Senators Urge "Forever" Purple Heart Stamp

Senator Jim Webb of Virginia, along with a bipartisan group of seven Senators, has called on the United States Postal Service to issue the Purple Heart stamp on a permanent basis as a “forever” stamp.

In a letter to Postmaster General John E. Potter, the Senators praised the reissuance of the Purple Heart stamp at the new 42-cent First Class rate but urged that the stamp be made permanent to honor servicemembers and veterans who have received the Purple Heart.

The Purple Heart is awarded to any member of an Armed Force or any civilian national of the United States who, while serving with one of the U.S. Armed Services, has been wounded or killed.

In a news release Senator Webb, a Marine combat veteran, who received two Purple Hearts during the Vietnam War writes, “This is a most appropriate way to honor past and future recipients of our nation’s oldest military decoration.”

The Senators all support the Perpetual Purple Heart Stamp Act, a measure introduced last year by Senator Clinton that would require the Postal Service to issue the stamp on a permanent basis as a “forever” stamp.

To read the entire release, click here.

Remember the fallen on this Memorial Day 2008.