CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — The National Security Language Institute for Youth, a U.S. Department of State sponsored program, sent 25 students from across the U.S. to South Korea for a brief visit, which included a tour of U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys on June 29.

The goal of the program is to foster greater cultural understanding and language proficiency for students with an interest in geo-political issues.

“This year’s program has a theme of U.S.-Korea relations, which explores the U.S. presence in Korea in the areas of culture, diplomacy, military, and more,” said Dr. Heejeong Sohn, director for Korean Studies for the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and facilitator of the NSLI-Y visit. “The visit to Camp Humphreys was central to the theme.”

The students visited the former Camp Market in Incheon and will visit Camp Yongsan in the days ahead to learn about the consolidation and relocation of U.S. forces to USAG Humphreys, added Sohn.

“The U.S. and Republic of Korea have a very tight and strategic relationship stretching back to the Korean War,” said one student who choose to remain nameless. “My biggest take away from this experience is understanding the importance of our alliance with the ROK in the military, social and economic world. It shows that when working together, it can create a strong force of power and readiness for maintaining global security.”

The three-hour tour of USAG Humphreys included a stop at the Vandal Simulation Training Center, where the students saw the water survival, combat lifesaver, and other training areas. The students had the chance to interact with a vehicle simulator, where they engaged enemies while driving in a 360-degree digital trainer.

“The vehicle simulator was especially cool,” said another student. “I was so impressed. I had a great experience.”

After the training center, students ate at the Spartan Warrior Restaurant, a military dining facility for junior enlisted. For the students, it was a taste of home after enjoying Korean cuisine for the last few weeks. After the meal, their visit concluded with a windshield tour around USAG Humphreys’ downtown area, which includes the Exchange, Commissary, and more.

“The visit to Camp Humphreys today gave us a brief view of what it takes to protect democracy: weapons training, cultural training, simulators, while also fostering Soldiers wellbeing with stores and restaurants while they are far from home,” said a student. “We are people at the end of the day, and to see how much training our joint forces go through gave me a brief view into how important it is to have a joint protective force.”