Camp Howze
Camp Howze is located on 149 acres a few miles outside the town of Kumchon. Camp Howze was prominently featured in Larry Bond's novel "RED PHOENIX." This techno thriller is a military/political suspense fiction about the second Korean war. Its primary purpose is to house the Engineer Brigade Headquarters and the 44th Engineer Battalion. Camp Howze is also located approzimately 30 minutes from the truce Village of Panmunjom where the Armistice was signed on 27 July, 1953 to stop the fighting of the Korean War. Camp Howze is near the city of Pyokche, established by the Spanish Ambassador in 1900. It also has an active Hispanic Cultural center. Outside the city is a site of Korean royal tombs.
After being called a Headquarters compound for many years, Camp Howze was named on March 25, 1960 in honor of Major General Robert L. Howze, Medal of Honor recipient and the 1st commander of the 1st Cavalry division from 1921-25. Special guest was Major General Hamilton Howze, then Chief of the U.S. Army Advisory Group in Korea, son of Robert Howze.
Camp Howze is located in Bong il Chong in the Paju City area. The historical villa and hundreds of years of the Cho family remains preserved at this estate near Howze. In the spring of 1953, the 1st Marine Division selected the Cho family estate as their Headquarter and command post in support of the Western Corridor defense. The Marines relocated the summer villa but kept intact the pagoda and family grave. At the entrance to the valley, rice patties were converted into an attractive lake and where the villa had been, flagpoles and stone guards were placed. Tents and Quonset huts soon stood among the trees on the hills and upland of the valley.
The 24th Infantry Division, "Victory Division" in March of 1955 replaced the 1st Marine Division and established its Headquarters at Howze in the Western Corridor. They arrived during a major program to improve living conditions that when the 1st Cavalry Division arrived all of the tents where gone. The 1st Cavalry Division replaced the 24th Infantry Division two years later in 1957. They filled in the lake to create a parade ground and called it Brown Field dedicated on May 25, 1959 in honor of PFC Melvin L. Brown, Company D, 8th Engineers, 1st Cavalry Div., who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions on Sept. 4, 1950. Along with the parade field, the camp landscape was further altered by constructing a gymnasium and theater. The next year the camp was renamed Camp Howze.
The 1st Cavalry had its Headquarters at Camp Howze for another five years until 1965, when it was redesignated as the 2nd Infantry Division. 11th Air Assault Division was redesignated the 1st Cavalry Division ( Airmobile) on July 1, 1965. The 1st Cavalry Division was enroute to Vietnam one month later and proved their airmobile operations effective.
2nd Infantry Division Headquarters remained at Camp Howze until March 1971 when it moved to Camp Casey as the 7th Infantry Division departed Casey. Camp Howze then became 3rd Brigade Headquarters until the Engineer Brigade arrived in 1992. The 3rd Brigade was responsible for the security of the United Nations delegation at Panmunjom and for the security of the American sector of the Demilitarized Zone.
In 1972, MSR 1, the major supply route running past Camp Howze was upgraded from a two-lane gravel road to a four-lane paved road. In 1975, several large pine trees were moved from Howze to a government park in Seoul. In 1977, the trees on top of the mountain were cut down and the mountaintop was leveled to make a ball field and to upgrade the helipad. The ball field was named for Major Barrett, one of the two officers killed in the historic Panmunjom axe murders.
On 1 October 1992, the 3rd Brigade was officially inactivated and the Engineer Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division placed their headquarters at Camp Howze.
A number of relics still survive from the earlier years. The well and pagoda are still on post near the Brigade Headquarters. Brown Field is still near the gate and is the site of the 1st Marine Division lake and prewar villa. The villa stood where it is now as a monument to Brown. The Cho family grave is carefully preserved on the hillside to the right of the front gate. Many of the Quonset huts built by the 1st Marine Division are still in use. The Marine Chaplain had his office in what is now building T-118, the present day offices. The 1st Marine Division also constructed the stone wall in T-118. However, modern barracks and new shopping and recreational facilities are replacing older buildings all over Camp Howze.
Camp Howze is one of the forty-two camps north of Seoul authorized Hardship Duty Pay of $150 per month as of 01 January 2001. The Hardship Duty Pay is paid to troops who are permanently assigned to areas where it is authorized or who serve 30 consecutive days of temporary duty in those areas. Several factors are considered in determining whether a location qualified for the pay: climate, physical and social isolation, sanitation, disease, medical facilities, housing, food, recreational and community facilities, political violence, harassment and crime. The extra pay provides meaningful financial recognition to troops assigned in areas where living conditions are substantially below US standards.
Army Community Service is not available. The 2nd Infantry Division's 17
installations operate on a hub system that gives Division soldiers access to services not
available on their installations. Camp Howze is the hub in the Munsan area.
Staff Duty Officer/NCO : 011-82-348-940-5252 (DSN 315-734-5252/5081)
Housing Office : 011-82-348-940-5571 (DSN 315-734-5571)
Education Center : 011-82-348-940-5725 (DSN 315-734-5725)
Family Employment Assistance : 011-82-348-940-6754 (DSN 315-734-6754)
Family Quarters are not available. All but 70 of the Division's soldiers serve
one-year unaccompanied tours. All soldiers live in on-post quarters. See the Quality of
Life and unit-specific pages for more information on recent barracks upgrades and
construction projects.
Nearest Towns/Large Urban Areas
Kumchon General Area Information
Climate : Central Post Information
Base Size : 148.9 Acres
3 Miles
Population 30,000
Seoul
14 Miles
Population 11,000,000
Summer = 85.0 to 90.0F Average
Winter = 26.0 to 45.0F Average
Precipitation = 40-48" (Rainy
season July to August)
Nearby Facilities and Places of Interest :
Hunting = None nearby. Hunting
available at Cheju-Do Island (320 miles away).
Fishing = None nearby. Fishing at
Inchon (65 miles away).
Skiing = None nearby.
Swimming and Boating = No boating.
On post swimming pools.
National Parks and Resorts : Tobong, Soyo and Surak Mountains are all in the area,
as is the Songdu Resort. Also, there are many parks, resorts, historical sites and
entertainment areas in Korea. Because of the country's size and excellent transortation
system, all these sites are within a day's travel from anywhere in the Division area.
On-post tour and travel offices, Morale, Welfare and Recreation offices, and the USO offer
regular excursions.
Population of the Post : approx. 700
Military = approx. 450
Dept. of the Army civilians = approx. 250
Other = 0
Primary Mission of the Installation : To provide Engineer support for 2nd Infantry
Division.
Supported Units :
Assistant Division Commander (Maneuver)
Engineer Brigade Headquarters
44th Engineer Battalion
Location of the Post : Camp Howze, Hongilchon City, Republic of Korea.
Hospitals Available : No
MWR Facilities Available :
Recreation Center
Library
Gymnasium
Bowling Center
Outdoor Tennis/Basketball
Officer's Club
NCO/Enlisted Club
Arts and Crafts
Swimming Pool
AAFES Facilities Available :
Post Exchange
Air Line Ticket Office
Tailor Shop
Barber Shop
Burger Bar
