U.S. News

Wednesday, Nov. 11, 1998

Stamps honor WWII soldiers, civilians

Infantry, domestic workers and GI Bill are all celebrated

Associated Press

   WASHINGTON -- Struggling to hold back tears, World War II veteran Roger Durbin recalled the bitter cold of the Ardennes forest during the 1944 Battle of the Bulge, when a wounded man could be dead and frozen in a few hours.
   Surrounded by friends and admiring strangers, Durbin helped unveil three new postage stamps Tuesday recalling the fighting men of World War II and those who supported them on the home front.
   Rosie the Riveter of poster fame wasn't there, but Mildred Crow-Sargent, who also was a riveter in a war factory, was present.
   "It wasn't easy to work 54 hours a week. It wasn't easy to deal with ration stamps and shortages. But those inconveniences were minor," compared to the hardships of those in combat, she told a packed audience at the National Postal Museum.
   The stamps, to be issued next year, also included one commemorating the GI Bill, a measure that historian Milton Greenberg said "changed the social landscape of the nation."
   The GI Bill, which helped veterans returning from the war go to college and buy homes, "nourished two durable legacies," Greenberg said. It showed that education can and should be available to everyone and "it turned the nation into shareholders . . . proud and independent owners of homes and businesses."
   "Each generation has its own challenges," said Vice President Al Gore, a Vietnam veteran. "These stamps remind us of our debt to those brave young souls and the people who supported them on the home front."
   "We pay tribute to their sacrifice and we say on behalf of a great nation, we can never, ever, forget," Gore said.
   The three 33-cent stamps unveiled show Uncle Sam gesturing forward to a group of infantry soldiers, recalling World War II; reproduce the Rosie the Riveter "We Can Do It" poster to honor the home front and recall the GI Bill with a picture of a soldier studying.
   They will be part of a 15-stamp set commemorating the events of the 1940s. The 33-cent rate for first-class mail takes effect on Jan. 10, 1 cent more than at present.
   

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