Deployment
A small briefing room. Our entire team was gathered inside.
We had been on our way out for morning training when we received word to assemble in the briefing room instead of the training grounds. That was how our team ended up here.
Though we trained together every single day, we rarely gathered in a briefing room like this. It was highly unusual.
The team leader, Captain Song Gyu-tae, spoke up.
"Is everyone here?"
"Yes, sir. All present."
"Then I'll get straight to the point. We've received deployment orders."
"Sir?"
"What was that?"
"Are you serious, sir?"
"Wait, now? There wasn't any deployment on our schedule, was there?"
"Isn't there still some time left before the regular deployment cycle?"
"One of the deployed companies has been deemed unfit for duty and is returning home early. We're going in to fill the gap."
"Where are we heading, sir?"
"Congo. The Democratic Republic of the Congo."
"Ah..."
"..."
"Fuck, we pulled a nasty one."
At the mention of Congo, the team members' faces contorted in unison. Is it that bad? I didn't even know where Congo was. All I knew was that it was somewhere in Africa.
"Keep that in mind. Today, everyone will focus on personal maintenance and prepare for deployment."
"When do we leave?"
"In a month."
Back in my quarters, I looked it up. Congo... Congo... Oh? There are two of them. The Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Our destination was the latter—the DRC.
The second-largest country in Africa. The eleventh-largest in the world. A massive landmass twenty-three times the size of South Korea. Straddling the equator, it was scorching hot, covered in dense rainforests and vast savannas.
If that was all there was to it, it would have sounded like a paradise. But if that were the case, there would be no need for us to deploy. We were going because it was dangerous.
The DRC had been ruled by a dictator notorious on the global stage. For over thirty years, he held absolute power, wielding it however he pleased. Corruption was simply a way of life there.
Eventually, unable to bear it any longer, the people formed rebel groups and attacked the government. A civil war erupted, ending in a rebel victory. But the man who took power after their triumph turned out to be just another dictator.
The new dictator was even worse. Fearing that his former comrades-in-arms would threaten his rule, he purged them. Enraged, the exiled comrades formed new factions and attacked the government once again. And so, the cycle of civil war continued.
Rebel groups and terrorist organizations like the ADF, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, and the M23 joined the fray. Over ten African nations became entangled in the conflict. It was a complete clusterfuck. By now, there was no distinguishing right from wrong. They fought simply to seize power.
As if their petty power struggles weren't annoying enough, outside forces were actively fanning the flames. Corporations and foreign nations, greedy for Congo's abundant mineral resources, funded the rebels. Neighboring countries backed either the rebels or the government forces over religious and ethnic disputes.
The number of terrorist groups and rebel factions operating in Congo was beyond count. It was an absolute mess.
And as always, the ones who suffered most were the women and children. Children were abducted and trained as child soldiers, while women were routinely raped or slaughtered on sight. It was horrific.
The state had ceased to function. It failed to perform even the most basic duty of protecting its citizens. The leaders indulged in dictatorship while foreign corporations stripped the land of its resources. A nation that couldn't care less whether its people lived or died—that was Congo.
A place where guns were fired and goods were stolen anytime, anywhere. A place where kidnapping and sexual violence went unpunished. A place where the rule of law was nonexistent. That was how dangerous it was.
I finally understood why the seniors' faces had turned so grim when they heard our destination.
There wasn't much time left before our departure. First came the vaccinations. Yellow fever, malaria, tetanus, measles, meningococcal disease... the list of shots we had to take was endless.
We also needed passports. The others had to renew theirs, but since I had never owned one, I had to get a brand-new passport issued.
On top of that, we had to prepare team gear and personal supplies. A checklist had been drawn up for anyone who, like me, had no idea what to pack. It was packed with items to be brought by both the team as a whole and each individual.
We underwent intensive briefings on the Congo region. We memorized the history, size, and behavioral patterns of the rebel groups in our operational area, and studied the strict regulations governing UN Peacekeeping forces. Our tactical training was tailored entirely to simulated Congolese terrain.
We also received mental and ethical training, covering everything from the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) and civilian protection protocols to the prevention of wartime sexual violence.
When they said we had a month to prepare, I thought we'd just pack our bags like we were going on a trip. I figured we'd just grab our rifles and go, but the sheer volume of preparation was staggering.
Finally, the day of departure arrived. We boarded a military transport plane and landed not in Congo, but in its neighbor, Burundi, at Melchior Ndadaye International Airport.
Uvira, the Congolese city where we were to be stationed, had no airport of its own. Melchior Ndadaye International Airport was the closest international gateway, leaving us with no other choice.
The moment we stepped off the plane, a wave of stifling heat hit us square in the face. As expected of a region near the equator, it was brutally hot.
As we gathered our gear and disembarked, someone was waiting to greet us.
"Welcome."
"It's been a while."
The man who had come to meet us seemed to be an acquaintance of Song Gyu-tae. The two greeted each other warmly.
"Everyone, meet Captain Jeon Yeong-ho, the Logistics Officer for our deployment site. He's a classmate of mine from the academy."
"Unity!"
Our team saluted Captain Jeon Yeong-ho. He returned the salute with a casual nod.
"Unity. It's boiling out here, so let's get in the vehicle first. I'll fill you in on the way."
We climbed into a white armored vehicle with "UN" painted in bold letters across its side. Captain Jeon Yeong-ho took the wheel.
"It'll take about an hour to reach the base from here. Once we arrive, you'll report to the commander. Any questions before we head out?"
"May I ask what the situation is like here, sir?"
At the question, Captain Jeon Yeong-ho's expression darkened. It looked serious.
"To be honest, it's not great. Since this area is a major transit hub and sits right on the border, rebels show up constantly. Turf wars between them are a daily occurrence. Still, as long as you follow protocols, you won't run into major trouble. No need to worry in advance."
"Yes, sir. Understood."
Which means we absolutely need to worry. In the military, you always have to interpret things the exact opposite way.
On the road from the airport to the base, the vast expanse of Lake Tanganyika stretched out to our left like an endless ocean, while a wide, open plain lay to our right.
Yet, the land was completely neglected. Overgrown weeds choked the fields, and ruined, half-finished buildings were scattered here and there.
It was far more desolate than I had imagined. The road conditions and infrastructure were abysmal.
Surely things will get better once we enter Uvira, I thought, but I was dead wrong.
The moment we crossed into Uvira, the road turned into unpaved dirt, and the surrounding scenery grew even more bleak. If it weren't for the occasional pedestrian, I would have easily believed it was a ghost town.
After passing through three heavy barricades, we finally entered the base. Immediately upon arrival, we reported to Colonel Son Tae-sik, the commander of the Suho Unit.
"Reporting, sir! Captain Song Gyu-tae and eleven others have been ordered to transfer to the Congo Suho Unit. We report our arrival accordingly!"
"You've all had a long journey. Rest up today. You'll have about a week to acclimate starting tomorrow, and then we'll get you deployed on missions."
"Understood, sir."
Only then did I get a proper look at the peacekeeping base. Shipping containers seemed to serve as our quarters. They were lined up in neat rows, with a makeshift canopy stretched over them like a roof—likely to shield them from the relentless sun and rain.
Stepping inside, a blast of cool air-conditioned wind greeted us. I finally felt like I could breathe.
Six of us would share each container. While it wasn't exactly spacious, it didn't seem like it would be too uncomfortable to live in.
After our one-week acclimation period, we went out on our first mission. Calling it a "mission" was a bit of a stretch; it was more of a routine patrol.
We were to guard the routes frequently used by the rebels, and if any of them showed up, we were supposed to turn them back. We were strictly forbidden from initiating combat. We had to remain as defensive as possible.
We weren't here to wipe out the rebels. Our mission was simply to ensure that the citizens of Uvira could live in safety.
As we set out, the roads were a nightmare—bumpy, unpaved, and choked with garbage. This was a country where littering wasn't even considered a minor offense. The state of things was far worse than I had anticipated.
I used to think I lived like a beggar back in Korea, but looking at this place, I lived like a king. I should reflect on my life.
Here, anyone who spotted a foreigner would beg for money. Why? There was no reason. They just asked. Adults and children alike, they all begged.
But none of us reached into our pockets. We had been warned beforehand never to give them money. Even our driver had repeatedly cautioned us today.
"You must never give them money, sirs. If you do, it only increases the chances of that child getting targeted and bullied, you see."
He explained that if a child received money, others would often beat them up to steal it. Therefore, withholding money was actually the best way to protect them.
Good. Saved me some cash.
We arrived at our destination. We slowly patrolled the perimeter of Lake Tanganyika in our vehicle. Lake Tanganyika was the second-largest lake in the world. Honestly, calling it a lake was an understatement; it was practically an inland sea. With a maximum depth of 1,470 meters, it was incredibly deep.
Smugglers and illegal migrants frequently exploited this lake, which was why the Suho Unit patrolled its shores.
We moved in our armored vehicle. The UN armored vehicle was painted stark white, and our helmets were a bright sky-blue. Apparently, this was to ensure we were highly visible from a distance.
I was assigned to the roof-mounted machine gun. Standing with my upper body poking out of the vehicle's sunroof-like hatch, I gripped the machine gun and scanned the surroundings.
The driver kept chatting, acting like a tour guide as he shared facts about Congo.
"Congo is a seriously impoverished country, sirs. The average monthly salary is only about a hundred and fifty thousand won."
"I saw it on the news. Most of the population lives on less than two dollars a day."
"Since they can't manufacture goods locally, they rely heavily on imports, which makes the cost of living outrageously high."
"Some items are actually more expensive here than they are in Korea."
"Anyone living in a brick house like that is incredibly wealthy. But even then, bricks are so expensive that they can't finish building the house all at once. The Congo style is to buy a few bricks every time you get paid and build it piece by piece, you see."
"Most people live in those tin shacks. They literally just slap some corrugated iron sheets together, sirs."
Listening to the driver's commentary as we patrolled made me wonder if we were on a sightseeing tour or a military operation. Still, the information was useful, so I didn't mind.
I thought our first day would end without incident, but then my eyes caught a strange movement.
A few figures had vanished into the thick brush bordering the water in the blink of an eye.
It had happened so fast that I wondered if my eyes were playing tricks on me. Even when I stared at the spot, there was no sign of life. I could have easily brushed it off, but a nagging feeling in my gut stopped me.
I keyed my radio.
"Team Leader, this is Gong. I think I saw unidentified personnel taking cover in the brush at our ten o'clock. Requesting verification."
"Really? I didn't see anything."
"I didn't catch it either, sir."
"Let's dismount and check it out."
The vehicle came to a halt, and the team members dismounted. I climbed down to join them.
Our twelve-man team was split into Team 1 and Team 2. Since all twelve of us couldn't fit into a single armored vehicle, dividing into two squads was standard procedure. I was assigned to Team 1, alongside the team leader.
Passing a rusted, dilapidated tin shack, we immediately hit the dense brush. Perhaps because of the tropical climate, the weeds had shot up to over a meter high. Beyond the thick foliage, Lake Tanganyika stretched out into the horizon. It really did look like an ocean.
We fanned out into a search formation and combed through the tall grass. But there was no one in sight. Did I make a mistake? I was certain I had seen people.
Just as I turned my body to radio in an apology and admit I might have misidentified the target, a sharp, whipping sound sliced through the air right past my ear.
And then—
BANG! A gunshot shattered the silence.
The instant the shot rang out, we hit the dirt and immediately returned fire.
"Fuck! What is this shit on our very first day? Welcome to Congo, I guess!"