How wonderful that today on Memorial Day Service Cross Medals Stamps debuted at the World Stamp Show-NY 2016.
The image upper left is from a poster from 1937 where Memorial Day was also on a May 30th too, although that year it was on a Sunday.
In 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act and with it “The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May.”
Memorial Day Service Cross Medals Stamps
The 47 cent Forever stamp comes in four designs and went on sale today by the US Postal Service. The Stamp Announcement 16-15 includes How to Order First Day of Issue Postmark and First Day Covers, other items for sale.
Here is an excerpt:
“This issuance continues a Postal Service™ tradition of honoring the bravery and achievements of members of the U.S. Armed Forces. Previous issuances have depicted the highest military decoration for valor in combat: the Medal of Honor.
These new stamps recognize the next highest tier of military decorations for valor: the Distinguished Service Cross (Army), Navy Cross (Navy and Marine Corps), Air Force Cross, and Coast Guard Cross. Each stamp consists of a photograph of one of the four medals suspended from a ribbon and shown against a dark blue backdrop. … These decorations are awarded for acts of extraordinary heroism in which an individual braved enemy fire, made bold decisions, and took selfless actions to rescue or protect fellow service members.”
<– End of excerpt
Thank you for joining me today for Memorial Day Service Cross Medals Stamps. My blog post on Friday included suggesting from last Memorial Day weekend my blog post on the beautiful poem “In Flanders Fields” .
For today I’m closing with that poem.
‘In Flanders Fields‘
by John McCrae, May 3, 1915
“In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.”
Attribution & Thank you to the following who are referenced today Memorial Day Service Cross Medals Stamps
Image above upper left by Work Projects Administration Poster Collection [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons; Poster honoring veterans, showing a boy and an old soldier saluting each other, and girl presenting the soldier with bouquet of flowers. Physical description: 1 print on board (poster) : silkscreen, color. Notes: Work Projects Administration Poster Collection (Library of Congress).; JCW.; Date stamped on verso: Apr 16 1937.
Image shown above Honoring Extraordinary Heroism: The Service Cross Medals stamps and excerpt from Stamp Announcement 16-15: Honoring Extraordinary Heroism: The Service Cross Medals Stamps @USPS @USPSStamps
Image above from Twitter American Philatelic Society @APS_stamps 11:17 AM – 30 May 2016 “The #ServiceCrossStamps stamps have been unveiled” @WorldStampShowN. #APSstamps #WorldStampShowNY @usps
World Stamp Show-NY 2016 from May 28 – June 04, 2016 @WorldStampShowN
Image above by Tijl Vercaemer from Gent, Flanders #Belgium). In Flanders Fields the poppies blow (3/3#) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
Excerpt AnchoredScraps.com blog post “In Flanders Fields” May 23, 2015 and Memorial Day Holiday Weekend May 27, 2016 both written by Helen Rittersporn
