Remembering Jim
Post written by: Bruce Johnson
I first met Jim in July of 1982. At my first duty station after Army flight school, I was sent to Camp Humphreys, Korea. There, “Captain” Jim Casey was the Executive Officer of the 201st Assault Helicopter Company. I became one of the Platoon Leaders and worked with Jim for several months, until his reassignment. One thing I remember was his efficiency at keeping the company, the Company Commander, and all us junior officers, straight. He was one of the most organized people I had ever met. He worked long hours and kept notes on everything. We were flying UH-1 “Huey’s” in those days and did many missions at night using the old AN-PVS5 Night Vision Goggles(NVG). Looking back, it scares me to think of the poor quality of those first generation NVG’s, and the places we went and the missions we accomplished. Jim was extremly safety conscious and there were no accidents during his tenure at the 201st.
Aside from an uncompromising work ethic, Jim was very helpfuf in introducing me to the local communities and customs. He introduced me to OB Beer, the local watering holes, and the walkways of Pyeong Taek and Anjung-Ni (pronounced something like: “On your knees”).