 Thank you all for coming out today to help us dedicate the Special Operation Command Korea's Headquarter Campus in honor of U.S. Army Colonel Robert L. Howard. I would now like to ask you to rise for arrival of the United Nations Command Honor Guard and the playing of the national anthems of both the Republic of Korea and the United States of America as sung by Captain Yoon Jee Jung and remain standing for the invocation by Chaplin Chan Hong. Let us pray. Merciful God, we ask your blessings on this day as we are dedicating Socor campus in honor of Colonel Robert Howard. Following the legacies of Colonel Howard, let the legacies of all Socor software operators and enablers last 30 years be praised and continue on here as Colonel Howard Socor campus. Merciful God, we ask your blessings on this day as we are dedicating Socor campus. In the name of the Father, the Blessed Mother of the Son, the Blessed Mother and of the Holy Spirit, we dedicate and purify this building and campus for the cause of the freedom. Amen. A beautiful rendition of the anthems and Chaplin for that moving prayer. Please take your seats. I would now like to welcome our distinguished guests. General Robert B. Abrams, Commander, U.S. Forces Korea and his wife, Connie. Command Sergeant Major Walter Tagalicoot, Senior Enlisted Leader, U.S. Forces Korea and his wife, Caroline. Retired Colonel Stephen E. Brutch, U.S. Secretary to the United States, Republic of Korea Status of Forces Agreement Joint Committee Special Assistant for International Relations to the Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces Korea. Representing the Rockswick Commander is Brigadier General Gong Ki-Won, Republic of Korea Special Warfare Command Chief of Staff. Brigadier General Otto K. Lillard, Sock Core Commander. Command Master Chief Stephen White, Sock Core Senior Enlisted Leader and his wife, Carrie. Representing the Eighth Army Commanding Generals are Brigadier General Trevor J. Bredekamp and He Tae-Koon, Eighth Army Deputy Commanding Generals. Representing the Marine Forces Korea Commanding General is Colonel Samuel Cook, Mar-4K Deputy Commander. Sergeant Major Matthew Faus, Mar-4K Senior Enlisted Leader. Representing the Commander U.S. Navy Region Korea is Captain Eric C. Linfors, U.S. Naval Forces Korea Deputy Commander. Colonel Michael Trimbley, U.S. Army Garrison, Humphreys Commander. Retired Chief Warrant Officer 3, Don Kelly. Veterans of Foreign Wars Posts 10223 Commander. Sergeant Major Kyle A. Michael, Special Forces Association Chapter 13, President. Event Share, Sock Core, Key Spouse. In all other U.S. military members, civilians, and rock counterparts, in attendance today. Finally, I would like to welcome Colonel Howard's daughter, Melisa Ginch and her husband, Police Chief Frank Ginch, who are joining us virtually today from Waco, Texas. Colonel Howard was a true legend within the Special Operations Community, one of the most decorated Special Operations Forces members in history, and the second commander of Sock Core. We are proud to name our campus in his honor. Today's dedication ceremony provides a finish line for the establishment of a unit, and allows us the opportunity to acknowledge the hard work that went into creating and preparing this campus for its mission. I would now like to welcome Brigadier General Lillard to the podium for his remarks. What a great morning and what an incredibly special day this is for a number of reasons. Most importantly, this campus dedication ceremony in honor of the late Robert Howard, an American hero, is a wonderful opportunity to bring together Team Sock Core. In my opinion, Team Sock Core extends far beyond the fence line of this campus. Team Sock Core includes our distinguished guests here with us today. It includes our families, our friends, our rock soft partners, and our U.S. soft personnel who support us from around the globe. I feel very honored to be a part of this team of professionals, and on behalf of Command Master Chief Steve White and Command Chief Warrant Officer Eric Johnson, I want to thank all of you for coming out today as we officially dedicate our special operations campus to one of the finest green berets and special operators in U.S. history, Colonel Robert L. Howard. General Abrams, Connie, it's our major tag, Carolyn, other distinguished guests, general officers, and garrison teammates. Thank you all for being here with us today. General Abrams, your support for this command has always been absolute, and it has allowed us to move out with speed and violence of action. I want to welcome and extend a very special thank you to the daughter of Colonel Howard, Melissa Ginch, and her husband, Frank. It's wonderful that you could join us today from Texas. Finally, a big thanks to the 8th Army Band, the UNC Color Guard, Captain Jung for the wonderful renditions of the National Anthems, and Major Murphy, our PAO, for pulling all this together. Another reason today is special is because it is a very important day in the history of U.S. special operations. Today, April 16th, marks the 34th anniversary of the founding of our parent organization, the United States Special Operations Command. On this day in 1987, U.S. SOCOM become the only unified combatant command created by an act of Congress. This new organization was born out of a response to Operation Eagle Claw, the failed rescue attempt of American hostages in Iran over 40 years ago. The resulting investigation into that operation determined that there was needed to be a unified joint command dedicated to SOF activities. We are proud to be a part of U.S. SOCOM. We are proud to be the SOF component of U.S. Forces Korea, and we are proud to carry on the notion of unity of effort and expanded jointness with our rock U.S. SOF team. Happy 34th anniversary, U.S. SOCOM. Two years ago, our command moved from its original home on Camp Kim near U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan in Seoul here to Camp Humphries in Pyeongtaek. Three times larger than our Yongsan facility, this new campus was a welcome improvement. However, it lacked an outward identity under which the SOC Corps team could rally, organize, and feel at home again. For this reason, our team moved out to form that identity of our new facility by honoring not only one of the most special and most decorated special operators, but also one of the most decorated soldiers in the U.S. Army, a gentleman who was also SOC Corps' second commander of our exceptional organization, Colonel Robert Howard. Colonel Howard began his long, highly decorated career in 1956 when he enlisted in the Army and went through the rigorous training required to become a Green Beret. He subsequently served in notable units such as the 101st Airborne Division, the 5th Special Forces Group, and the Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies and Observation Group, commonly known by its acronym MACVSOG. During his enlisted years, Colonel Howard spent 54 months, five tours, deployed to Vietnam. In that time, he was wounded 14 times and earned within a 13-month period the Silver Star Distinguished Service Cross and the Medal of Honor. Amazingly, he was nominated for the Medal of Honor three times. I won't speak at length about the circumstances that led to his Medal of Honor, as Mrs. Ginch has a prepared speech that goes into the detail about the event, but let me recount the core facts to highlight the significance of his heroic acts. Then, Sergeant First Class Howard was serving as a platoon sergeant in an American Vietnamese platoon and was on a rescue mission to recover a missing American soldier behind enemy lines. After landing in the enemy area, his unit was attacked by a force estimated to be the size of about two companies, roughly 150 to 300 enemy soldiers. During the engagement, Sergeant First Class Howard was wounded and his weapon destroyed. He then saw his platoon leader wounded and exposed to enemy fire. Without the ability to walk or return fire, he crawled to his platoon leader, administered first aid, and dragged him back to the platoon area. He then rallied and organized his platoon into a hasty defense by crawling from soldier to soldier, fighting position to fighting position, administering first aid all while injured himself. This kind of selfless and tireless devotion to his troops and the mission and willingness to sacrifice his life brought great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army. What is also fascinating was the manner in which Colonel Howard learned he had been awarded the Medal of Honor. Not surprisingly, he learned of the news over a two-way radio while under direct enemy fire and after being wounded again in a separate engagement. But there's more to this notification. Besides it being delivered during a firefight, was the event directly connects Colonel Howard with your father, Sergeant O'Crayton Abrams, who was the commander of the MACV during that time, and actually ordered and sent the helicopters that picked up then Colonel Howard from the field. I always find it interesting what a small world the military is and just how many of us are connected through it. It really is all about the people. After a direct commission in 1969, Colonel Howard attended Ranger School and later commanded a company in the Second Ranger Battalion out of Fort Lewis, Washington, proceeded by serving as a mountain ranger training instructor. He would later return to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he was the officer in charge for the Special Forces Training Program at Camp McCall, where as a major he would lead rucksack runs and groom and develop future generations of green berets. Colonel Howard's last command assignment prior to his retirement in 1992 was as the second commander of the newly formed Special Operations Command, Korea. He steadfastly led the new command and helped to shape it into the organization it is today. Colonel Howard once said, never surrender your weapon and always face the enemy. I think those words are ever present here at SOCCOR and here in Korea amongst all USFK members as we are always ready to fight tonight. Colonel Howard believed in himself and those he served with. He always remembered those who sacrificed themselves while fighting with and for him, always being sure to stress that he wore his awards for them and in their honor. Even in retirement, Colonel Howard remained determined to work with veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs, even making trips overseas to Iraq just to visit active duty troops like his son Robert L. Howard Jr. and did so until he passed away in 2009. His legacy was recognized by the United States Special Operations Command in 2014 with the Bull Simons Award for his lifetime achievements in special operations. This year will celebrate the 33rd anniversary of SOCCOR and this campus' dedication ceremony serves as a lasting tribute to Colonel Howard and the significant impact he had in the special operations community. This campus is a reflection of team SOCCOR and the phenomenal attributes of the late Colonel Howard, fight tonight readiness, dedication, selfless service, and quiet professionalism. Team SOCCOR successfully executes this mission because the quality of the organization, its people, and the unique capabilities of SOFF. On these campus grounds we will continue to strive to uphold the legacy of Colonel Robert Howard, a great American hero and warrior. Once again, thank you all for attending the ceremony with us today and now I'd like to turn over to a pre-recorded video by Mrs. Melissa Gench. Thank you. On behalf of my father and my family, I want to thank you for this dedication. This dedication would have meant a lot to my father. My father only had fond memories of his time here in South Korea, training soldiers. See, my father had written to me once in a letter saying that he felt it was his destiny to serve in special forces. He knew what it took to become a soldier. Growing up he had had a lot of rough times and he saw a lot, but during his five tours of duty he saw a lot more. He saw what combat can do to a soldier. He knew that even the best of men could become broken. During the action where he actually was awarded the Medal of Honor, for he saw firsthand soldiers freezing up. During this action, see, he had been placed near the, he was bringing up the rear of his men and the lieutenant was up front and my father just, he had this gut feeling that they were fixing to get ambushed. So he starts making his way up there and he's making his way up there, sure enough they were ambushed. My father told a pal he, he woke up after being blown up and that the pain was incredible and his hands, his legs were burned and broken. First he thought he was blind, his vision was so flurry, but it was from the blood that had been dripping down his face and when his vision cleared up he spotted his lieutenant a little bit further down and see my father's granny had taught him to have a deep faith in the Bible. So my father at that time prayed to God and you see my, my father used to say he ran with the devil, but God had his back. My father, he just knew he had to keep moving, he had to get to that lieutenant. So he was, he managed to basically, you know, crawl and drag, mind you, his legs, hands, as I said, burned and broken their cells. He got to the lieutenant and the lieutenant, as my father described, was a pretty big man, weighed over about 200 pounds and more than six feet tall. My father just, you know, grabbed him, he starts dragging him, trying to get him to safety and see, he's dragging him. He spots one of their men, a sergeant behind a log, laying there, unhurt and crying in his weapon, just set to his side, untouched. Well, my father yelled at him, you know, please come help me, help me, drag the lieutenant to safety. The sergeant didn't budge and he just shook his head no, and you know, that's when the devil, you know, my father let the devil use him at that time, and my father said some words as he was, you know, yelling back at the sergeant to at least give him his weapon. See, my father's own weapon had been blown up and blown out of his hand, so he was weaponless and, you know, sergeant still wouldn't do it. My father spotted the personal 45 that the sergeant had and, you know, he convinced him, you know, in not so nice words to give him at least the 45 and just as the sergeant tossed it to him, my father could feel, you know, Viet Cong coming, approaching behind and got the 45. We turned just in time as he looked back over his shoulder. There were three at Viet Cong and they were fixing to bayonet them and my father at that time, he was able to kill two and that's when the sergeant, you know, he, he unfroze and he killed the third one. And my father, through pure grit and determination, started dragging the lieutenant even more and even as he went further along, grenades came again and, you know, bullets were whizzing everywhere and another grenade, my father covered his body over the lieutenant as then my father was again blown up. But you see, my father persevered through grit and determination. He managed to get that lieutenant to safety and see my father, he knew what it took and he dedicated his life to training soldiers to, to be able to mentally be tough enough to push their bodies harder than they ever could imagine. And I witnessed this firsthand when I think it was, I was about eight or nine and my father was stationed for Benning and my father and I used to, one of the things that we did together was go on long runs and get asked me if I would like to the following morning go on an eight mile rucksack run with him and his men. Of course, you know, I was eager to spend time with my father and I, I said, yes, ready, I'm going. So the next morning we get there and we get in line and my father takes me up to one of the young soldiers and he assigns this young soldier to, to stay with me and, you know, keep up with me. I actually remember my father joking with them, you know, saying, if you can keep up with her. So then my father, he goes up to the front and the young soldier, he, he said, let's, let's come back here and he brought me back one. I looked at him and said, no, I said, said, I think we need to be up further. I don't need to be at the back. And the young soldier said, no, no, no, I'm, I'm, you know, I'm in charge of you. I'm to look out for you. You're too, you're too little way back here. Well, at that time in the back of my head, I thought my dad is not going to be happy about this. And you see, as we started out running my father, he basically would always run two times more than any of the men because he would go from the front to the back and back up vice versa, you know, to yelling encouragement to the men. And I remember seeing my father was running back. I saw his eyes spot us and immediately they went cold and you did not want to make my father angry. So when he got to us, you know, he said, soldier, he said, is there a reason y'all are back here? And the soldier, you know, he's sort of mumbling, then he sort of looks up and he said, well, I thought you had, you gave her to me and it's my responsibility. So I felt that she was too young and too little to be further up than back here. And my father looked at me and he said, Melissa said, did you ask to be back here? And I didn't want to get the soldier in trouble, but I also knew that my father would not want me to lie and my father knew that I could do this run. So I looked at him and I said, no, sorry, didn't say my father looked back at the soldier. He said, soldier, he said, is it her you were looking back out for? Said, are you two worried yourself that you couldn't do this run? The soldier just looked down. He just said, my father said, you're coming with me. Then my father came back to me and he put me about midways with another soldier and we continue to do the run. And this is the part I remember most distinctly when we we got back. My father came to me said, he said, Lacey said, I'm taking this soldier out again. He said, you go to my office, you wait there till I get back. Now in my father's office, there was a huge window that was cracked open about this much and I could look look out and see into the courtyard area. And I saw them set off and quite a while later, back they came and I was watching, you know, mine's pretty big because I'm just wondering what, you know, they'd actually gone 16 miles. And when you added it up all together and the soldier he he leaned over and he was getting sick and my father patted him and, you know, sort of lifted his head up. And then on top of all that running, my father then has him in the soldier doing jumping jacks and push-ups. And I proceeded to watch when they were done. My father, he put his hand on the soldier's back and he had it his back. I could see my father's lips and I could hear him. He said the words, see, I told you, you could do it. And he shook the young soldier's hand and I looked over and I could see in the soldier's face that, you know, he had this sense of confidence, this sense of pride. And you see, that's that's what my father wanted to instill in his soldiers. He wanted them to understand that they could persevere, they could do it. And you see, my father, he never asked anyone to do anything that he wouldn't or couldn't do himself. He knew that real strength came from within. So you step foot onto these grounds. I asked him not to think of my father, but what my father stood for. Being humble, being strong enough to put others before yourself, to always show honor and respect to your fellow man, most importantly, to persevere and to never, ever give up. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Ginch, for that stirring recount of your father's life. At this time, I would like to welcome General Abrams, General Lillard, Command Master Chief White, and Command Sergeant Major Tagalico to the covering behind me to help unveil the plaque, officially dedicating our campus to Colonel Howard. Now I'd like to ask our official party to approach the Southcourt Rock located to my left for its ribbon cutting. We chose to use traditional stacked rocks to showcase our distinguished unit insignia to further highlight the strength of the alliance in connection with our rock counterparts. The natural and carved rocks found throughout Korea is known as Susak, and it's an art form that goes back more than 3,000 years. We are proud to represent our unit in this culturally significant way. Thank you, gentlemen. You may now take your seats. I would now like to welcome Brigadier General Gung, who will present a gift to the command on behalf of Rockswick in honor of this momentous day. Thank you, gentlemen. In any ceremony that includes members of the Green Berets, we'd like to take time out to play a song made famous by Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler, Ballad of the Green Berets. You will find the lyrics on the back of your program. Feel free to sing along. Please rise and remain standing for the playing of the Ballad of the Green Berets in the Joint Forces Medley. And now stand by for the playing of the Joint Forces Medley. Again, feel free to join us for cake and refreshments. Thank you for attending today's ceremony.