Camp Carroll Army Base ( ko, 캠프 캐럴) is located on the south east portion of the peninsula of
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
, in the village of
Waegwan
Waegwan is the seat of government for Chilgok County, North Gyeongsang province, South Korea. It consists primarily of the administrative district of Waegwan- eup. It is situated on both sides of the Nakdong River, which is traversed by railroad, a ...
, approximately 20 km from the city of
Daegu
Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea.
It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...
. Camp Carroll is bound by urban areas on the northwest, west, and southwest. Hilly forested areas bound the base on the north and east. Agricultural fields (mostly rice paddies) border the base on the northeast and to the south. The
Naktonggang River flows nearby, southwest of the base. Camp Carroll has been a supply staging ground for U.S. military operations on the peninsula and in the Far East since the late 1950s. Often referred to as "The Crown Jewel of Area 4", it is named after
Sergeant First Class Charles F. Carroll, a posthumous recipient of the
Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries.
*Distinguished Service Cross (Australia)
*Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
*Distinguished Service Cross (U ...
for his acts of heroism during the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
.
The area immediately surrounding Camp Carroll is mainly made up of service businesses (e.g. dry cleaners, barber shops, Bars), and caters to an equally American and
Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
crowd, as many of the soldiers are American and many of the women are Filipina. The city itself is a short bus ride from
Daegu
Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea.
It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...
and
Gumi Gumi may refer to:
* Gumi, Iran, a village in South Khorasan Province, Iran
* Gumi, Nepal, a village development committee in Surkhet District, Bheri Zone, Nepal
* Gumi, North Gyeongsang, a city in Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea
** Gumi University
* ...
.
Though small in size, Camp Carroll holds a population of approximately 1500 servicemen. The population itself consists of
Eighth Army personnel, employees and contractors, as well as Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army (
KATUSA
Korean Augmentation To the United States Army (KATUSA
Korean: 카투사) is a branch of the Republic of Korea Army that consists of Korean drafted personnel who are augmented to the Eighth United States Army (EUSA). KATUSA does not form an i ...
) soldiers. Warehouses and lots make up a large portion of the location, as one of its main functions is to house war reserve stocks. Camp Carroll is also home to The
2nd Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment (
Patriot
A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism.
Patriot may also refer to:
Political and military groups United States
* Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution
* Patriot m ...
).
Facilities
An
AAFES Exchange, AMCSS (Army Military Clothing Sales Store),
commissary
A commissary is a government official charged with oversight or an ecclesiastical official who exercises in special circumstances the jurisdiction of a bishop.
In many countries, the term is used as an administrative or police title. It often c ...
, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, bowling center, library, community center, movie theater and various other amenities can also be found at Camp Carroll.
Transportation
The military operates a shuttle bus between
Camp Walker
Camp Walker ( ko, 캠프 워커) is a U.S. military base in Daegu, South Korea. ''Camp Walker'' was named in 1951 after General Walton Walker, commander of the Eighth Army who was killed in a jeep crash in December 1950 during the Korean War. C ...
, Daegu and Camp Carroll but the civilian bus terminal nearest to the post can be accessed by the local 10 and 110 services, which originate in Gumi, and the 250 service, which terminates in Daegu. By rail, Waegwan Station can be accessed by Mugunghwa (무궁화) rail service. Saemaul (새마을) service is once or twice a day to Daegu or Seoul. KTX trains do not service this station.
History
![Hill 303 Memorial](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Hill_303_Memorial.jpg)
Camp Carroll lies in the evening shadow of
Hill 303
The Hill 303 massacre () was a war crime that took place during the opening days of the Korean War on August 17, 1950, on a hill above Waegwan, Republic of Korea. Forty-one United States Army (US) prisoners of war were murdered by troops of ...
where one of the most notorious atrocities of the Korean War was committed by communist forces. Forty-one soldiers from the 1st Cav. Div. were captured on the hill during the attempt to break through communist lines during the early days of the Pusan Perimeter. Evidence shows that these men were bound and shot in the back. Shortly after this, the United Nations Command dropped nearly 1,330 tons of high explosives onto the communist lines near Waegwan and, with the second front opening at the communist rear after the landing at Inchon, the 1st Cav. Div. recaptured Hill 303.
Camp Carroll is the only military post located in the Waegwan area since Japanese forces maintained a replacement depot here some 40 years ago.
Controversy
In May 2011 an interview with three
United States Forces Korea
United States Forces Korea (USFK) is a Unified Combatant Command#Subordinate Unified Command, sub-unified command of United States Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). USFK is the joint headquarters for U.S. combat-re ...
veterans revealed that in 1978 approximately 250 55 gallon drums of chemicals believed to be
Agent Orange
Agent Orange is a chemical herbicide and defoliant, one of the "tactical use" Rainbow Herbicides. It was used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. It ...
were buried at Camp Carroll. On 22 May 2011, the Eighth Army admitted that chemicals, pesticides, herbicides and solvents had been buried at Camp Carroll in 1978, but that the materials and 60 tons of dirt were subsequently removed in 1979-1980. A joint US-ROK investigation was concluded on 20 December 2011 finding that there was absolutely no Agent Orange remaining buried on Camp Carroll.
[http://8tharmy.korea.army.mil/campcarrolltaskforce.asp]
See also
*
List of United States Army installations in South Korea
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
* PFC
Melvin L. Brown
Melvin Louis Brown (February 2, 1931 – September 5, 1950) was a United States Army soldier during the Korean War. He Posthumous recognition, posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions on September 4, 1950, during the Battle of Ka-sa ...
References
{{coord, 35.996, 128.416, type:landmark_region:KR, display=title
Buildings and structures in North Gyeongsang Province
Chilgok County
Carroll, Camp
1959 establishments in South Korea
Military installations established in 1959