What:

Sacramento Postal District will honor two local veterans of the Vietnam War who received the Medal of Honor for their distinguished service.

Who:

• Medal of Honor recipient Master Sergeant Richard A. Pittman,USMC (Ret.) of Stockton, CA
• Medal of Honor recipient Major James A. Taylor, USA (Ret.) of Penn Valley, CA

When:

Friday, June 26, 2015 8:00 a.m.

Where:

Master Sergeant Richard A. Pittman will be honored at the
Stockton Main Post Office
4245 West Lane
Stockton, CA 95208

Major James A. Taylor will be honored at the
Penn Valley Post Office
 17612 Penn Valley Drive
Penn Valley, CA 95946

Background:

On Memorial Day, May 25, 2015, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC, the U.S. Postal Service issued the Medal of Honor: Vietnam War Forever Stamps now available at Post Offices nationwide. Along the border of the sheet of stamps are photos of 48 of the living Medal of Honor recipients, including Pittman and Taylor.

The Medal of Honor is our nation’s most prestigious military decoration. It is awarded by the President on behalf of Congress to members of the armed services who distinguish themselves through “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty” while engaged in action against an enemy of the United States. Of the several million members of the U.S. Armed Forces who served during the Vietnam War, 258 were awarded the Medal of Honor. Nearly two out of three recipients received the honor posthumously.