OVUREP

As a member of OVUREP, I created an unofficial web site as a meeting place where members of OVUREP can reconnect with old friends and share memories of our time together.

OVUREP was a Battle Group that trained together from Basic Combat training through Advanced Unit Training for a total of 32 weeks of Combat Training. We were the 2nd Infantry Division, lst Battle Group, 11th Infantry and trained at Kelley Hill, Fort Benning,  Georgia,  Upon the completion of our training we were sent to South Korea to replace a unit on the DMZ.

In the ROK we took up encampment at Camp Hovey near the DMZ.  We were now the 7th Infantry Division, the 1st Battle Group, 32nd Infantry.  A short distance from camp was the village of To-Ko-Ri.

OVUREP was the Army’s first overseas unit replacement experience.  It lasted from 1960 to 1962.  As a draftee, I was part of OVUREP.   The 1st Battle Group was a finely honed unit under the leadership of Col. Hayes, and, to my mind, a highly successful experiment.

In searching online for information and/or contacts about OVUREP I found very little.  The most useful item I found was in a History of the 2nd Infantry Division:

“In February of 1960 the 2nd. Inf. Div. was formally named as a OVUREP unit. Which stood for (Overseas Unit Replacement). This Ovurep unit was the "first" in Army history to train as an entire unit, from Basic Combat Training through Advanced Unit Training. They had 8 months of very hard training, then was shipped off to ROK (Republic of Korea) in March of 1961. This was the 2nd. Division, 1st. Battle Group, 11th. .Infantry and they took their training on Kelley Hill at Ft. Benning. The Ovurep was separated in the spring of 1962 and all of the members were assigned to other units throughout ROK.”#

I served as Chaplain’s Assistant to Chaplain Carson and got to know men from every company in the Battle Group.  Initially I was in Delta Company, but was transferred to Headquarters Co.   In addition to my duties as a Chaplain’s Assistant, I wrote and directed a Troop Ship show about our training that we performed aboard ship that you might remember.  That led to a theatrical production of Mr. Roberts that toured Eighth Army.  Whether you remember me or not, but were a member of OVUREP, we’d like to hear from you.

Please comment and add some memories in the area below or on the OVUREP webpage.  I know that many of us from back in the day don’t use computers, so perhaps children or grandchildren can help us meet up once again.

Click here OVUREP to go to the OVUREP webpage.

Thanks!