Leaving Vilseck

Many of you have started asking us about leaving Vilseck. We were sent here for a two-year assignment (which has gone very well!) and our time is almost at an end. We arrived in May of 2005, and we expect to leave here sometime in the spring of 2007. As the time gets closer we will have more information on an exact date.

We do know where we will be for the next two years. We are headed east again, back to Korea. The three of us have been lucky enough to grab one of the few accompanied spots to the Yongsan base in Seoul, South Korea.

Honestly we had hoped that we would head back to the East Coast for a year or two, but that was our long shot hope. We all realized that it was much more likely that we would be sent somewhere else for at least a year before Wendall could be sent to the school in Virginia. A few months ago Wendall informed his commanders that he was open to almost any position as long as we could stay together as a family. Our only desire in our Army adventure is that we be able to spend as much time together as possible. Above all, we were both willing to make sacrifices if it meant that he did not have to deploy.

So we got lucky. For a variety of reasons the military tries very hard to send soldiers to Korea for one year without their families. Korea was mentioned as a one-year assignment, which would have been without us. By requesting a two-year assignment we will all be able to head for the Republic of Korea.

We are very excited about this new mission. We have no details yet, and will fill everyone in when we can. All we know now is that you will need passports, but no visas for a visit less than 30 days. Because we will be living in the city we will almost definitely be in a two-bedroom apartment, so anyone who thinks they are staying longer than 30 days had better think again! We do want people to visit, though, and from what I’ve seen we might be lucky enough to find a three-bedroom apartment.

Other things we know for sure:

1. Wendall and I really enjoyed Korea in 2000. The only thing we did not like was that we were apart.
1a. We have always said that we would like to go back for an accompanied tour. I would like to be there for longer than two months!
2. The cats can come, we just have to figure out how.
3. We will get to ship one car. Odds are that it will be the Passat.
3a. The cars in Korea are almost as cute as the Smart Car. Not quite, but close.
3b. I’ve seen the drivers in Korea, and I’ve also seen the top rate public transportation. I plan on not driving while we are there unless there are no other options.
4. We will not be able to bring most of what we own. What we are not able to bring will be stored for us at the Army’s expense.
4a. Seoul has an amazing amount of shopping. We are bound to leave with some wonderful souvenirs.
4b. Nothing could be as wonderful as the souvenir I brought home the first time.
5. The thing we have missed most here in Germany is Asian food. Problem solved!

We are just at the beginning of the planning process. The next few months will be filled with sorting, packing, and gathering information. We will do our best to keep everyone involved and informed.

To summarize:
We leave in approximately 7 months. The entire family will move to Seoul, South Korea. We will live there for 1-2 years. We can bring one car, but only 3000 pounds of "stuff". We are very happy, excited, and anxious by this move. We hope you visit. If you want to see us in Germany, get going!