Any good to eat?

Not sure. Not much hunting here, and I haven't seen any meat in the markets or restaurants. While it may be hard to tell from the pic, they are much smaller than a whitetail.

My Dad spent late 1951 and a big part of 1952 as a communications lineman on the front lines, for a while he was along what was left of Heartbreak Ridge though the pics of it then looked more like a forest fire had been through it (glad he misses the big one there). He had a few stories and some he would not tell from those times, most of which my Sisters never heard.

Amazing post and so enjoyable much material to learn and study about. Thanks kry! Outstanding like best post of the last 12 months.

Interesting facts about the deer. Since they do not grow antlers, guessing a trophy buck would be judged on how long/big its Tusk/Canine teeth are?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_deer

The water deer (Hydropotes inermis) is a small deer species native to China and Korea. Its prominent tusks, similar to those of musk deer, have led to both subspecies being colloquially named vampire deer in English-speaking areas to which they have been imported.

The water deer is superficially more similar to a musk deer than a true deer; despite anatomical peculiarities, including a pair of prominent tusks (downward-pointing canine teeth), and its lack of antlers

Despite a listing of 'vulnerable' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in South Korea, the animal is thriving due to the extinction of natural predators such as Korean tigers and leopards. Since 1994, Korean water deer have been designated as "harmful wildlife", a term given by the Ministry of Environment to wild creatures that can cause harm to humans or their property. Currently, certain local governments offer bounties from 30,000 won($30) to 50,000 won($50) during the farming season. However, the hunting of water deer is not restricted to the warm season, as 18 hunting grounds were currently in operation in the winter of 2018.[

The water deer have developed long canine teeth which protrude from the upper jaw like the canines of musk deer. The canines are fairly large in the bucks, ranging in length from 5.5 cm (2.2 in) on average to as long as 8 cm (3.1 in). Does, in comparison, have tiny canines that are an average of 0.5 cm (0.2 in) in length.[33]

Water deer have been known to produce up to seven young, but two to three is normal for this species, the most prolific of all deer

Thanks kry226. That is a very interesting piece of history I had not seen. And thanks for your service. Great thread.

Your dad was what we in the community call a "Cable Dog." Would love to hear his stories.



Thank you, sir.



Thanks for sharing!



Thank you, sir.



One final tidbit, there is a South Korean village that lies completely within the DMZ called Daeseong-dong (also called Tae Sung Dong, Jayu-ui Maeul and Daeseongdong-gil) and its residents have farmed in the DMZ for decades. The land has been heavily cleared of ordnance, but occasionally some UXO is found due to the shifting soils, weather, floods, etc. In one such find, the farmer neatly loaded a mine he found into the bucket of his tractor, and deposited it on the mayor's front lawn. Our Navy guide said there was some high adventure at the mayor's house that day.

Only citizens who can trace their lineage back to that village are allowed to live there. Since it is a UN-administrated jurisdiction, the village residents are exempt from paying taxes to South Korea, as well as the mandatory male conscription.

Are you at Camp Red Cloud, or down south?

We were doing some interoperable testing with the Army at Humphreys, They were using twin engine Beach Craft (IIRC) at a good bit lower altitude, than the U2s we used. Had to make the drive fdown from Osan once a week. That was fun, we had a crew cab long bed dodge pickup, which was almost as long as the Korean buses.

The most fun, though was driving a Deuce and a half from Osan to Inchon to acquire a piece of gear out of surplus... we made the round trip during pepper harvest time, and unfortunately the locals liked to use the edges of the roads to lay-out and sun dry the peppers. They would leave an open path down the middle of the road, wide enough for a Hyundai auto to pass.... We tried to go slow and give those who saw us coming a chance to move theirs, but we still crushed a lot of peppers on that trip.

I'm at Humphreys. A lot of the bases up north have closed but Casey and Hovey are still open. We're pulling as much as feasible down further south to get out of artillery range.

Very cool stories too. They don't let me drive gov vehicles much anymore, but back in the 90s, I drove a 5-ton and a Bradley all over Central Germany. Talk about a tight fit, driving that humongous 5-ton down a tiny street flanked by 200 year old buildings.

Been over 30 years since I was at Humphreys. Went to jail in Osan and Top made me walk all the way back to Humphreys...and I didn't even do nuthin'. Did a lot of projects at Casey, Hovey and along the DMZ. good to see that place again...from afar.

I miss the good old days.

Thank you for your service, sir!

Classic!

JG and Kry I'm serious. Stupid E-4 in my platoon was black marketing CHIVAS REGAL. I didn't drink so he'd ask me for my 4 bottles. I'd go to Class-6 and buy it with his money. Well me and another dude went to Osan to party at SEOUL TRAIN right outside the gate. Other dude follows us over there and we all go buy a bottle of liquor. CID was in Class-6 checking ID cards. He followed us out but lost me cause I had to pee and went to the movie theater to relieve myself. I went on to SEOUL TRAIN and met Sum yung ho . I figured I'd need 20 bucks so I was gonna go to the 24 hour shoppette by the gate and get some cash then go back to the club. They stopped me at the gate and took me to jail. A short while later ol boy was locked up too. Man it took ALL DAY to get back to Humphreys. Me and that stooopid mofo never spoke again. I never used another liqour ration the rest of my tour.

Yeah, rationing was a bit more serious back in the day, but AAFES still watches all expenditures overseas to monitor for black marketing, especially for tobacco and alcohol. You have to scan your ID for every purchase and all ration limits are tied to that. Really easy to get caught now.

Interesting tidbit is that the Class 6 sells most liquor here in 1-liter bottles, not fifths/750ml. Checking between here and the U.S., the price for a liter here is about what you pay for a fifth there. Out on the economy, a fifth of Jack is $45 easy. Soju is super cheap though and goes cleanly into your beer. Good stuff, but watch out...that Soju is a sneaky drink.