Many thanks to Maury (WTAFP) for this!

Remembering the Storyteller
by his pal
Teddy Roosevelt Ruff Rider

I had the honor of spending time with the Storyteller on three different occasions.
I still have a clear recollection of the first time I met the Storyteller. It was in the fall of 2013, when I was just a very young pup, and the Storyteller and Golinka came up to Vermont to see my maw and paw. I was really fascinated by his braids; indeed so fascinated that I kept jumping up trying to grab them. But the Storyteller took it all in great stride and found it rather amusing, if anything. Thus began a great friendship. One photo of that first meeting is provided below.

The second time was about a year later when the Storyteller and Golinka, accompanied by their two corgis – Tupper and Gilly – came to visit me and my maw and paw again in Vermont during the summer of 2014. We were also blessed that day by the presence of Rose and Steve (aka the Grizz) and what I can only describe as a Rio doppelganger who crashed the party as well. It was a great afternoon of fun and frolic in the Vermont countryside, for both the two-legged attendees as well as the four-legged members of the nation within. I believe the Storyteller had a great time that day, marveling in particular at the interactions among the members of the nation within. A number of photos of that day are shared below.

Regarding the last occasion, it was in the spring of 2015, when the Storyteller and Golinka came to Chevy Chase to see me, of course, and my maw and paw as well. We went down to the mall on May 8, 2015, to see a number of the monuments including the Korean War Memorial, which was very special for the Storyteller, as he was a Korean war vet. I know the date very well because it also happened to be the 70th anniversary of V-E Day ending World War II in Europe. While we were on the Mall, there was a flyover that day of dozens of vintage World War II military aircraft participating in the Arsenal of Democracy flyover to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe (V-E Day). I know the truth, however, which was it was actually all arranged as a special tribute to the Storyteller in commemoration of his being there that day on the Mall.
While that was the last time we were together in person (or dogson, in my case), he and I maintained a written correspondence thereafter. I wrote him a number of letters over the years, including one congratulating him on his selection in 2018 to participate in the Honor Flight for Korean War Veterans to Washington, D.C., and several times when he was confined at a VA facility during the early days of the pandemic, a very difficult time when he was kept apart from his beloved Golinka for a while.
I can also confirm that, upon crossing the rainbow bridge, the Storyteller was met by a huge gathering of greeters and well-wishers, with many tails wagging, including my own. And there he stood, majestic as always and with his braids fully restored, just begging to be pulled.