The Eighth Army is a U.S.

field army A field army (also known as numbered army or simply army) is a military formation in many armed forces, composed of two or more corps. It may be subordinate to an army group. Air army, Air armies are the equivalent formations in air forces, and ...

which commands all

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

forces in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

."Enter the Dragon: Eighth Army unveils new emblem" (15 April 2013)

Task Force Smith, July 1950, Battle of Osan, memorialized
/ref> It is headquartered at the Camp Humphreys in the

Anjeong-ri Anjeong-ri is a community located in Paengseong-eup, Pyeongtaek City, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It is located on the perimeter of Camp Humphreys, a United States Army garrison undergoing rapid expansion. History In 1919, during the peri ...

of Pyeongtaek, South Korea.Yongsan garrison move pushed back to 2019
Eighth Army relocated its headquarters from Yongsan to Camp Humphreys in the summer of 2017. It is the only

in the U.S. Army. It is responsible to

United States Forces Korea The United States Forces Korea (USFK) is a Unified Combatant Command#Subordinate Unified Command, sub-unified command of United States Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). USFK was initially established in 1957, and e ...

and United States Army, Pacific.

History

World War II

The unit first activated on 10 June 1944 in the United States, under the command of Lieutenant General

Robert L. Eichelberger Robert Lawrence Eichelberger (9 March 1886 – 26 September 1961) was a general officer in the United States Army who commanded the Eighth United States Army in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II, Southwest Pacific Area during W ...

. The Eighth Army took part in many of the amphibious landings in the Southwest Pacific Theater of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, eventually participating in no less than sixty of them. The first mission of the Eighth Army, in September 1944, was to take over from the U.S. Sixth Army in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

New Britain New Britain () is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi Island, Umboi the Dampie ...

, the

Admiralty Islands The Admiralty Islands are an archipelago group of 40 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-cov ...

and on Morotai, in order to free up the Sixth Army to engage in the

Philippines Campaign (1944–45) Philippines campaign may refer to various military campaigns that have been fought in the Philippine Islands, including: Spanish colonial period (1565–1898) *Numerous revolts against Spain during the Spanish colonial period; see Philippine revo ...

. The Eighth Army again followed in the wake of the Sixth Army in December 1944, when it took over control of operations on

Leyte Island Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has been ...

on 26 December. In January, the Eighth Army entered combat on

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

, landing the XI Corps on 29 January near

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

and the 11th Airborne Division on the other side of

Manila Bay Manila Bay (; ) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the Manila, capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Philippines and ...

two days later. Combining with I Corps and XIV Corps of Sixth Army, the forces of Eighth Army next enveloped

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

in a great double-

pincer movement The pincer movement, or double envelopment, is a maneuver warfare, military maneuver in which forces simultaneously attack both flanking maneuver, flanks (sides) of an enemy Military organization, formation. This classic maneuver has been im ...

. Eighth Army's final operation of the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

was that of clearing out the southern Philippines of the Japanese Army, including on the major island of

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

, an effort that occupied the soldiers of the Eighth Army for the rest of the war.

Occupation of Japan

Eighth Army was to have participated in

Operation Downfall Operation Downfall was the proposed Allied plan for the invasion of the Japanese home islands near the end of World War II. The planned operation was canceled when Japan surrendered following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ...

, the invasion of Japan. It would have taken part in Operation Coronet, the second phase of the invasion, which would have seen the invasion of the

Kantō Plain The , in the Kantō region of central Honshu, is the largest plain in Japan. Its 17,000 km2 covers more than half of the region extending over Tokyo, Saitama Prefecture, Kanagawa Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture, Gunma Prefecture, Tochigi Prefe ...

on eastern

Honshū , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the seventh-largest island in the world, and the second-most populous after the Indonesian ...

. However, the Japanese surrender cancelled the invasion, and the Eighth Army found itself in charge of a peaceful occupation. Occupation forces landed on 30 August 1945, with its headquarters in

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

, then the HQ moved to the Dai-Ichi building in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. At the beginning of 1946, Eighth Army assumed responsibility for occupying all of Japan. Four quiet years then followed, during which the Eighth Army gradually transitioned from a combat-ready fighting force into a constabulary. Lieutenant General Walton H. Walker took command in September 1948, and he tried to re-invigorate the Army's training, with mixed success.

Korean War

In June 1950 75,000

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) encompasses the combined military forces of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). The KPA consists of five branches: the Korean People's Army Ground Force, Ground Force, the Ko ...

(KPA) troops with

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

made tanks invaded South Korea, igniting the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

.National Archives
''US Enters the Korean Conflict'' U.S. naval and air forces quickly became involved in combat operations, and it was soon clear that U.S. ground forces would have to be committed. To stem the North Korean advance, the occupation forces in Japan were thus shipped off to South Korea as quickly as possible, but their lack of training and equipment was telling, as some of the initial U.S. units were destroyed by the KPA. However, the stage was eventually reached as enough units of Eighth Army arrived in Korea to make a firm front. The KPA threw themselves against that front, the Pusan Perimeter, and failed to break it. In the meantime, Eighth Army had reorganized, since it had too many divisions under its command for it to exercise effective control directly. The I Corps and the IX Corps were reactivated in the United States and then shipped to Korea to assume command of Eighth Army's subordinate divisions. The stalemate was broken by the Inchon landings of the X Corps (consisting of soldiers and Marines). The KPA, confronted with this threat to their rear areas, combined with a breakout operation at Pusan, broke away and hastily retired north. General Walker and Lt

Both South and North Korea were almost entirely occupied by United Nations forces. However, once U.S. units neared the

Yalu River The Yalu River () or Amnok River () is a river on the border between China and North Korea. Together with the Tumen River to its east, and a small portion of Paektu Mountain, the Yalu forms the border between China and North Korea. Its valle ...

and the frontier between North Korea and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, the Chinese

People's Volunteer Army The People's Volunteer Army (PVA), officially the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV), was the armed expeditionary forces China in the Korean War, deployed by the History of the People's Republic of China (1949–1976), People's Republic of Chi ...

(PVA) intervened and drastically changed the character of the war. Eighth Army was decisively defeated at the

Battle of the Chongchon River The Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River (), also known as the Battle of the Ch'ongch'on, was a decisive battle in the Korean War that took place from November 25 to December 2, 1950, along the Ch'ongch'on River Valley in the northwestern part of Nort ...

and forced to retreat back into South Korea, the longest retreat of any U.S. military unit in history. General Walker was killed in a jeep accident on 23 December 1950, and replaced by Lieutenant general

Matthew Ridgway Matthew Bunker Ridgway (3 March 1895 – 26 July 1993) was a senior officer in the United States Army, who served as Supreme Allied Commander Europe (1952–1953) and the 19th Chief of Staff of the United States Army (1953–1955). Although he ...

. The overstretched Eighth Army suffered heavily with the Chinese offensive, who were able to benefit from shorter lines of communication and with rather casually deployed enemy forces. The Chinese broke through the U.S. defenses despite U.S.

air supremacy Air supremacy (as well as air superiority) is the degree to which a side in a conflict holds control of air power over opposing forces. There are levels of control of the air in aerial warfare. Control of the air is the aerial equivalent of ...

and the Eighth Army and U.N. forces retreated hastily to avoid encirclement. The Chinese offensive continued pressing U.S. forces, which lost

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, the South Korean capital. Eighth Army's morale and ''esprit de corps'' hit rock bottom, to where it was widely regarded as a broken, defeated rabble. Ridgway forcefully restored Eighth Army to combat effectiveness over several months. Eighth Army slowed and ultimately halted the Chinese advance at the battles of Chipyong-ni and

Wonju Wonju (; ) is the most populous Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gangwon Province, South Korea, with a population of 364,860 as of 2023. The city is located approximately east of Seoul. History During the time of Joseon, Gr ...

. It then counter-attacked the Chinese, re-took Seoul, and drove to the 38th parallel, where the front stabilized. When Ridgway replaced

General of the Army Army general or General of the army is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the French Revolutionary System. Army general is normally the highest rank used in peacetime. In countries that adopt the general officer fou ...

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American general who served as a top commander during World War II and the Korean War, achieving the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He served with dis ...

as the overall U.N. commander, Lieutenant general

James Van Fleet General (United States), General James Alward Van Fleet (19 March 1892 – 23 September 1992) was a United States Army officer who served during World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Van Fleet was a native of New Jersey, who was raised i ...

assumed command of Eighth Army. After the war of movement during the first stages, the fighting in Korea settled down to a war of attrition. Ceasefire negotiations were begun at the village of

Panmunjom Panmunjom (also spelled Panmunjeom) was a village just north of the ''de facto'' border between North Korea and South Korea, where the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement that ended the Korean War was signed. It was located in what is now Paju, Gy ...

in the summer of 1951, and they dragged on for two years. During the final combat operation of the war, Lieutenant general

Maxwell D. Taylor Maxwell Davenport Taylor (26 August 1901 – 19 April 1987) was a senior United States Army Officer (armed forces), officer and diplomat during the Cold War. He served with distinction in World War II, most notably as commander of the 101st Air ...

(promoted to general 23 June 1953) commanded the Eighth Army. When the Military Demarcation Line was finally agreed to by the

Korean Armistice Agreement The Korean Armistice Agreement (; zh, t=韓國停戰協定 / 朝鮮停戰協定) is an armistice that brought about a cessation of hostilities of the Korean War. It was signed by United States Army Lieutenant General William Kelly Harrison Jr ...

, South Korea and North Korea continued on as separate states.

Guarding Korea

During the aftermath of the Korean War, the Eighth Army remained in South Korea. By the 1960s, I Corps, consisting of the 7th Infantry Division and the 2nd Infantry Division, remained as part of the Eighth Army. Then, in 1971, the 7th Infantry Division was withdrawn, along with the command units of I Corps, which were moved across the Pacific Ocean to Fort Lewis, Washington. Later, in March 1977, a memo from President Jimmy Carter said "...American forces will be withdrawn. Air cover will be continued." Bureaucratic resistance from the Executive Branch, with support in Congress, eventually saw the proposal watered down. Eventually one combat battalion and about 2,600 non-combat troops were withdrawn. This left the 2nd Infantry Division at the

Korean Demilitarized Zone The Korean Demilitarized Zone () is a heavily militarized strip of land running across the Korea, Korean Peninsula near the 38th parallel north. The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a border barrier that divides the peninsula roughly in half. It wa ...

to assist the South Korean Army. Besides forming a trip-wire against another North Korean invasion, the 2nd Infantry Division remained there as the only Army unit in South Korea armed with

tactical nuclear weapon A tactical nuclear weapon (TNW) or non-strategic nuclear weapon (NSNW) is a nuclear weapon that is designed to be used on a battlefield in military situations, mostly with friendly forces in proximity and perhaps even on contested friendly territ ...

s. (Otherwise, there is only the U.S. Air Force in South Korea and on

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

.) All nuclear weapons were taken from the Army to be under Air Force control. Later, in 1991, all U.S. nuclear weapons were removed from South Korea.

Structure 1989

At the end of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

Eighth Army consisted of the following units: * Eighth United States Army CSIB

Eighth Army, Yongsan Garrison,

** Headquarters & Headquarters Company ** 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Casey ** 17AvnBdeSSI

17th Aviation Brigade, Camp Coiner *** Headquarters & Headquarters Company *** 4th Battalion, 58th Aviation (Air Traffic Control), Camp Coiner *** 1st Battalion, 501st Aviation (Assault), Camp Coiner ( UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters) *** 2nd Battalion, 501st Aviation (Medium Lift), Camp Coiner ( CH-47D Chinook helicopters) *** 4th Battalion, 501st Aviation (Attack), Camp Page ( AH-1F Cobra & OH-58C Kiowa helicopters) *** 5th Battalion, 501st Aviation (Attack), Camp Coiner (AH-1F Cobra & OH-58C Kiowa helicopters) ** 1st Signal Brigade, Camp Humphreys *** Headquarters & Headquarters Company *** 36th Signal Battalion *** 41st Signal Battalion *** 304th Signal Battalion, Camp Colbern *** 307th Signal Battalion *** 257th Signal Company, Camp Humphreys ** 8MPBdeSSI

8th Military Police Brigade (Provisional), Camp Coiner *** Headquarters & Headquarters Company *** 94th Military Police Battalion *** 728th Military Police Battalion ** 501 MI BDE SSI

501st Military Intelligence Brigade (Provisional), Yongsan Garrison *** Headquarters & Headquarters Detachment *** 3rd Military Intelligence Battalion (Aerial Exploitation), Camp Humphreys *** 524th Military Intelligence Battalion (Human Intelligence) *** 532nd Military Intelligence Battalion (Intelligence & Electronic Warfare) *** 751st Military Intelligence Battalion (Counterintelligence), Camp Humphreys ** 18MedicalCmdSSI

18th Medical Command, Seoul (the following peacetime listing is incomplete) *** Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment *** 52nd Medical Battalion *** 121st Combat Support Hospital, Camp Humphreys ** 19thESCshoulder

19th Support Command,

Daegu Daegu (; ), formerly spelled Taegu and officially Daegu Metropolitan City (), is a city in southeastern South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; the fourth-largest List of provincial-level ci ...

(the following peacetime listing is incomplete) *** Headquarters and Headquarters Company *** Special Troops Battalion *** 20th Area Support Group, Camp Henry **** Headquarters and Headquarters Company *** 23rd Area Support Group, Camp Humphreys **** Headquarters and Headquarters Company **** 194th Maintenance Battalion **** 227th Maintenance Battalion **** Company A, 3rd Battalion 501st Aviation (Aviation Intermediate Maintenance), Camp Humphreys **** Company A, 3rd Battalion, 501st Aviation (Aviation Intermediate Maintenance), Camp Humphreys *** 25th Transportation Center (Movement Control), Yongsan Garrison **** 21st Transportation Company (Command Transport), Yongsan Garrison **** 46th Transportation Company, Camp Carroll *** 34th Area Support Group, Seoul **** Headquarters and Headquarters Company *** 501st Corps Support Group, Camp Red Cloud **** Headquarters and Headquarters Company ** 8th Personnel Command *** 516th Personnel Service Company ** 175th Finance Center *** 176th Finance Support Unit *** 177th Finance Support Unit ** 23rd Chemical Battalion ** 44th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Heavy), Camp Mercer ** 8th Army Band

Recent times

In 2003, plans were announced to move the 2nd Infantry Division southward. The division, with 15 bases north of the Han River and just south of the DMZ, was to be the most important formation to be moved south of the Han River in two phases "over the next few years" a joint statement between the South Korean and U.S. governments said on June 5, 2003. As of 2015, it appears that one brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division will remain at Camp Casey, near Dongducheon. The headquarters of the Eighth Army was Yongsan Garrison, but moved southward to Camp Humphreys by 2019. In April 2017 the Eighth Army headquarters began its move from Yongsan to Camp Humphreys and held a ceremony to relocate a statue of General Walton Walker.

Organization

* Eighth Army, USAG Humphreys ** Eighth Army Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion *** Headquarters Support Company *** Operations Company *** Intelligence and Sustainment Company *** Eighth Army Band ** 2nd Infantry Division (Joint

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and South Korean Army) *** 2nd Infantry Division Combined Division Staff (Joint

and South Korean Army) *** Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion *** Rotational

Stryker Brigade Combat Team The brigade combat team (BCT) is the basic Military deployment, deployable Military unit, unit of maneuver in the United States Army, U.S. Army. A brigade combat team consists of one combat arms branch maneuver Brigade (United States Army), b ...

*** 210th Field Artillery Brigade **** Headquarters and Headquarters Battery **** 210th Field Artillery Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters Battery **** 1st Battalion, 38th Field Artillery Regiment **** 6th Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment **** Rotational M270 MLRS Field Artillery Battalion **** 70th Brigade Support Battalion *** Combat Aviation Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division **** Headquarters and Headquarters Company **** 2nd Battalion (Assault), 2nd Aviation Regiment **** 3rd Battalion (General Support), 2nd Aviation Regiment **** 4th Battalion (Attack), 2nd Aviation Regiment **** 5th Squadron (Attack/Reconnaissance), 17th Cavalry Regiment **** Company E, 2nd Aviation Regiment (

General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle The General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle (previously the Warrior; also called Sky Warrior and ERMP or Extended-Range Multi-Purpose) is a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aircraft system (UAS). It was developed by General Atomics Aer ...

) **** 602d Aviation Support Battalion *** 2nd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade **** Headquarters and Headquarters Company **** Special Troops Battalion **** 194th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion ** 1st Signal Brigade, subordinate to 311th Signal Command / US Army Pacific *** Headquarters and Headquarters Company *** United States Army Communications Information Systems Activity, Pacific *** 41st Signal Battalion *** 304th Expeditionary Signal Battalion ** 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command *** Headquarters and Headquarters Company *** 94th Military Police Battalion *** Materiel Support Command Korea **** 6th Ordnance Battalion **** 25th Transportation Battalion **** 498th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion **** Korean Service Corps ** 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade *** Headquarters and Headquarters Battery *** 2nd Battalion,

1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment The 1st Air Defense Artillery is an air defense artillery regiment in the United States Army first formed as a field artillery unit in 1821. Lineage Constituted 1 June 1821 in the Regular Army as the 1st Regiment of Artillery, and organized fro ...

( Patriot) *** 6th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment (Patriot) *** Battery D, 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment ( THAAD) ** 65th Medical Brigade *** Headquarters and Headquarters Company *** 549th Hospital Center *** 168th Medical Battalion (Multifunctional) *** 618th Dental Company (Area Support) *** 106th Medical Detachment (Veterinary Service Support) *** 135th Forward Resuscitative Surgical Detachment ** 501st Military Intelligence Brigade *** Headquarters and Headquarters Company *** 3rd Military Intelligence Battalion *** 368th Military Intelligence Battalion (

US Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. History Origi ...

), at Parks Reserve Forces Training Area, California *** 524th Military Intelligence Battalion *** 532nd Military Intelligence Battalion *** 719th Military Intelligence Battalion **

United Nations Command United Nations Command (UNC or UN Command) is the multinational military force established to support the South Korea, Republic of Korea (South Korea) during and after the Korean War. It was the first attempt at collective security by the U ...

Security Battalion, Joint Security Area ** Korean Field Office ** Army Special Operations Forces Liaison Element, Korea ** Joint United States Military Affairs Group - Korea ** Eighth Army

Non-Commissioned Officers A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

Academy ** Training Support Activity, Korea ** 11th Engineer Battalion, subordinate to 130th Engineer Brigade / US Army Pacific ** 23rd Chemical Battalion ** 4th Airfield Operations Battalion, 58th Aviation Regiment ** 2501st Digital Liaison Detachment - headquartered at Camp Yongin. The detachment deploys in support of First (Wonju) and Third (Yongin) Republic of Korea Armies (FROKA/TROKA) and the soon to be Combined Ground Component Command (CGCC) to provide continuous liaison capability between Eighth Army and the two ROK Field Army headquarters. ** 2502nd Digital Liaison Detachment ** 3rd Battlefield Coordination Detachment ** United States Army Corps of Engineers, Far East District Other army units based in South Korea: * 403rd Army Field Support Brigade, Camp Henry, part of Army Sustainment Command ** Army Field Support Battalion - Korea ** Army Field Support Battalion - Northeast Asia * 837th Transportation Battalion, part of 599th Transportation Brigade / Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command * United States Army Medical Materiel Agency - Korea

Specific units

8th Army Band

The 8th Army Band is the official musical unit of the HQ 8th Army and supports

and the

. The 41-member band was founded in 1916 as the Band of the 35th Infantry Regiment. During World War II, the band, then known as the 25th Infantry Division Band based out of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, served in the Pacific Theater, being a participant in Central Pacific and Guadalcanal campaigns. It was reorganized in November 1950 and reassigned to the newly formed ROK, the same year the Korean War began. Awards and honors the band has received include the

Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or ...

and two Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations. Nicknamed ''Freedom's Ambassadors'' due to its

area of responsibility Area of responsibility (AOR) is a pre-defined geographic region assigned to Combatant commanders of the Unified Command Plan (UCP), that are used to define an area with specific geographic boundaries where they have the authority to plan and c ...

, it has performed at events such as the

Tattoo, the Gangwon International Tattoo as well as Korean War memorial ceremonies in the country. In June, 2015, members of the 8th Army Band celebrated its 99th anniversary in

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

with a concert on Sükhbaatar Square.

Korean Service Corps

The Korean Service Corps was a reserve force composed of South Korean volunteers who were augmented to the 8th Army. They provided labourers who were used to carry ammunition and supplies, and support the overall logistic elements of the army. It is today, a

paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...

civilian formation that is

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

-sized. Continuing is role as a

combat service support The term combat service support (or CSS) is utilized by numerous military organizations throughout the world to describe entities that provide direct and indirect sustainment services to the groups that engage (or are potentially to be engaged) ...

unit, it is capable of being expanded and mobilized during a wartime situation.

List of commanders

References

Citation

Bibliography

* * *

External links

Eighth Army – Official Homepage

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eighth Army (United States) 008 Army Military units of the United States Army in South Korea Military units and formations established in 1944 USFldArmy0008