Twenty-nine members of the USAG Daegu command and staff

Twenty-nine members of the USAG Daegu command and staff participated in a staff ride on Oct. 8 that took them south to the confluence of the Nam and Naktong rivers. It was at this site that Medal of Honor awardee Master Sgt. Ernest R. Kouma, a M26 Pershing tank commander with the 2nd Infantry Division, single-handedly engaged an estimated 500 North Korean troops for nearly nine hours, Aug. 31-Sep. 1, 1950 to cover units around him that had withdrawn. Remarkably, Kouma survived. Two months ago, the exact battle site was located and local government officials in Changnyeong County quickly erected a marker in his honor.
USFK historians Kevin Rieders and Jim Morris were also present to brief the group extensively on pre-and-post war conflict, events leading up to the Korean War, the first and second battles for the Naktong and the strategic importance of the Battle for the Pusan Perimeter.
The group then visited the Bakjin War Memorial in Changnyeong where they were met by the local historian, and finished their day with a guided tour at the Chilgok Patriots & Peace Memorial in Waegwan.
*Special thanks to Changnyeong County mayor Han Jung-woo, Chilgok County governor Baek Sun-ki and the staff at the Bakjin War Memorial and Chilgok Patriots & Peace Memorial for their gracious support.