Tag Archives: veterans

USPS Encourages Writing Letters to Service Members

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With Veterans Day just around the corner, USPS is encouraging Americans to salute the sacrifices of the men and women who serve in the U.S. military by using the new Purple Heart Medal Forever stamp issued in early September.

“The Postal Service helps families stay connected to their loved ones who defend our country,” said Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe. “Service members look forward to letters from home. When springing into action, letters from home are not left behind on a cot or at the bottom of a duffle bag. Those letters are tucked safely in pockets. They’re kept close to their heart—and they’re pulled out and read again and again.”

Mail sent to service members at Army Post Office (APO), Fleet Post Office (FPO) and Diplomat Post Office (DPO) addresses is mailed at the domestic rather than international price. As a domestic stamp, the Purple Heart Medal Forever stamp is good for mailing one-ounce cards and letters addressed to individuals at these locations. Using the current First-Class one-ounce letter price, the stamp can also be applied to mailing packages.

Available nationwide in sheets of 20, the stamps can be purchased online at usps.com/stamps or by calling 800-STAMP-24 ().

Second only to the Pentagon in hiring veterans, the U.S. Postal Service employs more than 108,000 former service men and women—comprising nearly one in five employees in its career workforce. Today, almost 1,000 dedicated postal employees continue to serve in an active duty status.

Show Support for U.S. Veterans With Purple Heart Medal Stamps

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Show your support for the sacrifices of the men and women who serve in the U.S. armed forces with the Purple Heart Medal Forever® stamp. The stamp has a 45-cent value and will be valid for First Class postage forever, regardless of any increase in postage rates. The First Class rate will increase in January 2013, so this is a great time to show your support for our veterans.

This includes a sheet of 20 Purple Heart Medal stamps and an envelope with an affixed stamp and and an official First Day of Issue postmark. The stamp was issued September 4, 2012.

In Honor of Those Who Served in Vietnam

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We continue our celebration of National Military Appreciation Month today by honoring all those who served in the Vietnam War, one of the longest military conflicts in U.S. history.

This stamp, issued in 1999 as part of the Celebrate the Century series, features a color photograph taken by Howard Breedlove in 1967. The photograph, which shows members of the First Cavalry Division leaping from a helicopter as part of a search-and-destroy mission, was later adapted for the Vietnam Veterans National Medal awarded by Congress. The stamp was unveiled on July 26, 1999, at the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Holmdel, New Jersey.

The Honoring Vietnam Veterans stamp was issued in 1979.

The Vietnam War was the nation’s most bitterly divisive conflict since the Civil War and inflicted political and social wounds that a quarter century later were still not completely healed. The terrible personal toll taken on the soldiers who served and their families was arguably even greater. We thank them all for the sacrifices they made.

The Conflict in Korea

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From June 1950 to July 1953, the United States was engaged in conflict with North Korea and the Soviet Union in what would be known as the Korean War.

The U.S., as part of the United Nations’ forces, enacted an immediate military response to Soviet-backed North Korea’s invasion of South Korea on June 25, 1950. For two months U.N. troops, led by United States general Douglas MacArthur, were forced to retreat from the border, establishing a stronghold in the southwestern portion of the peninsula.

Eventually the North Korean army was driven back across the 38th parallel—the dividing line between the two countries. For three years, U.S. troops defended South Korea’s independence and the world’s right to democracy.

On July 27, 1953, an armistice was reached. The Cold War positions adopted by the United States and Soviet Union as a result were drawn hard and fast along the tensely guarded 38th parallel.

Fighting half a world away, many Americans were disconnected from the conflict, but the effects of the Korean War were known all to well to the veterans and those who sacrificed their lives in the heat of battle. We commend all of the U.S. servicemen who answered the call of duty and fought for freedom.

In 1985, the U.S. Postal Service celebrated the brave veterans of the war with the Veterans of Korea stamps. As part of the Celebrate the Century series on the 1950s pane, a stamp honoring the Korean War was issued in 1999.

What sort of impact did the Korean War have on you and your family?