WHAT:
The Nampa Post Office Building will be named in honor of former Nampa resident and Korean War Hero Herbert A. Littleton. A plaque naming the Post Office Building will be unveiled at the ceremony. The public is invited to attend.
WHO:
Family members and friends of Herbert A. Littleton; U.S. Rep. Walt Minnick; Nampa Mayor Tom Dale; Gayle Alvarez, Idaho Military History Museum; USPS District Manager Ken McArthur, and Acting Nampa Postmaster Tony Davila.
WHEN:
10 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009
WHERE:
Nampa Post Office, 123 11th Ave. S., Nampa, Idaho, 83651
BACKGROUND:
Herbert A Littleton was 20 years old when his family moved to Nampa, Idaho, from South Dakota back in 1950. He had only recently returned from serving one year in the U.S. Marines during World War II. Littleton accepted a job at Mountain States Telephone & Telegraph as a lineman. The family had only been in Idaho a short time when the Korean Conflict began. Littleton's father encouraged him to join the Navy but his reply was "Once a Marine, always a Marine." On September 15, 1950, Littleton was assigned to extended active duty. After completing Radio Training at Camp Pendleton, California, he shipped out to Korea with the Third Replacement Draft in December 1950. He began serving in South and Central Korean Operations on December 17, 1950.
Private First Class Littleton, or "Herbie" as he was known by his fellow soldiers, was killed in Korea on April 22, 1951, when he hurled himself without hesitation on a deadly grenade, absorbing its full impact and thereby saving the lives of his fellow soldiers. Littleton's actions enabled them to carry out their vital mission and repel an enemy attack. For that act, Littleton was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman.
As a lasting tribute to Littleton and all those who have courageously served their country, U.S. Representatives Walt Minnick and Mike Simpson helped to pass federal legislation naming the Nampa Post Office Building at 123 11th Ave. S., in Littleton’s honor.
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