From the Find Craig Arnold Facebook Group:
Thanks to the money raised through The Fund to Find Craig Arnold, we have been able to engage the help of an independent search and rescue team (1SRG) who arrived at Kuchino-erabu yesterday afternoon. They believe they have picked up Craig's trail and will search the island until the 9th, though obviously we all hope Craig will be found before then.
However, the official search for Craig has been called off by the Japanese authorities.
WE NEED EVERYONE'S HELP contacting their local congressional delegation and asking their assistance in encouraging the Fukuoka consulate to engage local US military/DOD assets on the ground in Japan. They have been thinking about it and we need them to move forward with that as quickly as possible. (To donate to the fund, please go to:
http://tinyurl.com/cofj63)
Right now, what we need most is for everyone to contact your state Senators now
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Calls and faxes are most efficient, e-mails are important too.
Please include a request for US military assistance from the local bases.
An example of a letter and of the kinds of things one might say over the phone are included below. Feel free to edit, but please take care not to give out inaccurate information. Thank you so much for your help.
Dear Senator _______,
I am writing to you to express my concern for an exceptionally talented American poet, Prof. Craig Arnold. He has gone missing on a small volcanic island in Japan called Kuchino-erabu-shima while representing his country on a U.S.-Japan Friendship Commission's U.S.-Japan Creative Artists Exchange Fellowship. Craig, an experienced explorer of volcanoes, never returned to his inn after leaving alone to visit the island's volcano for the afternoon. As a concerned constituent, I respectfully request that you please contact the U.S. consulate in Fukuoka and the U.S. Embassy in Japan and urgently request that they continue the search for University of Wyoming Professor Craig Arnold using local U.S. military and D.O.D. assets, specifically those on Okinawa.
Prof. Craig Arnold has made a profound, significant contribution to American arts and letters. He is also an inspiring and deeply caring father, brother, son, and much beloved by his family and his partner of six years, Rebecca. He is a generous and devoted friend and teacher to many. We have reason to be hopeful, as the small independent search-and-rescue team on the island has picked up Craig’s trail, and a little bit of rain has given us hope that he might not be too dehydrated. But time is of the essence. The island is small enough that an extended search performed by experienced searchers WILL lead to Craig's discovery, but we understand that more searchers on the ground are needed immediately.
Will you please keep me informed of action being taken to continue the search? Thank you.
Sincerely,