ACT - Camp Casey, Korea

Camp Casey is located in Tongduchon, Korea approximately forty miles North of Seoul. Camp Casey spans nearly 3500 acres and is occupied by some 6300 military and 2500 civilians. Hills and mountains cover about 75 percent of Korea, with the remainder covered by scattered lowlands. Most of the rivers are short, swift, and shallow due to topography, narrowness, and sand deposits within the river. Camp Casey is located within a valley, 11 miles (20 km) south of the Demilitarized Zone in the village of Tongduchon. The Kwangju Mountain Range, an offshoot of the Taebaek Mountains, extends southwest to include the mountains around Seoul. This range separates the Paju plain in the Imjin drainage from the Han. The majority of the mountain tops in this region are less than 4,900 feet (1,500 meters). 

Camp Casey was named and officially dedicated in 1952 in memory of Maj. Hugh B. Casey, who died in a plane crash here in December 1951. Casey arrived in Korea in 1951, a Second Lieutenant, and served as a company commander in the 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. He received the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second highest award for valor, for heroism at the Hungnam beachhead. According to Lt. Col. Roy E. Lewis, then executive officer of the 7th Infantry Division Support Command, Casey was ordered to have his company in a blocking position west of Hungnam by sunrise the next morning. He had to cross a mountain pass with two to three feet of snow in it. Forcemarching his men, he had them only halfway to the objective by sunrise. He pressed forward, refusing to give up despite the fatigue and hopelessness of the mission. He didn't stop marching until ordered to. To Lewis, this was what made Casey an extraordinary soldier. "He gave little thought to himself," Lewis said. Later, while he was serving as senior aide to Maj. Gen. Williston B. Palmer, then Commanding General of the 3rd Inf. Div., Casey's light observation plane was hit by ground fire. The plane crashed just west of the present 2nd Infantry Division headquarters. A white wooden cross was erected to mark the spot; it was replaced in 1960 by a white concrete cross. "Lest we forget," the cross and camp now mark the memory of a brave man. 

	Camp Casey Main Gate
	Camp Casey Main Gate
	Map of Camp Casey, Korea
	West section map
	East section map
	South Korea
	Demilitarized Zone

Last update: 19 May 2004