But that's the truth. That all changed in the past month. Why? My "hobby". The return of my fixation on postmarks. It began (again) with a trip to the Big Island, where my assignment was to cover the state track and field championships with a co-worker, Stanley Lee. But I got it in my head to arrive early in the day and drive up the beautiful Hamakua Coast, if only to reel in the big reward. Big Reward: Ninole Post Office.
When I first collected postmarks in 1996, I circled the island. I was still sports editor at West Hawaii Today, and I told two friends at a late-night watering hole (I literally drank water there) that I was piqued by the idea of collecting postmarks from all 35 post offices on the island. My friends, lifelong residents of South Kona, shrugged and said, "Shoots, why the hell not."
That was surprising at first. Then I realized that they, like myself, were borderline workaholics in their chosen careers. They liked to have a cold beverage at Kona Bowl's karaoke lounge after work. They were game for a two-day trip around Hawaii Island. The trip was fun. We hit every post office, got a postmark from every stop — with the exception of Ninole. That tiny borough, once a thriving neighborhood, is like a lot of post offices on the Big Island. Early hours only. We got there too late. PO closed 11:45 am. BUMMED.
But this past May, I got there. Alone this time. And had a nice chat with the third-generation postmaster. Hours are still limited, but while I was there, a stead stream of local folks filtered in every 3-4 minutes or so. Ninole has the smallest sub-contracted post office in the country. It serves the neighborhood well, and it is a necessity, really, for the residents who are busy and/or aged and really don't want to make the drive to the next post office. It is the BIG Island, of course, and almost nothing is close by the way those of us in Honolulu would imagine.
Since that trip to Ninole and roughly 10 other Hamakua-side post offices during a 30-hour span, my hunger for more postmarks has returned. It's been 21 years since I toured Oahu, Kauai and Maui for postmarks. I didn't get all of them. Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Base, the rules were strict even back then in pre-9/11 America, but the soldiers at the gate were kind. One of them took my envelopes and had them postmarked at their PO and sent out. He also got the postmark for my book and brought it back out. No such thing in 2017. Maybe I can hire someone to get that done, is what I thought. And it was suggested to me by more than one friend.
However... I also learned this year that the rest of the postmark-geek world simply writes letters to postmasters. And with proper postage, these postmasters are often willing to oblige many requests. AMAZING. Humans in control of important, everyday stuff. So, in addition to my recent collection of Big Island and Oahu postmarks — yes, I always enjoy the sights and take a zillion pictures — the military post offices have been getting requests from me. So far, the two I've written to have obliged. And as I receive the goodies via snail mail, I'll continue to send them back out. I wish I could actually visit the military post offices, which are often smaller like the Neighbor Island PO stations. I prefer visiting the small ones; Barber's Point PO last week was fun, almost like visiting a deserted town.
The USS John Finn (DDG 113) postmark is unique and cool. I only learned about it recently on a US Postal site that keeps a handy list of upcoming, specially crafted postmarks from around the country. The USS John Finn is a recently christened ship that was originally contracted to be built in 2011, a year after the passing of one of the most famous Medal of Honor recipients. John Finn suffered bullet and shrapnel injuries, but battled Japanese fighter planes for two hours with a machine gun following the bombing at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. He served 30 years, retired as a lieutenant. He died in 2010 at the ripe age of 100.
All this was unknown to me until I saw the postmark online. After I sent out my request, I did some digging. The only thing cooler would be if he were still alive and I could meet him, take a photo of him with the postmark and maybe even the ultra-cool patch. No idea if the patch is available to civilians, but I'm content. The address listed online to acquire the USS John Finn postmark was for the Honolulu International Airport "Main" Post Office's marketing desk. I thought about driving there, but people are probably very busy and it worked out just fine doing it all by snail mail.
I may be tethered to my smart phone and email and texts, but there's still nothing quite like opening a mailbox to find something as cool as a USS John Finn postmark, and a Hickam Post Office postmark. They both arrived on the same day, so it was double the fun. I wonder why I'm so fixated on this. Maybe because I don't golf or fish. Maybe because underneath it all, it's reassuring and pleasant to know that government still serves the people, near and far, and does it well. Not perfectly, of course, but quite well. Machines and automation haven't taken over every single thing. Yet.
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