THE POW/MIA E-MAIL NETWORK (c)
At a meeting with DPMO, Vietnam Veterans of America's National POW/MIA committee requested that Mr. Robert L. Jones, Director, Defense Prisoner Of War/Missing Personnel Office send a letter to the Postmaster General in support of reissuance of the POW/MIA "Dogtag" stamp at current denomination. We are pleased to report that this request was initiated and completed. Following is a copy of the DPMO letter sent and response from the Postmaster General's office. We appreciate Mr. Jones' effort in this regard. -- Bob Necci
OFFICE OF
THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
2400
DEFENSE PENTAGON
WASHINGTON,
DC 20301-2400
2 May 2000
In reply
refer to:
I-00/005268
Mr.
William J. Henderson
Postmaster
General
United
States Postal Service
475
L'Enfant Plaza, S.W.
Washington,
DC 20260-0001
Dear Mr.
Henderson:
I
understand from your latest philatelic catalog that the U.S. Postal Service
plans to discontinue sale of the POW/MIA 32-cent stamp on June 30 and to
destroy existing stocks. As the senior U.S. government official responsible for
achieving the fullest possible accounting of our POWs and MIAs, I urge your
reconsideration of this action.
This year
marks the 25th anniversary of the end of the war in Southeast Asia and the 50th
anniversary of the beginning of the war in Korea. From those two conflicts
alone, more than 9,000 Americans are still missing in action. From all
conflicts, more than 88,000 Americans are unaccounted-for. The issuance of the
POW/MIA stamp at the White House on Memorial Day in 1995 was a salute to the
memory of those missing servicemen and their families, as well as to those who
continue the search today. I was very pleased to have served on the committee
which assisted the USPS in designing and releasing this stamp.
Although
the USPS may find it necessary to purge stamps which have been on the shelves
for extended periods, the discontinuance of this POW/MIA stamp will undoubtedly
generate an overwhelming negative reaction among families and veterans. These
constituents continue to remind me that there was no stamp series issued to
commemorate their sacrifices from the Korean War or the Vietnam War, as was
done for WWII.
I urge you
to consider a re-issuance of this stamp in a current denomination, as has been
done by the USPS on other stamps. The commitment to account for our POWs and
MIAs is a lasting one - a moral obligation that this nation has to its
unaccounted-for warriors. It is a high national priority. Reissuance of that
stamp is but one way Americans can be reminded of the permanence of that
commitment. Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
<signed>
Robert L.
Jones
Deputy
Assistant Secretary of Defense
(POW/Missing
Personnel Affairs)
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Here is
the response received by DPMO
GOVERNMENT
RELATIONS
UNITED
STATES
POSTAL
SERVICE
May 18,
2000
Mr. Robert
L. Jones
Deputy
Assistant Secretary of Defense
POW/Missing
Personnel Affairs
2400
Defense Pentagon
Washington,
DC 20301-2400
Dear Mr.
Jones:
This is in
response to your May 2 letter (reference I-00/005268) to
Postmaster
General William J. Henderson, regarding the POW/MIA commemorative stamp.
I
appreciate your strong support for this commemorative stamp that was issued in
1995. Commemorative stamps are designed to have a limited issue life of approximately
60 days to one year. The Postal Service has maintained the POW/MIA stamp in our
stock inventory for almost five years. Regrettably, this stamp has had limited
sales in the past months, so the decision was made to withdraw it from the
stamp inventory effective June 30.
I am
forwarding your comments and request for reissuance of this stamp in a current
denomination to the Citizens' Stamp Advisory committee.
Sincerely,
<signed>
Deborah D.
Leifer
Manager,
Government Relations Response
475
L'Enfant Plaza SW
Washington,
DC 20260-3500