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WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2000 – The U.S. Postal Service recently unveiled a new Vietnam Veterans Memorial commemorative postage stamp to honor all veterans, particularly those who died in battle or are listed as missing.
The 33-cent Vietnam Veterans Memorial stamp portrays a veteran touching "The Wall," where more than 58,000 names of those killed or listed as missing are inscribed on black granite. The stamp was illustrated by Robert Rodriguez of Pasadena, Calif., and designed by Carl Herrman of Carlsbad, Calif. "This stamp is for veterans everywhere. It's for the men and women, including many of our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and friends, who gave their lives to protect and serve others," said chief postal inspector Ken Weaver, who unveiled the stamp at the memorial on the National Mall in Washington. Joining Weaver at the unveiling of the stamp were U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska; Jan C. Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund; and Arnold Goldstein, superintendent of National Capital Parks-Central. "The Vietnam Veterans Memorial has been a source of reflection and inspiration for millions of Americans. In choosing to commemorate this memorial, the Postal Service honors those who sacrificed for our nation and their families," Hagel said. Scruggs noted the new stamp is the second honoring and commemorating the memorial. The first was unveiled in November 1984 when "The Wall" was only two years old. "What makes this stamp a little bit different from the first one is that people actually voted on the Internet about the most significant events of the 1980s," Scruggs said. "Wherever you go -- Beijing, Dublin, Berlin, Mexico City -- the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, or 'The Wall,' is an instantly recognizable symbol of America," he said. "That says a lot about how important this memorial is to our culture." The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was designed by Maya Lin and dedicated on Nov. 13, 1982, during a weeklong national salute to Vietnam veterans. The stamp is one of 15 commemoratives saluting the 1980s selected by the public during nationwide balloting on the Internet in February 1999. They are part of the Postal Service's 120-stamp "Celebrate the Century" series, which ends in May with the issuance of 1990s commemoratives. The other 1980s commemoratives were issued in January. Those stamps include the top vote-getting Video Games, Fall of the Berlin Wall, San Francisco 49ers, the movie "E.T. The Extra- Terrestrial," Hostages Come Home, the TV comedy "The Cosby Show," the musical "Cats," Hip-Hop Culture, Figure Skating, Personal Computers, Compact Discs, Cable TV, Space Shuttle Program and Cabbage Patch Kids. The 1980s stamps and the rest of the series are on sale at post offices, by calling 1-800-STAMP-24, or online at www.stampsonline.com. For more information on Celebrate the Century, visit www.usps.com/images/stamps/ctc.htm.
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