“The people who hate war the most are soldiers, because they know first hand about the tragedy of war. But when your country calls on you to serve, that is the moment when your life is no longer yours, but your country’s.”

Korean-American U.S. Army Reservist Captain Jae-Hyuk Yoo, 40, has received his orders to go to Iraq. Yoo is a commander with the 436th Division Alpha Company. The 436th Division is a transportation unit and the 300 military men and women, part of the Alpha Company under the command of Yoo, are responsible for the planning and executing of the transportation of munitions to battlefields.

Yoo originally received orders to go to Kuwait on Feb. 23 and completed his special training as part of a 16-member team. But on the day that he was supposed to leave for Kuwait, his orders were suddenly changed, and he was excluded from the eight-member team that was deployed. As war became imminent, he received his second orders to leave for Kuwait and is waiting for his team to be deployed.

Yoo, who has put all of his personal papers in order, including his will, organ donor card, and legal and financial power-of-attorney documents, is waiting for his departure date. Yoo said, “Personally, I do not have any fears right now. I know that my 19-year career in the army was in preparation for this day. The only thing that concerns me is my family and their anxiety and fears.”

Yoo who had always dreamed of a life in the military, attended the Korea Military Academy in Korea before coming the United States in 1981 with his family. After graduating high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army without telling his parents. After serving as a private, he enrolled in St. John’s University to major in computer science as an army ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps). In 1990, Yoo was appointed second lieutenant in the 82nd Airborne Division 1179th squadron in charge of transportation support.

Yoo, who remained as an army reservist after leaving the army, was appointed commander to 436th Division Alpha Company in 2001 and was scheduled to retire in one year.

“I feel proud as a Korean-American to serve my country and I will do my utmost to fulfill my duties. I will also do my best not to disappoint my fellow Korean Americans.” Yoo currently owns a business-licensing consulting service in Flushing. He has a son, 10, and a daughter, 11, with his wife Kyung-Hee Yoo, who is chairwoman of the New York Korean Student Parent Association.

Korean-American women will also be in the front lines of the war in Iraq. Jae-Hee Bong, 23, a petty officer in the marine corps, is already in Kuwait, and Laura Lim, 22, an airman second class in the Air Force, is waiting to leave for the war.

Since enlisting in the Marines in 2000, Bong has been stationed in San Diego. Bong’s father, Yong-Ho Bong said, “I believe that she will come home safely and I am very proud that she is serving this country that we have chosen to live in.” Mr. Bong served in the Air Force in Korea and served in the New York Police Department as a martial arts drill instructor.

After September 11th, Laura Lim left her law school studies at the State University of New York at Albany to enlist in the Air Force.

Lim, who was most recently stationed in Idaho, is now training in Arizona for the war. Dispatch orders could come anywhere from two to twelve hours before she actual leaves. In some cases, when dispatch orders come too suddenly, soldiers do not get a chance to contact their family members.

Lim’s father, Chun-Goo Lim, said, “After watching the events of September 11th, she suddenly enlisted. I hope she does well when she goes to Iraq.” Mr. Lim served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army in the special weapons support division.