An unveiling ceremony for the U.S. Postal Service’s re-issue of the Purple Heart stamp will take place at Veterans’ Field in Floral Haven Memorial Gardens in Tulsa on Friday, Nov. 9. The event will include special recognition of attending Postal Purple Heart Medal recipients.
Now available at Post Offices nationwide, the stamp recognizes and pays tribute to the men and women of the U.S. military whose sacrifices have allowed Americans to live in freedom. The Purple Heart Medal is awarded in the name of the president of the United States to members of the military who have been wounded or killed in action.
Tulsa Postmaster Kathy Ervin-Johnson will join Boyd Barclay, Past Commander, National Military Order of the Purple Heart, and representatives from both Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry and Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor’s office at the ceremony.
It is the third time the Postal Service has re-issued the stamp, which features a photograph by Ira Wexler of one of two Purple Hearts awarded to James Loftus Fowler of Alexandria, VA. Fowler, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marines and battalion commander of the Third Battalion, Fourth Marines, received this Purple Heart in 1968, following an action close to the Ben Hai River on the border between North and South Vietnam.
Current U.S. stamps and philatelic products, as well as the free USA Philatelic catalog, are available by calling toll-free 800-STAMP-24. A selection of U.S. stamps and gift items are also available online at the Postal Store at www.usps.com/shop. Images of many current, past, and future stamp issues can be found in the Stamp Issues section of the Collector’s Corner.