Tag Archives: military

Purple Heart Stamps Tell Personal Stories

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2003 stamp

The U.S. Postal Service issued its first Purple Heart stamp in 2003. That stamp featured a photograph, taken by Ira Wexler, of a Purple Heart awarded to Lt. Col. James Loftus Fowler (USMC) in 1968 following an action on the border between North and South Vietnam.

The 2012 Purple Heart Medal Forever® stamp features a photograph also taken by Wexler of the decoration awarded during World War II to 1st Lt. Arthur J. Rubin (1917–1978).

Rubin, a native of the Bronx, New York, began his military service with the U.S. Army in May 1943. Injured twice in July 1944 during military operations in the Normandy region of France, Rubin was awarded a Purple Heart and an Oak Leaf Cluster to the Purple Heart. On July 8, 1944, for gallantry in action during a fierce German counter-attack, he received a Silver Star. In February 1946, Rubin returned to civilian life. Upon his death in December 1978, Rubin was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.

Revolutionary History of the Purple Heart Medal

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The release of the new Purple Heart Medal Forever® stamp last week had us wondering about the history of this distinctive honor. Did you know that this military decoration dates as far back as George Washington?

On August 7, 1782, during the Revolutionary War, General Washington issued an order that established a badge of distinction for meritorious action. The badge, which consisted of a heart made of purple cloth, is known to have been awarded to three sergeants from Connecticut regiments. Known as the Badge of Military Merit, the award was distinctive because it was available to the lower ranks at a time when only officers were eligible for decoration in European armies. “The road to glory in a patriot army,” Washington wrote, “is thus open to all.”

Although not continued after the Revolutionary War, the decoration was reinstated by the U.S. War Department (now the Department of Defense) on February 22, 1932, the 200th anniversary of Washington’s birth. The redesigned decoration consists of a purple heart of metal bordered by gold, suspended from a purple and white ribbon. In the center of the medal is a profile bust of George Washington beneath his family coat of arms.

This First Day Cover bears an affixed stamp and an official First Day of Issue postmark. (Click image to order.)

Since World War II, U.S. presidents periodically expanded the eligibility requirements for the Purple Heart. On December 3, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order extending the award to the Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard and making the change retroactive to December 6, 1941. President Harry S. Truman later extended the date of eligibility retroactively to April 5, 1917, to include those who were injured or killed during World War I.

From 1962 to 1998, civilian personnel wounded or killed while serving under military command were also eligible for the Purple Heart, in accordance with a 1962 executive order by President John F. Kennedy. That order also prompted a policy change to include prisoners of war wounded during captivity. (A 1996 law authorized awarding the Purple Heart to POWs wounded before April 25, 1962.) Kennedy’s 1962 executive order was amended in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan to include both military personnel and civilians under military authority who were killed or wounded in an international terrorist attack after March 28, 1973.

A law that went into effect in 1998 restored the previous criteria so that today only members of the U.S. armed forces may receive the Purple Heart. The Defense of Freedom Medal, the civilian equivalent of the Purple Heart, was unveiled by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld on September 27, 2001.

The Purple Heart Medal Forever® stamp is now available online and in Post Offices nationwide.

The Sky’s the Limit: The Origins of the U.S. Air Force

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Our celebration of National Military Appreciation Month draws to a close today as we honor the U.S. Air Force—a crucial branch in our nation’s armed forces.

In 1997, the Postal Service celebrated the 50th anniversary of the United States Department of the Air Force. The 32-cent stamp features a photograph of four U.S. Air Force Thunderbird jets flying in diamond formation. To this day, the Thunderbirds perform at air shows across America.

The U.S. Army Air Corps became the United States Air Force in 1947. The Air Force is an important part of the military’s tactical warfare, offering its support to the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. On April 1, 1954, Congress authorized the establishment of the Air Force Academy, whose mission is “to inspire and develop outstanding young men and women to become Air Force officers with knowledge, character, and discipline; motivated to lead the world’s greatest aerospace force in service to this nation.”

Do you have a favorite military-themed post from the month? Let us know!

Gone But Not Forgotten: National World War II Memorial

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Dedicated on May 29, 2004, the National World War II Memorial is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, just east of the Reflecting Pool.

The memorial honors the 16 million Americans who served in the armed forces during the war, and the millions more who supported them on the home front.

On May 25, 1993, President Clinton signed Public Law 103-32 authorizing the American Battle Monuments Commission to build the memorial in or around Washington, D.C. The memorial is funded primarily by private contributions. Construction of the memorial began in September 2001 and it opened to the public on April 29, 2004.

The Second World War is the sole 20th-century event commemorated on the central axis of the National Mall, where it joins other beacons of freedom. The U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument are symbols of the nation’s founding in the 18th century; and the Lincoln Memorial and statue of Ulysses S. Grant honor the nation’s preservation in the 19th century.

The memorial’s design, by Friedrich St. Florian—an architect based in Providence, Rhode Island—was one of 404 entries received in an open design competition in 1996. St. Florian’s design is intended to create a powerful sense of place that is distinct, memorable, evocative, and serene. Its principal features are the Rainbow Pool and memorial plaza. Ceremonial steps and ramps lead into the plaza, and two 43-foot arches serve as markers and entries on the north and south ends of the plaza. Each state and territory from the World War II era, and the District of Columbia, are represented by one of 56 pillars adorned with bronze wreaths, celebrating the unity of the nation during the war.

Issued on the day of the memorial’s dedication, the postage stamp honoring the achievement and ideals of the Americans who served during WWII was created before the memorial was completed. “The memorial was barely a scratch in the dirt when I was given the assignment,” stamp artist Tom Engeman said. His computer-generated design was based on photographs he and art director Howard E. Paine took of a scale model of the memorial housed in a trailer on the construction site. The stamp art depicts one of the two large memorial arches with a curving row of pillars, set against a dramatic sunset.

What does the National World War II Memorial mean to you?

Happy Memorial Day!

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Today we honor all the men and women who have lost their lives while defending the United States. Their service and ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten. We thank all of our nation’s fallen military personnel for their bravery in fighting for our freedom.

Issued in 2001 as part of the Great American Illustrators pane, this drawing by James Montgomery Flagg comes from a World War II Marine Corps recruitment poster. Flagg’s iconic images, including the famous Uncle Sam “I Want You” magazine cover, have become important pieces of military Americana.