WASHINGTON , DC - Honoring the sacrifices of the men and women who serve in the U.S. military, the U.S. Postal Service today re-issued the coveted Purple Heart stamp at 42 cents.
First issued in 2003, the stamp features the medal that is "the oldest military decoration in the world," according to the Military Order of the Purple Heart. The Purple Heart is awarded in the name of the president of the United States to members of the U.S. military who have been wounded or killed in action.
"We are eternally grateful to Postmaster General Jack Potter and the United States Postal Service for continuing to honor the men and women of the U.S. military who have been wounded or killed in the line of duty," said Joe Palagyi, national adjutant, Military Order of the Purple Heart. "We join with our Military Service Foundation in recognizing this momentous occasion."
This is the fourth reissuance of the Purple Heart stamp, which has received overwhelming public support.
In 1782, during the Revolutionary War, General George 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 in 1783: Elijah Churchill, William Brown and Daniel Bissell, Jr. 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."
This stamp features a photograph by Ira Wexler of one of two Purple Hearts awarded to James Loftus Fowler of Alexandria , VA. Fowler was a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marines, who was serving as battalion commander of the Third Battalion, Fourth Marines, when he received this Purple Heart in 1968, following an action close to the Ben Hai River on the border between the former North and South Vietnam .
The Purple Heart stamp goes on sale nationwide today in Post Offices, on usps.com, and by calling 1-800-STAMP-24.
