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Postal Service dedicates stamp to Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipients

By Amy R. Connolly
Vietnam-era Medal of Honor recipients were honored on Memorial Day with a limited-edition Forever stamp. Image courtesy of USPS
Vietnam-era Medal of Honor recipients were honored on Memorial Day with a limited-edition Forever stamp. Image courtesy of USPS

WASHINGTON, May 26 (UPI) -- Vietnam-era Medal of Honor recipients were honored on Memorial Day with a limited edition Forever stamp depicting the nation's most prestigious decoration.

The U.S. Postal Service set of stamps depicts 48 of the more than 50 living Vietnam War medal recipients and is modeled after similar stamp sets created for World War II and Korean War Medal of Honor recipients.

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"For me, I think that today's ceremony is an example of how our country has become more open and receptive, more willing to listen to what those of us who have gone through war have learned," Medal of Honor recipient Gary Beikirch, 68, told USA Today. on Monday.

A total of 258 Vietnam veterans earned the Medal of Honor, which is reserved for those who display "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty" while in action. Some two-thirds of Vietnam veterans received the medal posthumously.

The U.S. Postal Service said it has ordered a printing of 30 million of the stamps.

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