KUNSAN, South Korea – There are few places more remote and further from the familiarity and comforts of home back in the United States than this small fighter base on the southwest coast of South Korea. The son of a Fort Wayne woman is spending a year of his life experiencing the realities of a 60-year-old war and life at one of the Air Force's most isolated assignments.
Air Force Senior Airman Austin Gage, son of Holly Stovall of Mirando Drive is assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing, an F-16 unit responsible for protecting the sky against a potential enemy less than 100 miles away.
Gage is a security forces specialist with the 8th Security Forces Squadron.
"I provide security for the people and equipment here by patrolling the base and the flightline, checking identification," said Gage, who graduated in 2006 from Snider High School. "I also work the main gates, checking IDs."
Kunsan is often referred to as "the last warrior base." In the event hostilities between North and South Korean were to increase, Kunsan would be thrown into the limelight as center stage for coordinating any efforts to battle an invasion.
The service members at Kunsan and its location allow for time the U.S. and Korean forces to prepare a timely, well-prepared response to any threat in the region. Their mission is to fight, defend the base, accept reinforcements and push the battle north.
"The importance of our unit is a big part of the base operations here," said Gage. "If we weren't here, then everyone here could not keep working on their missions."
However, even though defending the base is a 24-hour 365-day mission, service members here do have an opportunity to experience what Korea and its people have to offer.
"Being stationed in Korea is a lot of fun," said Gage. "I have met a lot of new people, and I have a lot of great friends here. The only bad part is the loud jets that fly all the time."
Gage has been in the Air Force for more than three years.
For service members here, life at Kunsan Air Base can be hard and rewarding; whether it's putting in long hours preparing missions to experiencing what the Korean culture has to offer can bring a service member here an experience they will remember for years to come.
– Ryan Mattox, courtesy Joint Hometown News Service
