Camp Market
Camp Market in Bupyong is home to the Kimpo Postal Detachment, Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office, Printing and Publications Command - Korea, AAFES Bakery, and the AAFES Distribution Center. Camp Market is located to the west, half way between the Capital City of Seoul and the historical port of Inchon -- between Kimpo Airport and Incheon. Incheon is where the Wolmido Islands guided General McArthur into port during the Incheon Invasion. They now guide tourists through a maze of amusement parks, museums, and seaside restaurants. A small plaque stands where McArthur first stepped ashore. Directly behind it stands a "Ninja Turtle Amusement Ride" where children's smiles shine in testament to the success of the invasion. In the opposite direction, Seoul awaits only 45 minutes by train.
Depot Support Activity Far East [DSAFE] has two large warehouse and fielding complexes, one at Camp Market and one at the port in Pusan. Camp Market is in the vicinity of Inchon and is a staging area and breakbulk point for units stationed along the demilitarized zone. In Pusan, DSAFE serves as a receiving area for items shipped in by sea and as the supply point for depot-level contractors. DSAFE's Camp Market operation has secure facilities for weapons and sensitive items. Operations at both Pusan and Camp Market include administrative support personnel, two 22,500-square-foot warehouses, 100,000 square feet of fenced-in, open storage, complete motor pools, office space for fielding teams, classrooms for new equipment training, and e-mail and datafax access.
Since the Gulf War, AMC, and CECOM in particular, has increased its reliance on contractor support for sophisticated communications-electronics and weapon systems. CECOM has deployed numerous contractors and Army civilian personnel to ensure continuous sustainment support. What we needed was some way of managing these multiple service sources. The solution was a structure that would join all of these service providers into a single, cohesive support entity. The ESSC's provide that structure on a regional basis by acting as an umbrella for all service providers. The "umbrella" is the ESSC staff. A CECOM civilian at each of four regional facilities coordinates these efforts and is backed up by a management cell at Fort Monmouth. The four ESSC's are located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Hood, Texas; Friedrichsfeld, Germany; and Camp Market, Korea. These four centers provide support that is diverse enough to support six Intelligence Electronic Warfare Regional Support Centers (IEW RSC's).
The Camp Market complex had its beginnings in the mid-1930s when the Japanese built a large supply depot and arsenal at Bupyong-Dong, Inchon City, to support their troops in Manchuria. Most of the permanent buildings date from that year.
In 1945, after the Japanese surrendered to end World War II, the Army Support Command Korea was established at the former Japanese depot. It was at this time that the area of Camp Grant, Camp Market, Camp Tyler and Camp Hayes acquired the acronym ASCOM.
In July, 1950, the invading North Korean Army overran the area and, from then until 1951, ASCOM changed hands several times as fighting swept up and down the peninsula.
In the spring of 1951, United Nations Command Forces retook the area permanently. The US Marine Support Command for Korea and the Inchon Replacement Center were the first major tenants at ASCOM after the Korean War. Because there were no other major depots in the northern area of the Republic and the transportation network between this area and Pusan on the southeast coast was very limited at that time, stockpiling of supplies and equipment and the expansion of a tremendous logistical complex at ASCOM were inevitable.
In 1963, there were seven US Army technical depots located in the ASCOM area. That year they were consolidated into one general depot designated as the 8th US Army Depot. In 1964, other depots were established in Korea and the organization was redesignated the US Army ASCOM Depot. Administrative and post operations were handled by the ASCOM Area Command and subsequently the 20th Support Group.
In 1972, the phase down of US Army operations at ASCOM was begun as part of an on-going program to consolidate 8th Army support activities on a functionalized area basis. Missile and aviation support operations were established primarily around Camp Humphreys while depot and heavier maintenance support activities were located at Camp Carroll near Waegwan. The ASCOM Storage Facility ended its operations on January 31, 1973. Once the most active operation of its kind when it was called the US Army ASCOM Depot, the unit in latter years had become a sub-command of the Camp Carroll Depot at Waegqan. Other major US army units at ASCOM which were involved in relocation included the 69th Transportation Battalion, 30th Ordnance Company, 595th Maintenance Company, 121st Evacuation Hospital; and the 199th Personnel Service Company.
Most of the ASCOM complex was turned over to the Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense on June 30, 1973, when the 20th General Support Group terminated its operations there.
