Baking in the Arizona oven

Arizona has decided to demonstrate to us just why we do not live here. Temperatures have been hovering near the 100 degree mark every day. We are learning to get up really early and get anything done we need to tend to and then "chill out" in the air conditioned interiors during the middle of the day.

Most of the "snow birds" have left and headed north for cooler temperatures, and I can see why. If we did not have our hearts in the dog tag projects and other causes for TOP Vietnam Veterans, we would be "outa here" too.

I will try to attach a couple pictures...one is me sorting and filing through the entire inventory of 1400 dog tags. Wow, what a job but we got it done and moved the tags from large glass display cases into a tidy system of marked "coin" envelopes filed alphabetically. Also did a good inventory of all the tags. We have had nightmares about notifying someone that we have their veteran's tag and then not being able to find it. No more nightmares like that with our new system.

Since that I have been doing extensive online research finding additional families and then mailing notification letters to them. The calls back have been slow at coming in but when they do it is quite moving.

I will attach also a picture of me taking one of the calls. I find that I really enjoy it...but as Gary and Jess keep warning me...I have not had an irate caller yet. Sometimes the subject of the war is so sensitive to people and also some people are suspicious that we are into identity theft and trying to get more information on them.

One tag we succeeded in returning last week went to a family with three sisters that I had sent letters to in November. They thought it was a "scam" of some sort so they did not call back. Finally I sent them e-mails as I had found them via posts they had done to a memorial page for their brother.

When they got the e-mails, they finally checked out the website for TOP and realized we were genuine. Now it seems that they cannot say enough good things about us and of course their brother's dog tag is on its way back to them and delivery to their mother. Hope it made it by mother's day.

Timing seems to be magical on some of these dog tag reunions. One daughter called me on Friday to say she had just received her father's dog tag back. She was very emotional and mentioned she was getting ready to leave to go participate in the Cancer relay/walk. Knowing that her father had died of cancer (3 years ago) I encouraged her to take his dog tag out of the fancy velvet box we send them in, put it on a pretty ribbon and wear it around her neck for the walk. She just sobbed...I think she just needed someone to give her "permission" to do that. I felt so good to be the one !

We took most of the day "off" and made an early visit to the space building at the Pima Air Museum. This museum is awesome but very big. We ended up buying a membership and just keep going back so Gary can take it a couple hours at a time...which is just about the limits of his endurance on his feet. He is actually doing much better with his mobility. He hasn't had his crutches out in a couple weeks and seems to be building some small but noticeable amounts of strength as well as flexibility. Being 35 pounds lighter helps him as well.

Nuff for now but know we are busy and productive and feeling good about the difference we are making here. Hopefully Jess at TOP can get his lease negotiations complete this next week so we can move the office before it is time for us to leave here. It will cut his commute to the office by 30 miles each way.

Take care all,
Be on the lookout for areas where you too can make a difference in the lives of others...It is the best anti-depressant there is !
Linda