Three U.S. soldiers stationed in South Korea have had their ranks reduced, their pay docked and will face 45 days of extra duty after sneaking through a hole in the fence at Camp Walker and visiting an off-base bar, military officials said.
U.S. forces around the world have instituted strict restrictions to stop the spread of COVID-19 through the ranks. Leaving the base to visit a bar, officials said is a clear violation of that public health policy.
In statements posted to Twitter on Wednesday, the U.S. Eighth Army said the three unnamed soldiers with the 94th Military Police Battalion violated “public health guidance by visiting an off-post bar,” and two of them made false statements to military investigators.
The summaries said that two of the soldiers failed to report a hole in the fence at Camp Walker, while the third received additional punishment “for damaging government property by creating a hole in the installation’s fence.”
Each of the soldiers has had their rank reduced to E-1, docked $866 in pay for two months, and will be assigned 45 days of extra duty.
The military is using the punishments as a public warning.
“Eighth Army will publish the results of enforcement actions related to compliance with current Force HPCON orders to ensure our Soldiers, Civilians, contract employees and their families understand the ramifications of not following the commander’s directives,” the Eighth Army said on Twitter.
Eighth Army will publish the results of enforcement actions related to compliance with current Force HPCON orders to ensure our Soldiers, Civilians, contract employees and their families understand the ramifications of not following the commander’s directives. pic.twitter.com/pwHM9rajQn
— Eighth Army (@EighthArmyKorea) April 22, 2020
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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