Page 35 - Discover Fall 2020
P. 35
Charlie’s
Camera
By Tim Ernandes
If there’s an event happening at Smith where they were screened for COVID-19. They
Mountain Lake, odds are that Charlie Walker were greeted by South Korean Ambassador
will be there, usually with camera in hand. Lee Soo Hyuck and his wife, and engaged in
One of the lake’s most colorful characters, polite chats and photo ops.
Charlie is also a Korean War veteran, a
distinguished private pilot with over 50 years From there it was on to the Korean War
of flying under his belt, and his photographs Memorial, where television cameras stood
frequently grace the pages of several local ready to record the ceremony. After several
publications, including this magazine. minutes, the President’s entourage arrived,
and Charlie took note of the fact that there
On June 25, 2020, the 70th anniversary was not the usual pomp and ceremony to
of the start of the Korean War, Charlie found announce the Mr. Trump’s appearance. He
himself on the other side of the camera lens, was advised that this was because it was
as he was chosen to participate in a ceremony a ceremony to honor the veterans, not the
honoring Korean War veterans. The Greatest President.
Generation Foundation offers all-expense-
paid trips to such events for veterans of After laying a wreath honoring all Korean
World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Charlie War vets, the President and First Lady
was one of 10 Korea veterans who were approached the 10 honored guests, returning
selected from a pool of 600 candidates. their salutes, and chatting briefly with
each one. Charlie wryly recalls the Marine
The honored guests were chauffeured to standing next to him, who said to Mrs.
the White House, through a series of Secret Trump, “You’re too beautiful to be called First
Service checkpoints, and into the West Wing, Lady; I’ll call you Melania.”
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