2019-07-15 Mon

On 1st August, the USPS is going to release a set of four forever stamps dedicated to the military working dogs. The launch ceremony would be organised on the 1st day of APS Stampshow at the CHI Health Convention Centre, Omaha. They will be issued as a double-sided pane of 20. 150 million stamps have been printed and processed by Banknote Corporation of America. The four stamps depict illustrations of four dog breeds each - German shepherd, Labrador retriever, Belgian Malinois and Dutch shepherd. A detail of a white star is shown in the background and illustrations are in colours of the American flag.

DKNG Studios created the illustrations while USPS art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps. Other texts on the stamps include “USA” and “FOREVER”. The text “MILITARY WORKING DOGS” is printed on the booklet cover. A black postmark showing Belgian Malinois and a coloured postmark depicting a German shepherd will be used on FDCs.

Several breeds have served the US armed forces and the numbers are declining. Today, Belgian Malinois, German Shepherds and Dutch Shepherds are mainly used as military working dogs while Labrador Retrievers are trained as search dogs.

Military working dogs have helped U.S. soldiers in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Today, the 341st Training Squadron at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, trains the dogs and their handlers for patrol, drug and explosive detection, and for missions of the Department of Defense and other government agencies. They also offer logistical support, veterinary care, and conduct research and development for security. After the dogs retire, they are mostly adopted by their handlers. Some work with civilian law enforcement agencies and some are adopted by citizens.

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Image Courtesy: The USPS