It’s been more than half a century since a young Paul Barnett — serving in the U.S. Marines — stood in the South Korean sun and watched a young star dazzle hundreds of far-from-home soldiers.
That star was Debbie Reynolds, barely past her teenage years, playing a show for the troops on a makeshift stage.
The Korean conflict was over in 1953, but troops stayed on in the south and the DMZ — the Demilitarized Zone — to keep the peace and guard U.S. bases.
Performers were not strangers to the troops serving there, as Bob Hope, among others, had made several appearances with a bevy of entertainers in tow over the years.
Debbie Reynolds arrived alone that day in 1954 to the K-6 base.
The star’s appearance was a surprise for the weary soldiers.
Barnett and some of his friends were close enough to get photographs of the star arriving in a car, escorted by base personnel.
And the stage where Reynolds performed that day was a surprise for the soldiers, as well.
“I had asked my buddies, what? Is she going to get up on a garbage can and sing at the end of the runway?” Barnett recalled.
Much to their surprise, on another part of the base, Navy Seabees had erected a box stage, as Barnett said, “practically overnight.”
Base personnel accompanied the singer and dancer during the show.
It was an afternoon Barnett never forgot, and he has guarded the photos, safekeeping them all these years.
Reynolds died Dec. 28, 2016, at the age of 84, and Barnett, wanting to see her recognized for the time she so generously donated to entertain troops, shared his photos with The Islander.
“She was in the prime of her life, in the prime of her career as a star, and yet, she came halfway around the world to entertain us,” Barnett said.
“She was a big star and she was a great lady,” Barnett reflected. “I think she deserves a lot of recognition.”
