24 NOVEMBER 2025 By Michael P. Murphy There is more to the Imprints of Honor logo than meets the eye. The star symbolizes American patriotism, of course, but the thumbprint is curious. It makes sense when you realize every story is different, and those stories have meaning. The origin of Imprints of Honor is one such story. It was 1998, and Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece Saving Private Ryan was enjoying a popular run in theaters. The movie itself perhaps wasn’t as enjoyable – there were disturbing parts and violent parts – it is a depiction of war, after all. It was thought-provoking enough to inspire a student in Barbara Hatch’s history class to ask his teacher a question. “Is Saving Private Ryan real?” Mrs. Hatch had no experience in war to give an authoritative answer, so she reached out to a local VFW and recruited American Veterans who did: those who had served. They told their stories, providing students with a first-person account of their military service and battlefield experience. The storytelling was so well-received that Mrs. Hatch kept inviting them back over the next few years. Then, in 2004, Salt River Project announced an educational grant opportunity to document history. That’s when another student made an interesting proposal. “Why don’t we document our Veteran’s history?” Four years earlier, the Library of Congress had started the Veterans’ History Project, for oral history and video archives. Mrs. Hatch was an English major who had experience in history and yearbook classes. She also had that list of Veterans who spoke in her classroom. She invited them back so that the students could record their interviews, then she sent those recordings to be archived in the Library of Congress. She then went another step further. The students were tasked with writing the Veterans’ stories and publishing them in a yearbook format. That book became a series known as Since You Asked. There are now 22 published volumes. “There are a lot of good things that come out of this,” Imprints’ Executive Director, Michelle DiMuro, said. “For the Veterans, who will feel respected and appreciated, but also for the students and what they gain, not only from history and writing skills, but in their own development.” The students wanted to continue recording this first- person history and turn it into an after-school club. The success of the program helped it grow into a nonprofit in 2009, the Veterans’ Heritage Project. Last year, the name changed to Imprints of Honor to better reflect the long-term impact of students preserving Veterans service stories and being inspired to live a life of honor. Imprints of Honor now has chapters on 30 middle school, high school, and college campuses across Arizona. ASU offers a one-credit course at the Tempe campus and a three- credit course at the Glendale campus. Notre Dame Prep provides it as an elective course. An online independent contributor option is available for students to participate if the program is not yet at their school. It’s the personal relationships that make Imprints of Honor such a vital organization. The annual community reception and book signing event is the culminating activity. The free public event includes a speaker, the awarding of scholarships, and the recognition of a Teacher of the Year. Each Veteran and student receives a free copy of Since You Asked , which is signed at the conclusion of the event. “It’s just an amazing experience for everybody there, especially the Vietnam Veterans,” DiMuro said. “They say it’s the welcome home they never received.” Imprints of Honor is all about bringing Veterans and students together and preserving precious history. Real, first-person history. How students are helping Veterans share their experiences EVERY THUMBPRINT TELLS A STORY America’s Tacos 1/4 H (above)At the signing event, each Veteran and student receives a copy of Since You Asked . (below) A sample page from the book. PHOTOS COURTESY OF IMPRINTS OF HONOR

25 NOVEMBER 2025 By Michael P. Murphy Kevin Riley sits at a table inside Black Cat Coffee House, a favorite Arcadia hangout. He’s holding onto a Ping 2-Iron he has named Deuce. Yes, it’s a golf club – but it also serves him well as a walking stick for his other passion. Thus, Kevin is known as Arcadia’s Hiking Golfer, and he has some terrific stories to tell about the awe-inspiring hike he returned from in September: The Camino Portuguese, a 150-mile, 12-day hike that runs from the Portuguese coast and into Spain. “I saw a movie called The Way, My Way in March,” Kevin said. “It was about an Australian fellow who basically documented his Camino trip from 12 years ago. I read the book, and when I saw the movie, it seemed more personal.” But it was the song that played over the end credits of the movie that really got Kevin’s attention. A beautiful tune called ‘Somewhere Along the Way’ by an Australian musician named Dan Mullins, who also had a podcast called My Camino . Kevin was intrigued. “I went to his website and, lo and behold, I saw he was doing the Camino Portuguese hike that starts in Porto, about halfway up the Portuguese coast,” he said. “All the stops were predetermined. I thought, ‘Man, this looks like a walking concert. This is too good to pass up.’” And it was. In Porto, he joined Dan Mullins’ group of 35 hikers, a mix of Australians, Canadians, and Americans. They hiked at least 12 miles a day, but there were at least three days when they hiked 18 miles on mostly flat terrain. The worst, according to Kevin, was a five-mile stretch that went uphill from 50 feet to 1500 feet. Tough on the feet, among other things. There was no camping on this hike. Every night was spent in hotels or hostels. Kevin had his bag of personal belongings transferred from one location to another, so he was never burdened with a heavy backpack. Instead, he wore a fanny pack with minimal necessities. And he was right about it being a walking concert. Dan Mullins performed every night in a restaurant or bar. Kevin hiked Camino de Santiago by himself some six years ago. This time, he hiked with a large group and quickly found himself enjoying the companionship. Not only the hikers in his group, but also others he met along the way. “The Camino is about the relationships you build, and that’s what this one really was,” he said. He has fond memories of the group he hiked with and the way they bonded. Dan Mullins had brought them together through his music and performances. The Camino is a hiking bubble where people are just people, a great getaway from all the everyday noise and conflict. “Whatever you’re looking for, the Camino will provide,” Kevin said. “Whether it’s companionship, solace, scenery, it has a way of providing. I think everyone should walk a Camino trail if they’re able. A truly unique experience.” According to the hiking golfer, the Camino will provide Kevin Riley The group in Porto on the first of the 12-day hike. PHOTOS COURTESY OF KEVIN RILEY