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Philatelic News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 11, 2002
Stamp Release #02-017
NEW FUNDRAISING STAMP HONORING HEROES OF SEPTEMBER 11 UNVEILED AT WHITE HOUSE
Heroes of 2001 'Semipostal' Stamp Raises Funds

Heroes of 2001 semipostal stampWASHINGTON - Today at a White House ceremony, President George W. Bush and Postmaster General John E. Potter unveiled a new "semipostal" stamp that will raise funds to provide assistance to families of emergency relief personnel killed or permanently disabled in connection with the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The price of the Heroes of 2001 semipostal stamp will be 45 cents. The 11-cent difference between the sales price of the stamp and the underlying postage in effect at the time of purchase consists of a contribution. Funds raised in connection with sales of the stamp, net of the Postal Service's reasonable costs, are to be transferred to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The stamp is expected to be available in post offices nationwide starting in late spring.

Today's unveiling marked both the six-month anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the start date for the production of 205 million Heroes of 2001 stamps.

"The Postal Service is proud to honor the men and women who gave their all in the rescue efforts following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11," said Potter. "Sadly, many of these true American heroes paid the ultimate sacrifice. We hope this stamp will be a lasting tribute to them and a testimony to the spirit and resolve of our great country."

Also participating in the unveiling ceremony were firefighters William Eisengrein, George Johnson and Daniel McWilliams and photographer Thomas E. Franklin. Eisengrein, Johnson and McWilliams participated in rescue efforts in New York City. Franklin, a staff photographer for The Record in Bergen County, N.J., took the now famous photograph of the three firefighters as they raised the U.S. flag at "ground zero."

Designed by Derry Noyes of Washington, D.C., the Heroes of 2001 stamp image features a detail of the photograph by Franklin, the word "heroes" and acronym "USA" in capital letters stacked in the upper right-hand corner of the vertically formatted design and the year "2001" in the lower right-hand corner. Running at a ninety-degree angle along the upper left-hand edge of the design are the words "First-Class" in capital letters.

Adjacent to that is a plus sign (+) denoting that the price of the stamp is higher than the First-Class rate.

The self-adhesive, non-denominated Heroes 2001 stamp is a semipostal, which means it will be valid for postage at the First-Class first-ounce letter rate in effect at the time of purchase (currently 34 cents). The remainder is a tax-deductible contribution and may not be used to pay postage.

The Heroes of 2001 stamp is the second semipostal in U.S. history. The first was the Breast Cancer Research stamp, which is still available at post offices across the country, by toll-free phone order at 1 800 STAMP-24 and online at the Postal Store at www.usps.com. To date, the Breast Cancer Research stamp has raised about $24 million for breast cancer research.

President Bush at the Oval Office unveiling of 'Heroes of 2001' semipostal stamp with (from left) PMG Jack Potter; Firefighters Billy Eisengrein and George Johnson; U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman, 5th District, N.Y.; Firefighter Dan McWilliam; and Record photographer Thomas Franklin, who took the photo featured on the stamp.
President Bush at the Oval Office unveiling of "Heroes of 2001" semipostal stamp with (from left) PMG Jack Potter; Firefighters Billy Eisengrein and George Johnson; U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman, 5th District, N.Y.; Firefighter Dan McWilliams; and Record photographer Thomas Franklin, who took the photo featured on the stamp.


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 Since 1775, the U.S. Postal Service has connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by mail. It is an independent federal agency that visits 137 million homes and businesses every day and is the only service provider to deliver to every address in the nation. The Postal Service receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With annual revenues of more than $65 billion, it is the world's leading provider of postal services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world. The Postal Service delivers more than 46 percent of the world's mail volume-some 207 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year-and serves 7 million customers each day at its 40,000 retail locations nationwide.

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