Missed the edit window: The dual nationals I referred to above are the overseas Koreans, not those who are both dual nationals and grew up in Korea.
Pickaxe + DMZ isn’t such an odd combination, sounds like you’re well prepared 
This is a leadership challenge, you simply find another unit with a surplus of shovels and relieve them of that burden. Or depending on how much money ya got , im sure the quartermaster has a couple of demonstrator models not inventoried.
Declan
Amen brother.
Me when I got my assault rifle: This rifle is so cool… wait, what do you mean I have to carry it everywhere?
You requisition a building, or possibly a construction battalion to build one. Then a big load of machine tools, metal stampers, the whole nine yards. Then you contract with the Army to provide them with shovels at a thousand dollars a pop.
That my friend, is how America builds military-grade shovels. And don’t forget to add cammouflage, so when someone orders you to dig a hole, you won’t be able to find the shovel.
And when someone asks where the hole is, just point to a bare spot in the cound and say, “There. I cammouflaged it by covering it with dirt.”
The worst was in Basic Training on the 15 and 20 mile road marches. Not only did you have to carry the M-16, you had to carry it just so…which meant carrying it at a lowered “order arms” position, but it had to be out and away from your body by a few inches.
That’s all well and good for a couple miles…then your forearms and shoulders start to ache pretty bad.
Woe to the soldier caught resting the rifle against their LBE…then you had to run around the formation a few times (which could be half a mile long with our road march spacing), with your weapon raised over your head. On the hills of Agony and Misery in Fort Knox. Pretty brutal.
Why does the U.S. – or the ROK – even have troops on that border any more? I mean, if they all just walked away, Kim Jong Il would . . . just look embarrassed. What’s he gonna do?! He knows perfectly well that invasion would mean suicide!
I dunno; military etiquette provides a lot of opportunities for subtextual commentary. Lots of officers are aware of it and approve of creative use. I saw a fresh L-T get completely flustered by repeated use of “Sir, yes, sir!”. The company commander poorly concealed the fact that he thought it was hilarious, even while appearing to chew some enlisted ass.
Yeah, it’s like “Dude” that way . . . 
Korea Tigers were (and probably still are) some bad ass motherfuckers in 'Nam. Here’s a link
I’m not sure if you’re cracking wise, but there are reasons other than full-scale invasion why the border is patrolled so aggressively. North Korea once tried to assassinate South Korea’s president by sending commandos dressed as ROK soldiers over the border and into Seoul.
What do you call your officers? 
Just like that time when we sent Minnesotan National Guardsmen across the border to shoot Steven Harp…
I’ve said too much.
Hey Grey Area, is KATUSA duty available for you? Might be a better use of your time.
(three years at Yongsan, AFKN. KATUSA’s were the reason we could funtion as a unit.)
And you have to clean it.
Sleep with it.
Prevent your 3SG from making off with it while you are not aware
Oil it
Perform drills with it.
Doesn’t sound so fun now right?
They have names, don’t they?
(Actually, we did call higher ranking officers - generals and such - by the Israeli equivalent of ‘sir’, insomuch as we bumped into them, which was rarely. Lesser officers we weren’t on a first name basis with - or didn’t know their names - we’d generally address by their position, or at least the initials thereof).
So I’ve heard, but I remain dubious.
It’s the same with kids.
Grey area: I like you style, but your life really sucks at the moment. Thank you for reminding me to appreciate mine.
Good luck.
:: off to the pool ::
.
I can assure you that after basic training (which is all “sir yes sir!”), we called our commanding officers by their first names. It’s just the way things were done.
Out of curiosity, what is the Israeli equivalent of “sir”? My knowledge pretty much begins and ends with l’chaim!
“Hamfaked” (hahm-fah-KED). It means “the commander.”
In Hebrew, putting a “the” at the beginning of a title or profession turns it into an honorific. Thus, school kids address their teacher as “the teacher”