Distinguished Sailors to be Saluted on Stamps
Jan 28 2010
What: First-Day-of-Issue dedication ceremony of the Distinguished Sailors 44-cent Commemorative First-Class stamps. The event is free and open to the public.
When: 10:30 a.m., Thurs., Feb. 4, 2010
Where: The Arleigh and Roberta Burke Theater
United States Navy Memorial
701 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20004-2608
Who: Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) Juan M. Garcia, III
Vice Admiral Samuel J. Locklear, III, Director, Navy Staff
Retired Rear Admiral Edward K. Walker Jr., Supply Corps. USN, President U.S. Navy Memorial
Postmaster General John E. Potter
Relatives of some of the sailors will be available for advance phone interviews and be on-site at the event.
Background: The stamps commemorate four Sailors who served with bravery and distinction during the 20th century: William S. Sims, Arleigh A. Burke, John McCloy and Doris Miller.
Commander of U.S. naval forces in European waters during World War I, William S. Sims (1858-1936) was an outspoken reformer and innovator who helped shape the Navy into a modern fighting force.
After serving as one of the top destroyer squadron commanders of World War II, Arleigh A. Burke (1901-1996) had an equally distinguished postwar career in which he played a major role in modernizing the Navy and guiding its response to the Cold War.
Described by a shipmate as “like a bull” who couldn’t be stopped, John McCloy (1876-1945) holds the distinction of being one of the few men in the nation’s history to earn two Medals of Honor for separate acts of heroism.
The first Black American hero of World War II, Doris Miller (1919-1943) became an inspiration to generations of Americans for his actions at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. He was later awarded the Navy Cross. (Actor Cuba Gooding, Jr., portrayed Miller in the 2001 movie Pearl Harbor.)
