Stamp Campaign

PETITION FOR A U.S. STAMP OF THE BORINQUENEERS

Welcome to the cause!

We’re excited to have you, and hope you’ll get involved and spread awareness by inviting your friends to support the stamp campaign.

Sample representation of stamp.
This will not be the stamp.

Solo una muestra.
Este no será el sello.

The campaign to obtain a commemorative stamp for the borinqueneers is no longer active due to failed efforts.  Thank you for your support of this campaign.

According to the Postal Service guidelines, a suggested event, person(s), or theme must have a widespread national appeal and significance to be considered for commemoration as a U.S. stamp. As such, El Pozo Productions is organizing a nationwide petition campaign to request that The Borinqueneers of the 65th Infantry Regiment be considered for the issuance of a commemorative U.S. stamp honoring their unique military service as the only all-Hispanic unit in U.S. Army history. We think it is a fitting tribute for these brave soldiers.

THE BORINQUENEERS

The 65th Infantry Regiment was created in 1899 by the U.S. Congress as a segregated unit composed primarily of Puerto Ricans with mostly continental officers. The 65th’s regimental motto, “Honor and Fidelity,” exemplifies its valiant and meritorious service in three wars: World War I, World War II and the Korean War. The unit was nicknamed “The Borinqueneers” after “Borinquen”, the word given to Puerto Rico by its original inhabitants, the Taino Indians.

When they were finally called to the front lines in the Korean War, the men of the 65th performed impressively, earning praise from General MacArthur. They performed a critical role containing the Chinese advance and supporting the U.S. Marines in the aftermath of the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir. Sent to every corner of the peninsula, they showed outstanding resilience and a legendary fierceness as combatants, even as they faced discrimination within the Army. Over the next three years, the regiment participated in nine major campaigns and earned a Presidential Unit Citation, a Meritorious Unit Commendation and two Republic of Korea Unit Citations. Individual members earned ten Distinguished Service Crosses, 421 Silver Stars, and 156 Bronze Stars. The regiment killed six thousand Communist soldiers and captured two thousand. More than three thousand soldiers were wounded including six hundred killed.

Puerto Ricans occupy a special place in the history of the U.S. Army. Because of the island’s commonwealth status, although they are U.S. citizens, they don’t have the right to vote in U.S. elections, and yet they serve in the military and can be drafted. For many of the veterans of the 65th, this paradox became an incentive to be even more patriotic, to prove themselves in battle 200%. In 1956, “The Borinqueneers” became one of the last segregated units to be deactivated and became the only unit ever to be transferred from an active Army component to the Puerto Rico National Guard. The 1st Battalion, 65th Infantry Regiment (1-65th Infantry) was assigned to the 92nd Infantry Brigade and today continues its service against the Global War on Terrorism.

Although more than 20,000 Puerto Ricans have served courageously as Borinqueneers since World War I, their contribution and sacrifices have gone largely unnoticed. Honoring “The Borinqueneers” with a commemorative U.S. stamp would be a fitting tribute for these brave soldiers and serve to educate the American public about their existence and service.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

Sign the Online Petition!

We encourage everyone to become an online supporter even if you have already signed a paper petition form at:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/borinqueneers_stamp/

The online petition allows us to print the supporters’ names and you can write personal comments. Although we have more than 21,717 Facebook supporters (plus 505 Spanish Facebook page supporters), there are only 2,841 signatures in the Online Petition.  If you have not done so already, please sign it today!

Get signatures!

If you want to help, download the Petition Form and obtain as many signatures as you can. The Petition Form is a two-page form which can be printed in landscape, double-sided and allows up to 35 signatures. But you can copy the form if you want to have more signatures or if you want to share the form for others to get signatures. The form is in PDF format and you will need to have Acrobat Reader software installed on your computer. If you do not have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to read the PDF files, you can click here to download free Acrobat Reader software. If you are still having problems, contact us at contact@borinqueneers.com and we can send the form to you in Word format.

Mail the original, signed petitions to El Pozo Productions, PO Box 625, Crompond, NY 10517. The signed Petition Forms will be sent to the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee for their consideration. To date, we have received 9,700 signatures on printed petitions.

We submitted our first stamp proposal to the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee on April 9, 2010 with 7,510 signatures and 1,160 Online Petition Signatures. We receive a response letter from the Postal Service in 2010 informing us that a proposal for a Borinqueneers stamp had been rejected and not been advanced to the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee for review. We sent follow-up letters with additional handwritten signatures and updates about the number of online supporters. On April 28, 2014, we received a reply from the Postal Service that the proposal for a Borinqueneers Stamp would be submitted for review and consideration by the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee.   Now more than ever, we encourage everyone to contact the Stamp Committee and urge them to approve the issuance of a Borinqueneers Stamp!! Please continue obtaining signatures and applying pressure to the Stamp Committee!

Send a letter of support!

If you prefer, you can send your own individual letter or postcard of support to the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee at the address below. We have provided a sample letter which you can just print out, sign and mail.

Stamp proposals are to be submitted in writing to the following address:
Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee
c/o Stamp Development
U.S. Postal Service
1735 North Lynn St., Suite 5013
Arlington, VA 22209-6432

Spread the word!

Spread the word to family and friends to join in this effort. Post the information on your own websites, blogs, Facebook, Twitter or other places. Involve your local organizations, veterans’ groups, community groups, churches or workplace. Encourage students in schools and universities to start letter-writing or petition signing campaigns.

Contact your local politicians and lawmakers to support this campaign by passing resolutions and encouraging them to send their own letters of support to the Stamp Committee.

To find your local Representatives and Senators, call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Look in the front of your white pages of your phone book in the “U.S. Government” listings. Or use the internet: http://www.house.gov/writerep/ to contact your lawmakers in the House http://www.senate.gov/ to contact your Senators.

Get as much publicity and press as possible. Speak to your local newspapers, blogs and media outlets about this campaign and ask them to write or report about it. Then send us copies of the articles or let us know about the publicity so we can send this information to the Stamp Committee as well.

We want to make an impact on a national level!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How does the stamp selection process work?
The selection of subjects for U.S. postage stamps and stationery is a difficult task since only a limited number of new commemorative items can be issued annually. To help in this selection process, the Postmaster General established the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC) 50 years ago. Subjects should be submitted at least three years in advance of the proposed date of issue to allow sufficient time for consideration and for design and production if the subject is approved. All eligible subjects are reviewed by the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee regardless of how they are submitted, i.e., stamped cards, letters or petitions.

What is your goal for the number of signatures?
We do not require any specific number of signatures to suggest a stamp. Anyone can send ONE letter suggesting a stamp. But, of course, if the Committee were to receive the stamp suggestion accompanied by thousands of signatures supporting the cause, we think it would have more of an impact and be more favorable.

How many signatures do you have already?
As we receive the signatures, we will report the totals received.  Visit Signatures to Date to see the total so far.

Will the stamp look like the graphic below or can I submit design ideas for the stamp?

Some of you have asked if the stamp design on the Petition Form is the artwork that will actually be used for the proposed stamp of The Borinqueneers. It is not. The artwork we are using is just for demonstration purposes. According to the U.S. Post Office website:

 

 

Artwork for Stamp Designs
Once a subject is approved, the Postal Service relies heavily on art directors under contract to the Postal Service for the selection of artists who will execute the designs. Stamp designing is an unusual art form requiring exacting skill in portraying a subject within very small dimensions. Due to the demands of stamp design and reproduction requirements, it is our policy not to review nor accept unsolicited artwork. Professional artists who may wish to be considered for a design assignment should request a copy of the Creating U.S. Postage Stamps brochure from the U.S Postal Service, Stamp Development group.

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