Stamp Honors Military Women

The 32-cent stamp honors the nearly 2 million women who have served and are serving in the armed forces, postal officials said.

"The Postal Service is proud to honor the women, past and present, who have served our country with such dedication, courage and patriotism in times of conflict and in times of peace for the past 220 years," said Postmaster General Marvin T. Runyon. "We hope that as these stamps appear on envelopes and cards across the country and around the world, they will serve as a reminder of the immeasurable contribution American women in military service have made and continue to make to the cause of protecting the freedom that we enjoy."

The Postal Service is printing 37 million stamps featuring uniformed women of the five armed services. "Women in Military Service" appears in white on a blue background at the top of the stamp with five white stars beneath the phrase. The five services Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard are printed across the bottom of the stamp in black, each separated by a star.

Customers have 30 days to obtain the first day issue postmark by mail. They may purchase the new stamps at their local post office, affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others)and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

After applying the first day of issue postmark, the postal service will return envelopes at no charge. All orders must be postmarked by Nov. 17, 1997.

The Philatelic Fulfillment Service Center also offers first day covers for new stamp issues and postal stationery items postmarked with the official first day of issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by writing to:

First day covers remain on sale for at least one year after the stamps' issuance.