[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 43 (Wednesday, March 11, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3026-S3032]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. WEBB (for himself, Mr. Brown, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Wicker, Mrs. 
        Boxer, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, and Mrs. Lincoln):
  S. 572. A bill to provide for the issuance of a ``forever stamp'' to 
honor the sacrifices of the brave men and women of the armed forces who 
have been awarded the Purple Heart; to the Committee on Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs.
  Mr. WEBB. Madam President, I have introduced a bill that will create 
a perpetual Purple Heart stamp. I cannot think of any other stamp or 
any other area for a perpetual stamp that is more deserving than this 
award which recognizes sacrifice on the battlefield.
  The original cosponsors of this legislation are Senators Brown, 
Vitter, Wicker, Boxer, Lincoln, and Ben Nelson of Nebraska. The Purple 
Heart is the oldest continually authorized U.S. military decoration. It 
was created as a badge of military merit by George Washington in 1782.
  The original Purple Hearts were awarded to three soldiers in the 
Continental Army who had shown outstanding courage during the 
Revolutionary War. In 1931, Army Chief of Staff Douglas MacArthur 
commissioned work on a new design for the Purple Heart to coincide with 
the then upcoming 200th anniversary of President Washington's birth.
  President Hoover's War Department authorized the award for wounds 
received by Army personnel in action or for meritorious service dating 
back to World War I. On February 22, 1932, General MacArthur became its 
first recipient. In December of 1942, the Purple Heart was extended to 
all branches of service, but the criteria were then strictly limited to 
those we know

[[Page S3032]]

today; that is, to be awarded to those who are wounded or killed during 
direct combat with the enemies of the United States. More than 1.7 
million Americans of every race, color, creed and from all 50 States 
have received the Purple Heart in honor of their sacrifice on our 
Nation's battlefields.
  This is the only U.S. military decoration for which there is no 
recommendation. It is simply earned through bloodshed for our country.
  In 2003, the Postal Service honored recipients of this award by 
commissioning a first-class Purple Heart stamp in a ceremony at the 
home of George Washington in Mount Vernon, VA. The image used for this 
stamp is a photograph of one of the two Purple Hearts received by 
Marine LTC James Loftus Fowler of Alexandria, VA, which he received in 
1968 as a battalion commander near the Ben Hai River in South Vietnam. 
Since that first issuance in 2003, approximately 1.2 billion first-
class Purple Heart stamps have been sold, an average of 200 million a 
year. At the new first-class rate of 44 cents, which is taking place in 
May, that is approximately $88 million a year in revenue for the U.S. 
Government.
  This yearly sales rate is equal to or greater than the sales of even 
the most popular commemorative stamps issued during that period, stamps 
bearing such American icons as Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, 
singer Frank Sinatra, and the classic Disney characters.
  In 2007, the Postal Service created the first ``forever'' stamp, a 
stamp which, no matter when it was purchased, would be good for first-
class postage on the day it was used. The image they chose was an image 
as old and venerable and quintessentially American as the Purple 
Heart--the Liberty Bell. According to a Postal Service press release, 
since its first issuance in April of 2007, more than 6 billion forever 
Liberty Bell stamps have been sold. This is an order of magnitude 
greater than any other single stamp sold in the United States, 
generating revenue of $2 billion.
  Clearly, the volume of sales of forever stamps is a win for the 
Postal Service, which is facing a shortfall in future revenues, and a 
win in terms of the value delivered to the people who want to use them.
  In creating the first Purple Heart, General Washington said:

       Let it be known that he who wears the military order of the 
     Purple Heart has given of his blood in defense of his 
     homeland and shall forever be revered by his fellow 
     countrymen.

  George Washington intended that the Nation he helped found would 
forever revere those who wear the Purple Heart as a symbol of the 
sacrifice they have given in our Nation's defense.
  As a recipient of the Purple Heart in Vietnam as a Marine, I believe 
that making the Purple Heart stamp a forever stamp is the most 
appropriate way to honor the past and future recipients of our Nation's 
oldest military decoration.
  I hope my colleagues will join me in this legislation.
                                 ______