On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., introduced a bill ordering the U.S. Postal Service to issue a forever stamp honoring servicemen who were prisoners of war and those missing in action.
Bilirakis, who serves as vice chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, announced the stamp he proposed would feature the POW/MIA flag.
Our men and women in uniform have made great sacrifices to protect the liberty and freedom of our great nation, said Bilirakis. It is my hope that this stamp will serve as a constant reminder of the plight of Americas prisoners of war and missing in action, and the fact that our job is not over until all service members are accounted for.
Bilirakis staffers told Sunshine State News on Wednesday that no Senate sponsor was currently in place but there were several possibilities. With the Democrats in charge of the Senate, Bilirakis team expects whoever sponsors the bill in that chamber to be from that party.
A stamp honoring POWs and MIA service members should be a slam dunk but there has been opposition from the Postal Service. Back in January, Bilirakis and Young urged Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe to issue a POW/MIA stamp. Responding to the congressmen in a letter, Lambros Kapoulas, a government relations representative for the Postal Service, revealed that the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC) considered issuing the stamp but rejected it.
The proposal for a POW/MIA commemorative stamp was recently considered by the committee, Kapoulas wrote the congressmen. It was not among the subjects recommended for issuance. Each year, we receive thousands of requests for stamp subjects, but only a few stamps can be issued.
Kapoulas added that the Postal Service issued a stamp honoring POWs and MIA service members back in 1995. But the previous POW/MIA stamp was not a forever stamp which was created in 2007.
Founded by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1957, the CSAC is made up of 13 members who vote on what will be included on stamps. Members of the CSAC include Chairwoman Jean Picker Firstenberg, the former CEO of the American Film Institute; former Postmaster General Benjamin Bailar; Olympic swimmer and sports commentator Donna De Varona; and Henry Louis Gates of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African-American Research at Harvard. Gates made national headlines for an incident when he was arrested as he tried to enter his own house, leading to a national debate on racial profiling and a beer summit at the White House with Gates, the officer who arrested him and President Barack Obama.
Bilirakis bill would ignore the CSACs vote not to honor POWs and MIA service members with a forever stamp and mandate the postmaster general issue it. Since World War II, more than 83,000 Americans have been listed as missing in action.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at 904-521-3722.
