BY INDIRA CHUNG, Freshman
BLYTHEWOOD -- Captain Michael Chung of the U.S. Army helps his superiors, peers, and soldiers with a number of tasks on a daily basis. But the recent flood in Columbia has devastated everybody, including Cpt. Chung.
“As a commander of a basic training company in Fort Jackson, my responsibilities were to make good decisions during the time of crisis, such as getting a countability of all the drill sergeants, basic trainees, and soldiers,” Cpt. Chung said.
Cpt. Chung says he wakes up around 4 a.m. and is at work by 5 a.m., then trains the soldiers on a daily basis from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., still having time to ensure their safety.
“I told those that had been affected by the flood to stay home and take care of their families, and those that weren’t affected I told to come into work. I adjusted my schedule to only work the people that weren’t affected,” Cpt. Chung said.
Chung’s wife, Paula Chung, a veteran of the Army and Air Force Reserves, had a viewpoint on her husband’s kindness.
“He’s a great leader who cares about the welfare of others. He is well-respected by his superiors, peers, and soldiers because of his can-do attitude and his ability to treat everyone the same, regardless of rank, gender, creed, or culture,” Paula said.
Cpt. Chung claimed he then allowed his basic trainees to call their families who lived close to the area affected to see if they were okay.
“I allowed them to call their loved ones and, if necessary, contacted Red Cross to get them additional assistance,” Cpt. Chung said.
Why He Stands Out
Paula also spoke on how Michael was different from the other commanders that work at Fort Jackson.
“His ability to use his experience to teach a lesson to everyone in order to make each individual a better person is what makes him stand out as a leader,” Paula said.
Cpt. Chung then describes his lifestyle at work and why he does it.
“Every 10 weeks, my company transforms 240 civilians into United States Army soldiers. I got my inspiration from my older brother, Keith, who joined the military first.”
According to the Defense Manpower Data Base, a part of the Department of Defense, there are about 1.4 million Americans serving in the U.S. military, meaning only around 0.4 percent of Americans are active duty.
Chung said whenever he wears his uniform in places other than the military base, several people thank him for serving the country on a daily basis.
“Whenever people find out that I’m in the Army, I get a lot of misconceptions about why I don’t look like the soldiers from ‘GI Joe,’” Cpt. Chung said, chuckling. “They are surprised to know that I do, in fact, have a masters degree.”
The Experience
Cpt. Chung also says being in the Army has let him experience travelling to a variety of locations.
“I’ve been to Kentucky, South Carolina, Germany, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bosnia, Washington, Georgia, California, Oklahoma, Virginia, Tennessee, and Iraq,” Cpt. Chung said.
Cpt. Chung had some advice to give for anybody who is striving to be in his position when they get older.
“Always give 110 percent in every school assignment, trust your teachers, do your best in school and be yourself. It may take time to get exactly where you want to be, but the hard work will definitely pay off later on.”
