Grit, Guts and Glory

The Distinguished Sailors stamps commemorate four sailors who served with bravery and distinction during the 20th century: William S. Sims, Arleigh A. Burke, John McCloy and Doris Miller. Read more about these heroic individuals.

This February, Distinguished Sailors joins the ranks of two previous issuances celebrating military valor. This unofficial stamp series honors soldiers, marines and now sailors whose brave actions saved lives and contributed to American victories in wartime.

It all started with Audie and Alvin.

When fans gather more than 100,000 signatures in their campaign for a stamp subject, it doesn’t go unnoticed. Audie Murphy, the most decorated U.S. combat soldier of World War II, had a rather loud cheering section when it came to getting a stamp. So did Alvin York, a hero from World War I.

Both soldiers had been on a list of proposed subjects for some time, so plans were made to issue a pane containing the two stamps in 2000, and Art Director Phil Jordan began planning the design. Then actor Karl Malden — a member of the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee — suggested adding General Omar Bradley, whom he’d portrayed in the film Patton. Two stamps had quickly become three, and from there, adding another for a block of four was a logical choice.

Issued in 2000, the Distinguished Soldiers stamps were the first in the series honoring our nation's heroes. Read more about the stamp subjects: Audie Murphy, John Hines, Alvin York and Omar Bradley.

In planning for the final stamp, CSAC wanted a balance of officers and enlisted men. Bradley, an officer, and Murphy, an enlisted man, were both World War II veterans. Several World War I heroes were considered to pair with York, including General John Pershing. But Pershing had already been honored on a stamp in 1961. John Hines was the favored choice and the block of four Distinguished Soldiers was set.

Although no one realized it at the time, the block-of-four format and the selection criteria used for Distinguished Soldiers would shape subsequent issuances — and create an unofficial series of military heroes. “Our primary criteria,” Jordan explains, “has always been spirit, character, courage and universal respect among their peers.

“From the start of this project, we determined to portray these men in the field rather than in formal, medal-bedecked studio-posed portraits. We chose to illustrate them with the best field photos available regardless of their rank when the photo was taken.”

The 2005 Distinguished Marines stamps were a welcome continuation of the series. Read more about the marines: John Basilone, Lewis B. Puller, Daniel Daly and John Lejeune.

Not everyone was happy with this decision. There were some who felt that the stamp portraits should reflect each subject’s ultimate rank and awards. But Jordan disagreed. After all, the medals worn by each hero represent individual acts of courage, leadership and guts from various points in their careers, he explained. Those are the acts being lauded.

In early designs of Distinguished Soldiers and Distinguished Marines, Jordan experimented with placing the ribbons associated with various medals alongside each field photo. In the end, he chose to incorporate a patch representing the military unit most identified with the servicemen's accomplishments. Using these universally recognized patches also honors those who served in the same units as the soldiers and marines featured on the stamps.

The Navy, however, didn’t have consistent unit identifiers in World War I and World War II. Each of the Distinguished Sailors did have a naval destroyer named in his honor, so Jordan used the current symbols for those vessels in the stamp designs.

Though the 12 men honored on these military stamps are now dead, their legacies of selflessness, bravery and courage-under-fire live on — not only in stamps, but also in the military traditions that continue today.

Read the biographies of the courageous men featured in Distinguished Soldiers, Distinguished Marines and Distinguished Sailors.