U.S. military trains for civilian evacuation if war loomsAssociated Press / Thu, Feb. 19, 2004
SEOUL, South Korea - It's a scenario U.S. Army wife Monica Tucker hates to think about, yet diligently prepares for nonetheless: North Korean artillery raining down, communist soldiers streaming south and panicked civilians fleeing Seoul as war erupts on the divided Korean Peninsula....the U.S. military launched a three-day exercise to practice evacuating thousands of foreign civilians...."Going through the exercises makes me less worried," the Cincinnati native said after registering her two children at a makeshift processing center in Seoul. "The most difficult part? Making sure everybody gets out OK."....About 12,000 people are expected to take part in this year's exercise, Courageous Channel, some being evacuated to the southern city of Busan by train while others are airlifted to "safety" at U.S. bases in Japan