User talk:지구침략대총대장

Republic of Korea Marine Attacked the Airforce
Summary

128 Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC) commissioned officers suddenly attacked Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF)’s Gimhae airbase early in the morning on August 8th, 1966. However, it was not during a war. The big scale attacking operation was started from a little argument, and the little argument spread to a group fighting. This incident has happened during the military dictatorship period. Therefore, how the Ministry of National Defense handled the situation is worth to be judged again.

Beginning

The Donga Daily News reported in 1966 “The group fighting in dawn that happened at 7:20 pm in 7 was began from 8 marine officers precluding 3 air force officers getting on the bus: Gyeong-nam Young288 which was the last bus departing from Busan to Jinhae when the bus stopped at the Duck-yu station which is near the back gate of the air force base.” On August 7th, at 19:20 pm, since the bus was very crowded with people, three ROKAF second lieutenants were trying to get on the bus through its exit. However, eight drunken ROKMC second lieutenants stopped them getting on the bus. Therefore, the air force lieutenant got on the bus by its front entrance. Nevertheless, the marine officers didn’t stop humiliating. Though the air force officers tried to refrain from trouble, since one of the marine officers took away one of the air force officer’s uniform hat and provoked him, the air force officer pushed him and retook his hat back. Immediately he retook his hat, the marine officer punched in his face. Following this, other officers of marine joined and air force officers get caught in the assault. When three air force officers were defeated and kicked out of the bus by the marines, there was an eyewitness: airman first class Heo Dochang, and he immediately reported it to his superior in the base. The air force officers in the Gimhae base were reported the news and 16 officers started tracking the marine officers by the military truck. Soon, they found the bus and stopped it by overtaking it. 16 air force officers pulled the marines and paid them back what they got: being gang-beaten.

Development

Thereafter, retuned marine officers reported that they assaulted by many air force officers to their comrades in the unit, and their fellow soldiers were very infuriated. To take a revenge, the marine officers planned an infiltration operation and moved on an action. 128 marine officers secretly left the barrack without any permission or report and headed to Gimhae airbase by the train and some public buses or civilian trucks without paying them. As soon as everyone reached the operational rally point near the airbase, approached the front gate of the airbase by crawling in the dark. At the front gate, they kidnaped air force military police staff sergeant Yongman Kim who was on the stand guard duty and took his pistol. The marine officers threatened the staff sergeant with the revolver to make him navigate to the overnight alert duty officer’s control room. At 5:20 am, they reached the control room, and formed in several teams and moved on the operation individually to complete each team’s mission. While the control room domination team were kidnapping the alert soldiers in the room and were threatening the overnight alert officer to call the 16 second lieutenants and the chief of the airbase to apologize officially, the strike teams sneaked into the officers’ accommodation and started attack the sleeping air force officers with fist-size-rocks. Though, may have been injured by sudden attack, the defenseless air force officers soon formed in teams for hand-to-hand combat position and resisted against the terror they were having. At 6:20 am, the overnight alert duty officer dramatically took over the control and activated an emergency protocol which initiates base protection operation.

Climax

Since the siren resonated, around 300 air force soldiers immediately jumped out and counterattacked the marine officers. However, the marine officers assembled at the military training ground in the base after the siren to confront the unexpected situation in the large group, it was easy for the air force soldiers to recognize and to counterattack them. After 10 minutes of more than 400 men’s fist fighting, the marine officers retreated. While they were moving back, they threatened the tracking soldiers by sabotaging the aircraft. The Donga Daily News reported in 1966 “The marine officers who were numerical inferiority and pushed out of barbed-wire fence threatened the air force soldiers to say ‘If you keep following us, we are going to destroy these aircrafts.’ and destroyed TS28A type TA858’s left wing three parts, right back landing gear, and a wingtip, and TA886’s propeller and bearings.” In addition, one marine second lieutenant Uiil Lee died by trapped in a swamp near the base during the retreat. Other marine officers ran away individually as soon as they escaped from the base.

Result

During the incident, two aircraft were broken, 39 soldiers from each air force and the marine were seriously injured, and one marine second lieutenant died. The chief of the air force and the marine commander headed right after they were reported and discussed how to resolve the unprecedented group fighting in the military. Though their fundamental policy was no mercy punishment to everyone involved, in consideration of warlike confrontation situation between North and South Korea and needs of the Vietnam War’s demand of dispatch officers, only one marine second lieutenant was discharged in dishonor. However, he also returned to the military later. In addition, the air force and the marine started sisterhood relationship between the ROKAF’s officer’s aviation school and ROKMC’s officer’s school under the consultation between the Chief of ROKAF General Giyang Jang and ROKMC Commander Colonel Gichan Gang to wash off the stain and to build a strong comradeship between ROKAF and ROKMC (The Donga Daily News, “Sisterhood Relationship Between Two Schools”, August 10, 1966).

Conclusion

This incident is one of the most shameful episodes of Korean military history; the soldiers, whose duty is protecting the nation and its freedom, fought in such a large group: more than 400 soldiers. Furthermore, this was during the military dictatorship period in Korea. Since due to the military dictatorship, the press at that time was controlled and there was no foreign press reporting, it has been forgotten in these days. In addition, most of the leaders of the operation and involved suspects were not officially punished. However, people should not forget about the past’s mistake. We should learn about it and should keep it in mind to prevent repeating this kind of ashamed history again.