Holiday in a Combat Zone

Members of the armed services regularly make "care package" deliveries to in Afghanistan –and especially on Christmas Day, when they help soldiers on the ground enjoy the holiday.

United States Marine Staff Sgt. Michael Evans, a crew chief with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, checks Priority Mail "care packages" loaded onto a UH-1Y Huey at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, Dec. 25. The helicopter squadron flew thousands of pounds of holiday packages to infantry Marines at forward operating bases in that war-torn country on Christmas Day.

Michael Evans is the son of Troy Evans, a mechanic in the Concord, NH, Post Office.

 

Special Flag Ceremony

U.S. Army Guard Chief Warrant Officer Clifford Thibodeau is a recipient of the Army's Medal of Valor for his service as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot in Afghanistan. In October, Thibodeau carefully folded and stowed a U.S. flag which was flown during one of his Medivac missions and shipped it off for display at his local American Legion post in Winterport, ME.

When he received the flag in Maine, Argonne Post 138 Commander and retired postal employee Phil Higgins had a better idea. He approached Winterport OIC Fern Mansel with the idea of raising a battle-tested flag over her Post Office to honor area veterans during the week preceding Veterans Day. She readily agreed, but Higgins had saved the best news for last:  He told her that the flag was sent by Thibodeau -- Mansel's older brother.

On Monday, November 7, Thibodeau's parents and family along with Winterport citizens, Town Manager Philip Pitula and postal employees attended an emotional ceremony during which Mansel raised the flag over the Winterport Post Office. 

"It was an overwhelming experience," she said afterwards.

The flag remained flying over the Post Office until Friday, Veterans Day, when it was moved to the town's Memorial Library. There it held a position of honor during Veterans Day ceremonies and then through Thanksgiving.

"It will be used to remind us of the selfless sacrifices our servicemen and women make every day to protect our country," said Commander Higgins of the well-traveled stars and stripes sent by an American hero with local roots from his dangerous post, half a world away. 

 

250 Years and Counting

Toni Dattola on horseback presents the
Town Charter to Postmaster Ann Wentworth.

Newport, NH, celebrated its semi-quincentennial in October with a special pictorial cancellation. A visit from Governor John Lynch, barn dancing and a cake-eating contest contributed to an outsized milestone celebration with a small-town feel.

At the conclusion of a dance skit performed to the song “Mr. Postman," a rider on horseback delivered  the town charter to Postmaster Ann Wentworth. 

"I announced that 250 years ago, the mail would have arrived by horse or stage," said Wentworth, "so I delivered the town charter which was then read aloud by 'town cryer' Dan Cherry."

Helping Those Who Help ... Others, with Every Door Direct Mail



Bethany Harrington and Postmaster Jane Draper

The Cambridge, VT, Food Shelf and Clothing Bank is run by volunteers who donate their time to help those who are struggling in their community. Volunteer Bethany Harrington said the Bank wanted to send out a letter of introduction, solicit donations and inform residents of the towns it serves that it is available for those who need assistance.

She learned that a traditional direct mailing would cost a total of $380 for the first year before the cost of postage, plus an additional $190 every year thereafter to keep it. "Once we created the mailpiece, I would need to travel over an hour away to get it approved," said Harrington. "Then I would have to deliver it back to the post office where we bought the permit."

  

Enter Johnson, VT, Postmaster Jane Draper, who told Harrington about USPS' Every Door Direct Mail. 

"She was so helpful!," said Harrington. "Jane explained how Every Door Direct Mail would be perfect for our small organization. She showed me how to prepare my mailpiece and answered all my questions." Harrington created two different designs and brought them to Draper, who approved the appropriate size to mail. "Jane took the time to really explain everything to me, check to make sure it was correct and that I had the right paperwork for each post office. "With Jane's help, I had my mailing correctly prepared within just 15 minutes. It was very quick and easy." 

The mailing was to be delivered to residents in Cambridge, Jeffersonville, and Waterville/Belvidere at a cost of pennies per piece:

Cambridge - 788 residents at a cost of $111.90
Jeffersonville - 1,371 residents at a  cost of $194.68
Waterville/Belvidere - 480 residents at a cost of $68.16
The total postage was $374.74. 

"With the reply envelopes that we included, the total cost of this mailing was $400, and to date we have raised $2,800," she said. "This will help us feed a lot of people. What a return on investment! I highly recommend Every Door Direct Mail for any non-profit or small business." 

Round Pond Postmaster Receives 30-Year Award

Recently, Round Pond, ME Postmaster Steve Culpovich was presented with a Service Award Pin in recognition of 30 years of federal employment. 

Culpovich started his first postal job in July 1985 after serving four years in the U.S. Air Force. He worked as a clerk, a carrier, a janitor and a part-time supervisor. Ten years later, he landed a permanent position in Waterville before serving as OIC in Anson and Hinckley. 

He remembers that when he applied for postmaster positions and visited Round Pond for the first time, he drove into the ocean village, watched the harbor come into view and thought, "This could be nice." He was appointed postmaster in 1995. 

Culpovich says, "I like working with people, and enjoy my customers.They've treated me well." He credits his coworkers for making his job easier. Culpovich plans to finish his career in Round Pond and put in another six to eight years before retiring.

In the letter accompanying Culpovich's pin, District Manager Deborah Essler wrote, "The Postal Service owes a great deal to the loyalty and dedication of its employees. This award is a symbol of ... deep appreciation for a career of commendable service." (Photo by J.W. Oliver, The Lincoln News)

Run Pays Tribute to Fallen Heroes

 

Southern Maine P&DC employees Bob Olbrias,

Anne Tardif, Iggy Infintides and Terry Wright stand

for late co-worker Larry Roukey at the 2011

Maine Run for the Fallen (Photo by James Page)

More than 300 runners laced up their running shoes and took to the road on Sunday, August 21 to honor the memories of Maine's fallen soldiers in the annual Run for the Fallen. The Maine run is part of a national event which began in 2008 and is now held in 44 states during the same weekend in August.

The 65-kilometer or nearly 43-mile run began in Ogunquit with a 21-gun salute and finished at Monument Square in Portland. Every kilometer along the way was marked with a picture and biography of each of the 79 men and women with Maine ties who died in action since September 11, 2001. 

Several Southern Maine P&DC employees gathered at the mile marker dedicated to their late co-worker Larry Roukey, who in 2004 became the nation's first postal employee to be killed-in-action in the post-9-11 world.

“It was such a moving experience,” said MOS Clerk and local plant organizer Jim Page of the day's events. “I felt proud to be there with Larry's friends and family. An event like Run for the Fallen brings back the good memories of Larry for all of us," he said. “We do this to remember the sacrifice he made to protect our freedoms ... both his family's and the country's,” Page said.

Here I Am at Camp ...

Manchester, NH Supervisor, Customer Services Mary Murray (center) and kids at The Training Station's day camp hold books about stamps and the Post Office. From left to right are Shay, Reina, Valeen, Mary Murray, Cameron, CJ and Training Station Co-owner Christina Davidson.

Manchester, NH, Supervisor, Customer Services Mary Murray and Vehicle Maintenance Manager Tom Woods teamed up to provide a show-and-tell about the Post Office at The Training Station's week-long day camp. They demonstrated for young grade-schoolers how much fun it is to send and receive mail. 

Murray talked about the subjects used for stamp designs, and read them a book on writing and mailing letters. She also gave them a short history of Owney the Postal Dog. Woods provided the group with envelopes and some of the recently-released Owney the Postal Dog stamps.

The postal-themed visit was a hit with the kids, who wrote letters home telling their parents that it was the favorite thing they did at camp that week.   

New Sweden Hero



Rural Carrier Jeff Cummings



When New Sweden, ME, Rural Carrier Jeff Cummings noticed that one of his elderly customers hadn't picked up his mail for a couple of days, he stopped in to check on him. 



As he did, he heard a muffled sound, so he cracked open the unlocked front door and called to ask if anyone was home. This time, Cummings heard a moan, so he entered the house and found his customer on the bathroom floor, unable to stand on his own. The carrier helped him up and talked to him until he was able to get his bearings. Despite his weakened condition, the man refused to allow his carrier to call an ambulance.



The man has no family members, so Cummings persuaded him to provide a friend's phone number, then called the latter to explain what had happened. The customer seemed to be regaining strength and, as his friend promised to come right over and keep an eye on him, Cummings resumed his deliveries. He continued to call his customer throughout the day to make sure he was alright until the friend arrived.



The next day, the customer collapsed again and his friend had him transported to a local hospital where he was admitted for observation. Twice in two days, Jeff Cummings' actions may well have prevented a tragedy.

















Five Gardiner, ME, Drivers Achieve 2011 Safety Honors

Fourteen Northern New England District postal drivers have been selected for the National Safety Council's (NSC) 2011 Award of Honor: All Award of Honor recipients met the minimum criteria of 15 years or 100,000 miles without a preventable accident. Five of the honorees work at the Gardiner, ME, Post Office.

Seen left to right are Gardiner Rural Carrier Lorraine Boucher, Postmaster Audrey Johnson, Rural Carrier/Million Miler Ralph (Skip) Hunter, Letter Carrier Charles Webber and T-6 Letter Carrier John Fish . Not present is Rural Carrier Stephanie Hanley.

The 2011 Award of Honor was issued to the following seven Northern New England drivers:
Salem, NH - Joseph Russo
Salem, NH - Paula Ciras
Ferrisburgh, VT -Sally Torrey

East Calais, ME- Cassandra Molleur

Kingfield, ME - Charmayne Coffren 

Athens, ME - Richard Brown

Portland, ME - Dominic Paul Di Matteo  (past Million Mile winner)

Old Town, ME - Mark Russell

Old Town, ME - Durice Washburn

The top drivers in each Area are in the running for the 2011 USPS Joseph M. Kaplan Safe Driver of the Year Award to be announced in November.

Postmaster Parker Crosses the Pacific

Bradley, ME, Postmaster Chris Parker has been umpiring Little League baseball for 32 years. He has umpired four major tournaments in the United States, including the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA. He is currently the Umpire-in-Chief of the Senior League World Series that is held in Bangor every year.

In 2005, an umpire from Guam, in Bangor for the tourney, told Parker and his assistant that he would seek an opportunity to repay them for their hospitality. This year, he invited the pair to umpire the Asia/Pacific 11-12 year-old regional tournament in Guam, which determines which team goes to Williamsport. Held during the second week of July, 11 countries participated: Guam, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Saipan, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Australia, Singapore, Indonisia and New Zealand.

Above left, Parker recites the Little League pledge with young ballplayers during opening ceremonies in Guam. Above right, Parker umpiring the plate at the tournament, wearing a pink shirt intended to raise breast cancer awareness.

Community Involvement and Revenue Opportunities

Four Vermont post offices hosted pictorial postmark events during June.  Irasburg, Orleans, Coventry and Newport participated in the Northeast Kingdom Relay for Life, offering the Relay for Hope, Courage, Faith and Celebrate Station pictorial postmarks. 

Altogether, 87 sheets of Breast Cancer Research stamps were sold, resulting in $957 in new postal revenue. More than 90 cachet envelopes were also sold by the Relay for Life teams.  



Above, Irasburg, VT, postal employees Yvette Sheltra and Priscilla Stebenne. Below are Newport, VT, Clerk/Troy OIC Diane Forbes and Irasburg Postmaster Sonya Kittredge.

VT Rural Carrier Honored by State, Council of the Blind

This year, the Vermont Department of Libraries, Special Services Unit (VDLSS) and the Vermont Council of the Blind (VCOB) teamed up to create an award highlighting the importance of the Postal Service in the “talking book” program and other services for visually impaired or physically handicapped Vermonters.

The inaugural award winner is longtime Chelsea, VT, Rural Carrier Peter Vermette. The judges’ decision was unanimous.

VDLSS provides audio recordings known as “talking books” by mail to those with visual or physical impairments. The nominating customer’s wife calls them “a Godsend.”  Both organizations hope to present the new postal employee award annually.

Camden, ME, PO Saluted

Postmaster Scott Boardman (at left) and TE Letter Carrier Zachary Herrick (center) accept the Department of Defense’s “Above and Beyond” Award on behalf of the Camden Post Office for its “outstanding support of our men and women who serve in the Guard or Reserve.”

Presenting the award at the group’s annual meeting was US Navy Commander Dustin Smiley (far right). The Postal Service has demonstrated consistent commitment to the goals of ESGR and to postal employees who serve in the armed forces.

“As a former sailor, I am very blessed to support our Guard and Reserves,” said Boardman. “I’m very proud of my employee, TE Carrier Zachary Herrick, who serves in the US Naval Reserve as a Builder Third Class." Herrick nominated the Camden Post Office for recognition.

Shipping Value is Always in Season

After all the positive buzz generated by the Priority Mail Flat Rate Box "snowman" she created last winter (below, at left), Bar Mills, ME, Postmaster Peggy Brisco says, "Now that hot weather has arrived, I had to bring in a partner and give her a new outfit. I call her 'Petunia the Boxy Lady.' Let the summer begin!"         





Nashua's Bob Ratoff Earns Time Off After 47 Years

Nashua, NH, Letter Carrier Bob Ratoff retired recently after working for 47 years with the Postal Service.

In his retirement speech, he told co-workers to “Take pride in your job and in the Postal Service so at the end of the day you can go home with your head held high.”

Ratoff will be missed by his co-workers and by the customers he served on his route for the last 25 years. 

Ratoff is a military veteran of World War II and the Korean War. He served in the U.S. Army for 20 years prior to joining the old U.S. Post Office Department in 1963.