I’ll be the first to admit we are absolute terrible at attending most military functions these days. Some of it has lost its luster in the course of the last eight years of marriage and the military. Most of the time, however, we’re just busy doing other things. It’s not lost on me how lucky and different our kids’ childhood is in this military lifestyle though, so sometimes we prioritize military things. We had a little getaway planned for Sunday, but we didn’t have plans for Saturday, so we made our way over to 2CAB family day at Camp Humphreys.
2CAB Family Day at Camp Humphreys
For those unfamiliar, 2CAB stands for 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade, of which Ryan is a part of. Ryan works on the UAS (drone) side of things, but the kids are fascinated by the helicopters that constantly fly over post, and they had the chance to actually climb in and experience some of what 2CAB sees and does.
It’s funny; the longer you live in this lifestyle, the less unusual these things seem, but I forget sometimes that most people will never have the opportunity to climb into a Chinook, or wear the helmet of an Apache pilot, or put on full battle rattle – especially at ages 7 and 5 years old. Spencer and Porter ate. it. up.
Family Life at Camp Humphreys
It’s funny because Camp Humphreys has been working so hard to become the “duty stations of choice” for those wishing to be stationed OCONUS. Military life in South Korea gets a bad rap, but for all its challenges, it’s been very good to us. Opportunities like this one at 2CAB family day (even though it was abysmally publicized) are such a fun experience for families stationed abroad, and it was a good reminder to me that these things shouldn’t be taken for granted.
This was a solid way to ring in Memorial Day weekend, and it was a fun experience for the whole family – right in our own proverbial backyard. Even better? Since masks are no longer required on post, we did this whole thing mask-free, and it was such a nice way to start off the summer season. (Because remember when we just got here and were dying of the heat whilst masked last year?!)
Kicking Off Summer in South Korea
And just like that, we’re kicking off our second summer here in South Korea! Last summer was one of great transition as we found a place to live, learned to deal with the heat and humidity, and navigated what life is like on the peninsula. This summer, we’re here for the adventures. The pools are opening, splash pads are starting up, and the heat is ramping up. We’re heading back to the US in a few weeks for our little holiday, but 2CAB family day was definitely a fun way to kick off the summer season.
(Full disclosure: we 100% bribed our kids and told them there was a bounce house here; they were very angry when there wasn’t, but they admitted they loved it in the end 😉 )