Garland Denny, a U.S. military veteran that campaigned for special postage stamps to be issued to fundraise for veterans’ services, died last year before he could witness his proposal succeed.
A Navy veteran from Monroe, N.C., Denny served in the Korean War and came to view the postage stamp as a means to fundraise for treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). By selling a specially issued stamp for more than the cost of U.S. first-class postage, the difference – suggested to be worth “millions of dollars,” according to Veterans Petition, the organization Denny began in 2007 – could be donated to charity, such as the American Legion, which funds services and benefits for veterans.
Finally, after Denny’s “tenacious” support, the proposal has been accepted by the U.S. Postal Service, which recently announced revised rules allowing new “semi-postal stamps” that can be used to fundraise for charitable causes.
U.S. Representative Robert Pittenger, who represented Denny in Congress, as well as 55 other members of the House of Representatives are in support of the proposal.
“Mr. Denny was tenacious in his mission to support veterans,” said Pittenger. “If he were still with us, I’m confident he’d already be on the phone building support for this new opportunity, and the postal service would be flooded with calls and letters urging creation of the Stamp Out PTSD semi-postal stamp.”
For more information, visit veteranspetition.com.