid on them - to grin and bear it for a short moment and walk away rather than doing exactly what the Korean wants and escalating it to a fist fight or so on.

....but I don't blame anyone for defending themselves and not chosing to "endure" as I have done on some occasions ---- when if I were in the US, we would have been going at it....

Which reminds me -----

Have any of you military guys heard anything else about the taxi cab theft incident that happened about a month ago?

The last news was that the 19 year old Korean was possibly charged with a crime in it.

Of course, the fact the Korean was deemed at fault has meant zero follow up articles in the Korean press ---- and I guess the Stars and Stripes plays along with the silence ---

----unless you guys have caught some news items I've missed.

Has their been any word of mouth on the incident?

What I am saying is that the 25% that do get the bigger picture might be able to do more especially informally to clue the 75% in.

I'm talking about trying to get this idea of cutting out the nonsense and having some pride and openly challenging those who are doing the nonsense ---
--to turn into a trend or fad --- a kind of grassroots movement - a mood -

which will have a significant impact on the number of these events each year.