Front Cover 2 postal bulletin 22375 (10-31-13) Contents COVER STORY Holiday Stamps 2013 . 105 Publicity Kit: Medal of Honor: World War II Pictorial Postmarks Announcement . 109 Forever Stamps. 3 How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Digital Color or Traditional Postmarks . 112 POLICIES, PROCEDURES, AND FORMS UPDATES Manuals PULL-OUT INFORMATION DMM Revision: Physical Characteristics of Stacking Pallets. 15 Fraud IMM Revision: Temporary Suspension of Sure Invalid USPS Corporate Account Numbers. 49 Money (DineroSeguro) Service to Argentina. 15 Missing, Lost, or Stolen U.S. Money Order Forms . 51 IMM Revision: Mailing of Rough Diamonds. 16 Missing, Lost, or Stolen Canadian Money IMM Revision: Preparation Requirements for Order Forms . 57 Priority Mail Express International Shipments . 17 Verifying U.S. Postal Service Money Orders . 59 IMM Revision: Special Drawing Right Values and Counterfeit Canadian Money Order Forms . 59 Indemnity Limits for Ordinary Priority Mail Toll-Free Number Available to Verify Canadian International Parcels and Registered Mail Service . 19 Money Orders . 59 POM Revision: General Delivery . 24 Other Information Handbooks Overseas Military/Diplomatic Mail . 60 Handbook F-101 Revision: Spoiled and Voided Federal Employees Health Benefits Open Season . 65 Money Orders . 25 Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program Open Season . 67 Publications Publication 52 Revision: Updates to Mailing Standards for Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Materials . 25 Postal Bulletin Index Publication 223 Revision: Directives and Semi-Annual Index. PB 22367 (7-11-13) Forms Update . 79 Publication 431 Revision: Changes to Post Office Box Service and Caller Service Fee Groups . 82 USPS National Emergency Hotline Is your facility operating? Call 888-363-7462 ORGANIZATION INFORMATION Finance Christmas Pay Procedures for Rural Carriers . 83 Labor Relations Health Benefits Open Season . 98 Mailing and Shipping Services Mail Alert . 99 Stamp Services Stamp Announcement 13-48: Harry Potter Stamp . 100 Stamp Announcement 13-49: Hanukkah Stamp. 101 Stamp Announcement 13-50: Kwanzaa Stamp . 103 Also on the Web at about.usps.com/postal-bulletin Cover Story postal bulletin 22375 (10-31-13) 3 Cover Story Publicity Kit: Medal of Honor: World War II Forever Stamps On Veterans Day, Monday, November 11, 2013, at 9 Sample News Release A.M. ET, the Postal Service will conduct the first-day-of- Sample Speech issue ceremony for the Medal of Honor: World War II For- Contact for obtaining enlargements of the stamps for ever® stamps. The ceremony will take place in Washington, event use DC, on the National Mall at the National World War II Memorial. The Memorial is located between the Washing- Corporate Communications contacts ton Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. Many veterans Government Relations contacts and Medal of Honor recipients are expected to attend. Please email Mark Saunders at mark.r.saun- Postmasters are asked to conduct local special ded- [email protected] to obtain the kit documents listed along ication ceremonies on or after this date to avoid dis- with links to high-resolution images of stamps for media tracting media attention from the national first-day-of- use. issue ceremony. This publicity kit includes: Medal of Honor Etiquette Medal of Honor and Military Etiquette When referring to individuals awarded the Medal of Medal of Honor Recipient Contact Honor, always refer to them as “recipients” who have Military Organizations Contacts earned the award or “awardees.” Never use the term “won” Medal of Honor Stamp Sheet description or “winner” as it implies a competition. The Medal is not Medal of Honor Background Information named the Congressional Medal of Honor. The true name of the medal is Medal of Honor. Visit the Congressional Medal of Honor Myths and Facts Sample Media Advisory 4 postal bulletin 22375 (10-31-13) Cover Story Medal of Honor Society website at http://www.cmohs.org 7. Vernon McGarity (deceased) of Memphis, TN: http:// for information on all Medal of Honor recipients. www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/2876/mcgarity- When referring to these Medal of Honor recipients who vernon.php served in the Army, refer to them as soldiers. Marines who 8. Nicholas Oresko (deceased) of Creskill, NJ: http:// are no longer serving in the Corps are referred to as www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/2931/oresko- Marines, former Marines, or retired Marines — but never as nicholas.php ex-Marines. 9. Wilburn K. Ross of Dupont, WA: http:// www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/2974/ross-wilburn- k.php Medal of Honor Recipient Contact 10. George T. Sakato of Denver, CO: http:// Some of the recipients may be able to attend local www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/2980/sakato- events. Please refrain from contacting them directly. Out of george-t.php concern for the privacy of these elder award recipients — 11. Arthur J. Jackson of Boise, ID: http:// the youngest of which is 88, the Congressional Medal of www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/2801/jackson- Honor Society has requested that Jim McKean, jim.mck- arthur-j.php [email protected], continue as the liaison between the individ- ual recipients and the Postal Service. Please contact Jim 12. Hershel W. Williams of Ona, WV: http:// should you wish to invite a recipient to your event. The www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/3066/williams- recipients’ cities and state locations are listed in this article. hershel-woodrow.php Living Medal of Honor Recipient Citations Military Organizations Contacts Click the links below for detailed descriptions on living Postmasters are encouraged to reach out to and include World War II Medal of Honor recipients whose photographs military and veterans groups in their events. Visit http:// appear in the framed area of the stamp sheet. Note: Sena- www.military.com/spouse/military-life/ and click the link for tor Daniel K. Inouye and Vernon McGarity died before the contacting military personnel. stamps could be issued, as did Nicholas Oresko, who died after the stamps were printed. Their photographs are still included, as they remain among the last representatives of Medal of Honor: World War II Stamp Sheet a remarkable group whose courage and devotion we honor With the issuance of the Medal of Honor: World War II with this issuance. Information on all Medal of Honor recip- stamp sheet, the U.S. Postal Service® introduces a new ients from all wars can be found at www.cmohs.org. stamp format, the prestige folio. This format consists of a 1. Charles H. Coolidge of Chattanooga, TN: http:// large sheet folded in half to form four separate pages. When www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/2688/coolidge- folded, the two-pane design is 8 ½ inches wide by 7 ½ charles-h.php inches tall. 2. Francis S. Currey of Selkirk, NY: http:// The first page of this issuance highlights historic photo- www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/2698/currey- graphs of the last 12 living recipients of the Medal of Honor francis-s.php from World War II. The photographs surround two Forever stamps; one features a photograph of the Navy version of 3. Walter D. Ehlers of Buena Park, CA: http:// the Medal of Honor, and the other features a photograph of www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/2724/ehlers-walter- the Army version of the award. The Air Force version of the d.php medal is not shown because it was not created until 1965. 4. John D. Hawk of Bremerton, WA: http:// In January 2012, the U.S. Postal Service invited the last www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/2783/hawk-john- living World War II Medal of Honor recipients to join in hon- d.php oring the extraordinary courage of every member awarded 5. Daniel K. Inouye (deceased) of Honolulu, HI: http:// the medal for their valorous actions during the war. All the www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/2799/inouye- men pictured here agreed to participate in this momentous daniel-k.php event. 6. Robert D. Maxwell of Bend, OR: http:// Pictured (clockwise from top left) are Charles H. www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/2865/maxwell- Coolidge of Chattanooga, TN; Francis S. Currey of Selkirk, robert-d.php NY; Walter D. Ehlers of Buena Park, CA; John D. Hawk of Bremerton, WA; Daniel K. Inouye of Honolulu, HI; Robert D. Maxwell of Bend, OR; Vernon McGarity of Memphis, TN; Cover Story postal bulletin 22375 (10-31-13) 5 Nicholas Oresko of Creskill, NJ; Wilburn K. Ross of Dupont, of new decorations to recognize different degrees of WA; and George T. Sakato of Denver, CO, all of whom accomplishment, including the Distinguished Service served with the U.S. Army. Arthur J. Jackson of Boise, ID; Cross, the Navy Cross, and the Citation Star, later replaced and Hershel W. Williams of Ona, WV; served with the U.S. by the Silver Star. As a result, only 124 Medals of Honor Marine Corps. were awarded for service in World War I. Sadly, Senator Daniel K. Inouye and Vernon McGarity There are three similar, yet distinct, versions of the died before the stamps could be issued, as did Nicholas Medal of Honor, one for each military department (Army, Oresko, who died after the stamps were printed. Their pho- Navy, and Air Force). The medals are similar in that each tographs are still included, as they remain among the last consists of a variation of a five-pointed star worn around representatives of a remarkable group whose courage and the neck on a light blue ribbon. The Navy version is devotion we honor with this issuance. awarded to those serving in the Navy and Marine Corps, The two center pages list the names of all 464 recipients and during times of war, to members of the Coast Guard. of the Medal of Honor from World War II. A short piece of Although not required by any military regulation, according text and a key to the names of the recipients pictured in the to tradition and the nature of the award, even a four-star cover photos are also included on page two.