Since retirement

[HAB911]

I have been haphazardly scanning negatives and slides from my film days. This first photo I came across the negative and realized it had never been printed since it was taken in 1970. I was stationed on the DMZ in Korea and came across this scene looking south from the DMZ toward Bukhansan, or 'North Han Mountain' literal translation. I was elated by the photo but devastated it had been filed away for 50 years. It almost captures the beauty of that country. The second photo was taken while crossing Freedom Bridge, a rail bridge converted to one way Army traffic, now back in rail service. It is white because it is covered in snow with the solidly frozen Imjin River on either side. It was our only means of escape from the DMZ and counterintuitively, would have been blown up immediately upon hostilities, making us mere suicide speed bumps. In the last couple of years, The Booze Traveler visited a tourist center overlook at the bridge looking into the DMZ, #3 screenshot. Hope you enjoy!

[Ohiogal]

1. Beautiful photos.

I especially like the first one. So tranquil.

[Hoyt]

2. Nice shots, even if decades ago.

[HAB911]

3. For me, the first photo

is to digital photography as vinyl is to a CD, it's just feels different.

[Adsos Letter]

4. Beautiful, and number one is stunning.

I wish I had more ways to express how good I think that first image is.

I was in one of two armored cav units that helped secure the old W. German/East German border Back in the day. I can fully relate to the whole speed bumps thing.

[HAB911]

5. Thank you!

I'm not prone to overt signs of joy and sorrow, and I must admit to having been on my second margarita when I finished work on that photo, but I had tears in my eyes.

[Callalily]

6. Your first shot is just spectacular.

Your second shot has a feeling of loneliness as does your last shot.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

7. You have a photographer's eye, no doubt. Just stunning

Thanks for sharing!

[HAB911]

9. thank you!

I'm currently curating a gallery of all my DMZ photos on my smugmug site.

It will not be what some might expect, as I wasn't a soldier that patrolled the fence, where photography was strictly forbidden anyway. More a view at life there 17 years after cessation of hostilities by an aspiring photographer with privileged access to a jeep. 20 year old soldiers doing what 20 year olds do, lol.

Of course I will share when completed!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

11. How long were you there? I saw a documentary and it was so strange

But good? It was hard to tell. It was like the South Korean government had created an idyllic life for people? Work hard but play hard too? Like the government literally wanted people to go out and party and get drunk after work.

[HAB911]

13. I was there 13 months

The DMZ is ~160 milles long and ~2.5 miles wide. The part near Seoul is north of the river Imjin.

Being stationed there was only slightly better than combat living conditions (we were paid hostile fire pay, same as my brothers that were dying in VN). Barracks were single story fiberglass coated plywood with diesel space heaters, one big room with 100 bunk beds. We were allowed to wear civilian clothes only after going south of the river, never in the DMZ. All dirt roads, right up to the end of my tour when a majority of units rotated to south of the river. A funny story, after 13 months of never being in a vehicle going faster than 25 mph and returning home to Interstate driving at 70 mph was mind bending. It was much harder to adjust to coming home than going over.

The Korea of 1970 was not the powerhouse it is today, it was sleepy, rural, rice paddies and other farming. I do very much admire the Korean people, several worked along side us and were know as KATUSA, Korean Augmentation to the United States Army.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

14. Wow. You paint it so vividly. It must be so surreal to

think back on that. How do we assimilate the good and bad in a lifetime? As a female, have to think that men in service back then have so much more of a heavy load than we did. So many overwhelming feelings! Thank you so much for sharing

[Laura PourMeADrink]

12. BTW... In the documentary, they interviewed people and they said

that they were 100 times more worried about the US, (us!!!) Than Kim Jong Un. Of course it was when dipshit was president.

[Callalily]

8. Great photos.

I especially like the perspective of your second photo!

[HAB911]

10. thank you so much!

I'm currently curating a gallery of all my DMZ photos on my smugmug site.

It will not be what some might expect, as I wasn't a soldier that patrolled the fence, where photography was strictly forbidden anyway. More a view at life there 17 years after cessation of hostilities by an aspiring photographer with privileged access to a jeep. 20 year old soldiers doing what 20 year olds do, lol.

Of course I will share when completed!

[George McGovern]

15. Your first image, HAB911, is astounding. Other-worldly. Literally. Thanks for showing it.