Los Gatos resident Dodie Gaines and longtime postal employee Art Guzman teamed up several weeks ago to encourage people to show their support of the men and women overseas.

Gaines, who received a Purple Heart for his service in Vietnam, launched his campaign to support the troops because he feels support is "eerily absent" in Los Gatos. With his own money, Gaines purchased more than 500 pins, at approximately $2.50 apiece, and has given them to Guzman to distribute to customers.

Earlier pins had "Operation Enduring Freedom" written on them, but these latest pins show the American eagle and flag, with the name of the branch of service on them.

Guzman, a Vietnam War veteran himself, has handed out hundreds of pins over the last couple of weeks to people with relatives fighting in the current war, to war veterans and others who request the pins.

People were hesitant to accept the pins at first, he said. However, as the fighting progressed and the war seemed to look more favorably on the American side, people's outward support of the troops also grew, he said.

Mary Jane Filice, a resident in town who sends care packages to her son's friend who is in the Marines, proudly bears the pin she received from Guzman on her jacket.

"I don't think it's about pro-war or antiwar. It's about being pro-American. It's wonderful to support our troops," she said.

Not everyone agrees with this idea, however.

Guzman said that when he offered a pin to one woman, she responded, "I don't want anything red, white and blue."

In addition to the pins, Guzman has left patriotic bumper stickers on the counter of the post office for anyone who wants them. A customer came in once with 100 stickers and, like Gaines, asked Guzman to help make them available to the public.

As a postal employee, Guzman sees the people who come into the office to drop off care packages for the troops. At least 20 families in Los Gatos have a relative fighting in the war, according to Guzman. Since the war started last month, the number of care packages being sent over has increased tenfold, he said.

The amount of support for U.S. troops that Los Gatos resident Julia Miller has witnessed in town is encouraging to her. Her son, Derek White, attended Los Gatos High School and is now serving in the Army. The family saw more antiwar protesters in London, where they lived until recently, she said.

"At least here it seems like there's a lot more support than was publicized," Miller said.

Last week, Guzman and a couple of other people began going out to the Town Plaza every day from 11 a.m. to noon to wave the American flag and play patriotic music.

"All it is is showing we support the troops," Guzman said.

Another project in the works is a campaign to send care packages. Gaines recently met with Los Gatos resident Michael Frangadakis, who is spearheading an Operation Yellow Ribbon campaign. The campaign is sponsored by the Los Gatos Rotary Club, with cooperation from the Los Gatos Weekly-Times.

Unrelated to individual citizen efforts to show support of U.S. troops, the town of Los Gatos started flying three American flags at the Town Plaza at the end of March. The flagpoles were installed during renovation of the plaza and had remained unused since the plaza's grand opening celebration.

Ultimately the goal is to fly one U.S. flag, one state flag and a town flag. However, according to Parks and Public Works Director John Curtis, the town plans to fly three American flags until the situation in Iraq is resolved.