Considering volunteering for a Korea Assignment

SGT Brooks,
I am currently stationed at Camp Humphreys. South Korea has been trying to downsize for years now to only have a handful of camps on the peninsula. Several have shutdown since I was here in 06-07.
I am unaccompanied and my wife and children are back in WA state. I collect BAH for WA. My wife and children are still enrolled in Tricare West. Camp Humphreys is in the works to becoming larger as other camps are being shutdown and soldiers are relocated to Humphreys.
My opinion for Korea? It's almost like a deployment. Time change can make it hard to communicate with family/friends. Tempo fluctuates as any regular day. You do get to experience a completely different culture and economy. I feel as a married soldier that having your family here would be more enjoyable for me, but it's only one year away. When you are accimpabied, your tour of duty is extended to I believe 2 years. There is onpost housing, but they also allow offpost, where curfew is still enforced.
All in all, I am enjoying my tour unaccompanied, but that is your decision.

I am currently in Korea (Camp Humphreys) and I enjoy it. My family and I use our overseas tours to visit other countries so this is a great opportunity for us all. Chances are, you won't get the camp-of-choice assignment as your orders will likely just say Korea. But you can be assigned to Yongsan, which is in Seoul and is pretty nice. Since the BAH and TRICARE has been addressed I will only add that if you decide to bring your family over here I would recommend that you do so via CSP (Command Sponsorship Program) vs noncommand sponsored. If you have a FM that is enrolled in EFMP, getting them CSP could be an issue. All in all, Korea is what you make of it. Good luck!

I spent 3 years in Korea.

If you have the opportunity accompanies is better, why be away form your family if you don't have to.

When on leave, Korea is a great starting point to go to China or Australia. Lost of MWR tours.

Think of your career, make sure you can find a good career enhancing job.

Korea was my first duty station I had a blast and learned a lot, not just about how the military works but also about the coulter. Depending on where you go determines how often you go to the field. I was in Camp Casey and we spent a lot of time in the field, however when we were not in the field I took every chance I could to travel around the country. There were even trips to over counties, I did not par take but knew plenty of people that did.

For your Tricare and BAH question if you go unaccompanied your family will go to the nearest installations or approved hospital. The BAH will go off the area they stay also. If you decide to take your family you will have to apply for that as soon as you do your Levey brief for the fact Korea is considered a Hardship tour. If you are approved for the accompanied tour you and your family will live either off post with the economy or in government ran housing. Of course this is all information I have been told as of late from other Soldiers that are about to PCS and working the process of bring their family.

Follow up to the Sergeant's question, Where do Unaccompanied Officers stay?

Not worth the extra money. It's also possible you won't even be in your MOS. Myself as an E4 medic got stuck in a mail room with another E5 medic. Other medics even got put in staff positions way outside their MOS.

Next there is the whole curfew policy which could ruin your career if you make the slightest slip up.