Purple Heart Stamp Redesigned

Mainstream media are touting the upcoming release of the new Forever Purple Heart with Ribbon stamp which goes on sale May 2.

Different in design from previous stamps honoring the bravery and sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, the Forever designation comes at the urging of veterans and veterans groups around the country.

According to a USPS news release, "This new stamp features a photograph taken by Ira Wexler of Braddock Heights, MD, of the Purple Heart medal awarded during World War II to 1st Lieutenant Arthur J. Rubin (1917-1978). Rubin, a native of the Bronx, NY, began his military service with the U.S. Army in May 1943. He was injured twice in 1944—on July 6 and July 10—during military operations near Sainteny, a village in the Normandy region of France and was awarded a Purple Heart and an Oak Leaf Cluster to the Purple Heart. On July 8, 1944, for gallantry in action during a fierce German counter-attack, he received a Silver Star. In February 1946, Rubin returned to civilian life. Upon his death in December 1978, Rubin was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors."

The release goes on to say, "In 2003, the Postal Service issued its first Purple Heart stamp. It featured a photograph, also taken by Wexler, of a Purple Heart awarded to Lt. Colonel James Loftus Fowler (USMC) in 1968 following an action on the border between North and South Vietnam."

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.

For more on the history of the Purple Heart, click here.