Day 2: Pennsylvania Soldiers' and Sailors' Home & Cleveland, OH

Day 2 was very interesting. We met Karl Clark, a Vietnam War veteran, at the Pennsylvania Soldiers' and Sailors' home in Erie, PA. He served in the Marine Corp and spent 13 months in Vietnam near Danang and the de-militarized zone (DMZ). The violence unfortunately had a lasting affect on his life, and he's realizing that now. Karl was an iron worker for many years after returning from the service didn't mind being 600 ft in the air at construction sites. Today he is studying to be a priest and he enjoys maintaining a beautiful garden at the Soldiers' and Sailors' Home. A wonderful man. I'm glad I got the opportunity to meet him and to make an audio recording of his story.

My Dad and I headed out from Erie to Cleveland's Fairhill Center, a place that offers many services to seniors and their families in the area. Here we met Richard Gaffney. Mr. Gaffney, who is 81 years old, had served his country during World War II on Christmas Island and other spots in the South Pacific as a radio operator. He came home after three years, married his sweetheart, and raised five great children. He worked in the South Euclid police force for 29 years. Mr. Gaffney's wife passed away about a year ago after a fight with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. He cared for her during her illness and misses her greatly. He helps other caregivers at Fairhill who are struggling with the same experiences he has lived through.

Of course, being in Cleveland, we had to take the MemoryMobile down to the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.

Detroit or BUST! On Day 3, August 3, 2004, we will be at St. Patrick's Senior Center in Detroit at 58 Parsons St. On Wednesday, August 4, 2004, we will be in Chicago at Transitions Bookplace at 7 p.m. for a FREE life story writing workshop. YOU are invited! Hope to see you on the trail!

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