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The Korean Service Corps Battalion (KSCB), also simply known as the Korean Service Corps (KSC), and formerly the Civilian Transportation Corps (CTC), is a flagged
battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...
of the United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
, commanded by a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
. The battalion consists of 17 companies spread across the southern Korean Peninsula
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
to augment on-peninsula United States forces.
Mission
The primary role of the Civilian Transportation Corps, and later the Korean Service Corps, was to supplementEighth United States Army
The Eighth Army is a U.S. field army which is the commanding formation of all United States Army United States Forces Korea, forces in South Korea. It commands U.S. and South Korean units and is headquartered at the Camp Humphreys,
supply logistics so that more effort could be dedicated to the front lines of 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 ...
. Since the armistice
An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...
that halted the Korean War to modern times, the KSC has aided the United States Army and the Republic of Korea (ROK) Army in non-wartime operations and training exercises while providing materiel support.
The KSC also serve as suppliers and auxiliary paramilitary forces for already on-peninsula U.S. Army forces until reinforcements arrive should another conflict between North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
and 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 ...
break out.History
In the second month of the Korean War, Eighth U.S. Army commanderLt. Gen.
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star rank, three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in ...
Walton H. Walker was faced by a severe shortage of strength and supplies along the Busan perimeter, and requested urgent backup from the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA), which was later answered on the 25th of July, 1950, by then-President of South Korea
The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (often abbreviated to POTROK or POSK; ), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Korea. The president leads the State Council, and is ...
, Syngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee (, ; 26 March 1875 – 19 July 1965) was a South Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea from 1948 to 1960.
Rhee was also the first and last president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Ko ...
, with the signing of an emergency decree directing ROK Army forces to provide civilian
Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not "combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant, b ...
supply carriers to front line
A front line (alternatively front-line or frontline) in military terminology is the position(s) closest to the area of conflict of an armed force's personnel and equipment, usually referring to land forces. When a front (an intentional or uninte ...
units. Eventually these carriers were organized into a centralized commanded battalion as the Civilian Transportation Corps (CTC) on March 15th, 1951. Under the direction of General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
James Van Fleet
General James Alward Van Fleet (March 19, 1892 – September 23, 1992) was a United States Army officer who saw service during World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Van Fleet was a native of New Jersey, who was raised in Florida and gradu ...
, the CTC was later renamed to the Korean Service Corps (KSC) on July 14th, 1951.{{Cite web, last=Lee, first=Michael J., date=3 November 2014, title=The Korean Service Corps Battalion, url=https://www.army.mil/article/136437/the_korean_service_corps_battalion, url-status=live, access-date=20 August 2021, website=U.S. Army
In modern times, The KSC has become known as the KSC Battalion and its 17 companies continue to be part of the U.S Army operating within the Korean Peninsula.
References