Fall Club Magazine_2022_J_a

by the Schel lerups, the loving fami ly of a war cameraman turned Hol lywood f i lm director, who would foster her through the years ahead. Not long after in November, Camp Pendleton closed its doors as a refugee centre, the f lag she had admired on the 4th of July lowered for the last time, signal l ing the end of a chapter in Kim’s l i fe.

A Present f rom the Past

haven for Vietnamese evacuees in Operation New Arrivals. The mission saw over 50,000 refugees transported to the base in the largest humanitarian airl i ft in history.

On July 23, 1989, Kim’s wedding day, that impact was further compounded when Kim received a wedding gi ft f rom Captain Getl in, with whom she had lost contact for 15 years. It was the very f lag that had f lown over Camp Pendleton and captivated Kim when she was just a chi ld; one that had now taken on the symbol ism of love, reconnection, and fami ly - in addition to safety and hope.

Settl ing into Camp Pendleton

Barely a few weeks into her stay at the camp, Kim was robbed of her belongings, leaving her even more destitute than before. However, Kim’s spirit of resolve would not be broken. The resourceful young girl that she was, she enl isted help of a camp leader to seek the assistance of Captain Getl in, who compassionately took her under his wing and brought her to a bank to open a safe deposit box to keep her valuables. It was the same fatherly f riendship of a simi lar nature between she and the Army Major that Kim became an interpreter to him. She translated Vietnamese to French as he carried out his off icial duties. At the time, Kim did not speak a word of Engl ish. Kim’s f irst 4th of July was in Camp Pendleton, a profoundly bittersweet experience for her and her fel low refugees; they were celebrating their f reedom f rom the terrors of war, but in a foreign land so far f rom home, with so much uncertainty ahead. It was during these emotional festivities that Kim recal ls seeing the American f lag, unfurled in al l its glory and f lapping val iantly in the wind, as i f it were keeping watch over the camp and its inhabitants. A symbol of safety and enduring hope, the f lag became synonymous with a f resh start in the United States.

Kim with her younger brother, Glen, who was also a refugee in a different camp.

Keen into American society, Kim enrol led in Hol lywood High, where she became f luent in Engl ish. Al l this whi le, she hadn’ t forgotten her real fami ly and was doing her utmost to search for their whereabouts. After four years, she had f inal ly tracked down her birth mother and the rest of her fami ly. The reunion took place on Thanksgiving Day of 1979, an occasion very much bef itting of the momentous event . With her house in order and inspired by the impact of Captain Getl in’s kindness on her l i fe, Kim then went on to volunteer at numerous other refugee camps in Cal i fornia and across the United States. to assimi late

The donated American flag is now proudly displayed at the Club B2, Union Bar entrance.

Since has remained a prized possession in the Eng’s home for 33 years unti l it was donated to the Club on July 4, 2022. Its display wi l l be graced by Captain Getl in, who has arranged to f ly to Singapore next year to visit Kim and Landy in a homecoming of sorts. And as Kim’s journey comes ful l circle, we see more clearly than ever how Kim - in her fortitude, resi l ience, generosity, and determination to thrive - has become the consummate embodiment of the values espoused by the American f lag. then, the f lag

New Beginnings and a Happy Reunion

Kim’s foray into the realm of her new l i fe began in September 1975 when she was taken in

Kim (first from the right) and her friends on the day of their high school graduation in June 1977.

10 THE AMERICAN CLUB SINGAPORE