Sergeant Lee Seok-gyu of the 32nd Division Helps Elderly Man on Return from Leave
Sergeant Lee: "Just Doing What Any Soldier Should Do"
Sergeant Lee Seok-gyu, who helps residents collect waste paper, is set to receive a commendation from the division commander. Photo by Facebook 'Delivered on behalf of the Army Training Center'
It has been revealed that the soldier who helped an elderly woman collecting scrap paper on the streets of Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, is Sergeant Lee Seok-gyu of the Army's 32nd Division, and he will receive a commendation from the division commander.
The heartwarming story of Sergeant Lee Seok-gyu, a machine gunner in the 98th Brigade Mobile Company of the Army's 32nd Division, who is scheduled to be discharged next month, was brought to public attention through a tip-off video posted on June 6 on the Facebook community 'Delivering Army Training Center News' (hereafter referred to as YookDaeJeon).
The video shows an elderly woman struggling to upright a cart that had toppled over as she was stacking scrap paper, her balance lost due to the weight. At that moment, a soldier in uniform approaches and helps stabilize the cart. That soldier is Sergeant Lee.
The tipster explained, "Around 2:30 p.m. today (the 6th), I was sitting in a cafe near Yeongdeungpo when I saw an elderly woman struggling because her bundle of scrap paper was leaning. Then, a soldier from the Republic of Korea Army immediately came over and helped her. It was very cold, but without hesitation, he helped the elderly woman, and I thought it was so admirable that I wanted to report it."
At the time the video was released, the soldier’s unit and name were not confirmed, but it was later revealed that he is Sergeant Lee Seok-gyu (21), a machine gunner in the 98th Brigade Mobile Company of the Army's 32nd Division. Sergeant Lee, who is scheduled to be discharged next month, reportedly stopped by the cafe on his way back from leave on June 6 and helped a local resident who was having difficulty organizing scrap paper.
Sergeant Lee reportedly expressed his feelings, saying, "As a soldier who protects the lives and property of the people, I was just doing what I was supposed to do, but I feel shy that it has become known like this."
According to the Army, the unit has decided to award Sergeant Lee a commendation from the division commander at his discharge ceremony for exemplifying the spirit of a soldier who takes initiative even during leave. Although receiving a division commander’s commendation usually comes with a reward leave, Sergeant Lee, whose discharge date is already set, will not receive this benefit.
Meanwhile, Sergeant Lee is scheduled to complete his cold-weather training on the 13th, then take his final pre-discharge leave, return on the 1st of next month, and be discharged the following day.
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