Father and son reunite as comrades in Korea

Father and son reunite as comrades in Korea. January. 13, 2017 07:11. by Sang-Ho Yun ysh1005@donga.com. A father and his son have been deployed to the same troop of the U.S. Forces in Korea. Most American military servicemen live apart from their family for a long time. But they reunited during their overseas service as comrades.

They are Staff Sergeant Steven Rittel, 37, and Corporal Melarkey Jewel, 25. According to the U.S. Forces in Korea on Thursday, Rittel was relocated from the U.S. to the First Combat Engineer Battalion of the First Armored Brigade Combat Team of the ROK-US Combined Division. A week before that, Corporal Jewel was also assigned to the MLRS of the artillery regiment of the same division in Korea. The combined division in Dongducheon in the north of Seoul was created to deter North Korea’s provocation in 2015 after combining the artillery brigade of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division and the artillery and the mechanized troops of Korean forces.

After learning that they belong to the same division, they were happy about the news. They have meals and exercise together on holidays as father and son and as comrades. The USFK said Rittel has a particular affection for the son of his second marriage a decade ago. A source from the division said, “As they are career soldiers, they could rarely see each other – one working in Iraq and the other in Kuwait – but both were relocated to Korea for the first time.”

Though Rittel is higher in ranks but Jewel has more experience in Korea as it is the second time for him. Jewel gives information useful for adapting to life in Korea and guides some famous places to his father. On the other hand, according to the division, Rittel advises on his son’s military life and shares his military experience as a mentor to help his son pass an exam for a non-commissioned officer.

“It is very special to work with my son in the same troops in uniform,” Rittel said in a written interview with the Dong-A Ilbo. “I am glad that I can learn a lot about Korea from my son and be helpful to him as a colleague.”