I was honored to be featured in a profile story published this week in Current, the nonprofit news organization covering public media in the U.S. The article shares a snapshot of my broadcasting career, with input from friends and colleagues whom I’ve worked with over the last forty years. My ALS journey is also featured in the story.

Note: if you are unable to view the story on Current, click here to download a PDF of the article or here to view it on Hawaii Public Radio’s website.
StoryCorps Interview
I also had the honor to be interviewed by StoryCorps for its Military Voices Initiative. If you are familiar with Story Corps features aired Friday mornings on NPR’s Morning Edition, you know how impactful these stories can be.

I’ve included the link to the entire interview, which covers my father’s service in the military, with the focus on a letter I wrote to President Carter back in 1977 when I was 13 years old.
We were stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana when I learned that President Carter was going to pardon draft dodgers who went over the border to Canada to avoid being sent to Vietnam. My father served two tours of duty in Vietnam, and I was mad that President Carter was taking this action.
My interview focused on this letter writing and tells the story of how the letter that I thought was mailed was kept by my father for many years. He eventually returned it to me, acknowledging that it he was proud that I wrote it, but that he could not mail it to the White House knowing that he could jeopardize his career.


Feisty, patriotic 13yr old! Well done.
Hazel Diaz, I would love to speak to you regarding my brother Jose A Fajardo. Many interesting stories…
Kudos to you, Josē, for speaking your point of view at THIRTEEN YEARS OLD!…and I’d like to express my admiration and thanks to your father for his service in protecting your right to speak.
Jose you rock, your dad was very wise and a first class Officer. The fact that he held on to that letter and gave it to you years later shows how much he loved you! Very proud of you Jose!
Your amazing Jose!
Love ya brother and always will. #CowboyNation