WHAT:
The U.S. Postal Service joins State Senator William Larkin at the Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor for a local dedication ceremony commemorating the issuance of the new Purple Heart with Ribbon Forever Stamp.
WHEN:
Saturday, May 7th, at 11 AM
WHERE:
The Ceremonial Grounds of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor
- The event is free and open to the public with limited seating.
Schedule of Participants:
- Andy Komonchak-- Director of Development, National Purple Heart Hall of Honor
- The Honorable Nan Hayworth, MD, U.S. Congresswoman, 39th Congressional District
- Colonel Charles “Gus” Stafford, USMA Chief of Staff
- Anita Pidala, Director, National Purple Heart Hall of Honor
- The Honorable Edward Diana, County Executive - Orange County
- The Honorable Mike Heim, County Executive - Ulster County
- The Honorable William J. Larkin, Jr., 39th New York State Senate District and member of Genesis Group, National Purple Heart Hall of Honor
- Debra Jones, Marketing Manager representing the Westchester District of the Postal Service
Medal of Honor Recipient Paul Bucha is tentatively scheduled to attend.
In addition, the program will include:
- PRESENTATION OF COLORS, by the Marine Aircraft Group 49, Det B Color Guard
- PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, by a local Eagle Scout
- NATIONAL ANTHEM, performed by Master Sgt. Mary Kay Messinger, US Army
- INVOCATION, by the Rev. Joseph A. Komonchak
Manager Post Office Operations Neal P. Fitzpatrick will also represent the Westchester District of the Postal Service on Saturday.
BACKGROUND:
The stamp went on sale nationwide at Post Offices on May 5, 2011.
“It is our hope, that with the issuance of this stamp, the Postal Service, along with the rest of our nation, can pay tribute to those whose sacrifices have given all of us a country that is truly the land of the free and the home of the brave,” said Deputy Postmaster General Ronald Stroman in a national unveiling ceremony for the Purple Heart with Ribbon Forever Stamp in San Diego on Thursday.
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. According to the Military Order of the Purple Heart, an organization for combat-wounded veterans, the medal is ‘the oldest military decoration in the world in present use and the first award made available to a common soldier.’
This new stamp features a photograph taken by Ira Wexler of the Purple Heart medal awarded during World War II to 1st Lieutenant Arthur J. Rubin (1917-1978) of the Bronx.
In 2003, the Postal Service issued its first Purple Heart stamp. To learn more about the Postal Service’s Stamp Program, visit http://beyondtheperf.com.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
# # #
Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.
A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $67 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 29th in the 2010 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.
