Postal Service employees stepped into Link’s spotlight throughout 2023.
Kyle Mailman, a Wichita, KS, letter carrier, was one of four employees who were highlighted for having a postal-themed name.
The other employees mentioned in the story: Matthew Postal, a city carrier assistant in Mountain City, TN; Jake Postal, a letter carrier in Duluth, MN; and Ben Franklin, a retail associate in Omak, WA.
“My last name gets a lot of attention, but it’s fun,” said Mailman. “I get a lot of ‘So, what do you do for a living?’ jokes.”
Link also profiled Angelica and David Gonzalez, siblings and newly appointed postmasters in Maryland who took the oath alongside each other.
“It was everything to me,” Angelica said of the swearing-in ceremony. “I looked over at him and thought, ‘We made it. We will make a difference together.’”
Link also turned its attention this year to a trailblazer: Darshelle “DD” Thombs, one of three polygraphers for the Postal Inspection Service and the first African American woman to hold the job.
“I enjoy every aspect of the position,” Thombs said, including the large amount of travel the job requires.
“Traveling affords me the opportunity to meet and interact with others within the organization I otherwise wouldn’t cross paths with.”
Also receiving the Link treatment in 2023: a trio of employees who created military-themed murals at the facilities where they work.
One of the artists — Shawn Thomas, a custodian at the Salt Lake City Auxiliary Sorting Facility — said he wanted his design, full of patriotic themes, “to show diversity and represent each branch of the military.”
Meanwhile, Link caught up with Ameth Nunez, a custodian at Woodside Post Office in New York City, who fills a mail tub with chilled bottles of water during hot summer days to help letter carriers keep cool.
“I know what it’s like out there,” said Nunez, who used to work in construction.