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FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq , July 18, 2008 – When Patton’s tanks rolled across North African desert sands, letters of encouragement, love and support from family back home connected 1st Armored Division soldiers to loved ones left behind. Army Pfc. Courtney Flaherty, a unit mail clerk and Pacific, Miss., native, sifts through letters for Spc. Daniel Conley, of Columbiaville, Mich., in the mail room of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, on Forward Operating Base Hammer, Iraq, on July 12, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Michael Schuch, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st...

Can Canada’s mail carriers be trusted to deliver the mail to Israel’s embassy in Ottawa, its consulate in Toronto, or any other location affiliated with the Jewish state? It’s a valid question: At its national convention earlier this month, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers passed a resolution that included the following provision: “CUPW will … support the international campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions until Israel recognizes the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.” I’m no labour expert. But doesn’t this mean that a mailman who, say, slips the new Eddie Bauer catalog through the mail slot at 180 Bloor...

HIT, Iraq, April 7, 2008 – Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kevin M. Natt knows a large chunk of his battalion’s morale rests on his shoulders, and he says he doesn’t mind at all. Natt, 22, a mail clerk from Mangham, La., is responsible for ensuring that Marines and sailors with 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, receive their mail as soon as possible. “I’m responsible for getting mail from postal in al Asad, Iraq, to our battalion and detachments,” Natt said. “I also keep the mail secure. I make sure nothing is lost or stolen.” It’s work...

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Stamps to Cost a Penny More February 11, 2008 By Randolph E. Schmid, Associated Press Writer Mailing a Letter Will Cost a Penny More Starting in May WASHINGTON (AP) -- Mailing a letter will soon cost a penny more. The cost of a first-class stamp will rise to 42 cents starting May 12, the U.S. Postal Service said Monday. The price of the Forever stamp will go up at the same time, meaning those stamps can still be purchased for 41 cents but will remain good for first-class postage after the rate increase takes effect. The post office has sold...

Will the check be in the mail?Last Edited: Saturday, 19 Jan 2008, 1:47 PM EST TAMPA - Cash can be like a jolt of caffeine to a national economy. In 2001, the federal government sent every income taxpayer a $300 rebate check. It ran up our debt, but also helped end our last recession. Now President Bush and Congressional leaders want to try it again. This time they may send every income taxpayer a larger check. Economists say that could stimulate our economy again if recipients spend much of their rebates on products. "Letting American people keep more of their...

House members spent $20.3 million on mailings to constituentsFriday, December 28, 2007 By DENNIS CONRAD ~ The Associated Press Pieces of mass mailings from Congressmen were seen Dec. 19 on Capitol Hill in Washington. Gerald Herbert Associated Press WASHINGTON -- U.S. House members spent $20.3 million in tax money last year to send constituents what's often the government equivalent of junk mail -- meeting announcements, tips on car care and job interviews, surveys on public policy and just plain bragging. They sent nearly 116 million pieces of mail in all, many of them glossy productions filled with flattering photos and...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FENTY, Afghanistan, Dec. 25, 2007 – Soldiers from 458th Adjutant General Postal Company stationed here run the central mail hub for the entire Task Force Bayonet area of operations and are responsible for handling, sorting, and processing all incoming and outgoing letters and packages through Jalalabad, Afghanistan, for thousands of soldiers. A forklift aligns to move a bulk pallet of outgoing mail to the air strip Dec. 20, 2007, to load onto the next C-130 Hercules at Forward Operating Base Fenty in Afghanistan. Mail at FOB Fenty has tripled since the beginning of November, averaging 9,000 pounds...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq, Dec. 21, 2007 – While most soldiers are tucked in their beds for the night, a mail handler with 461st Human Resource Battalion, out of Decatur, Ga., is waiting for the mail to arrive. Army Pfc. Cassie Durkin, from Whitewater, Wis., a human resource specialist for 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, sorts packages at Forward Operating Base Hammer, Iraq, Dec. 14, 2007. Photo by Spc. Ben Hutto, USA  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “We started getting a spike in mail at the end of October,” explained Army Spc. Tony Rogers,...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2007 – Staten Island residents are getting a little help sending mail to servicemembers these days thanks to a local troop-support group. Staten Island Project Homefront Inc. in the New York City borough has set up a “Postage Due” account for those sending mail to troops from the community’s main post office, its executive director said. “Our main effort is to send items to our military,” John T. Semich said. “We also help families by supplying postage (for Staten Island residents to send packages) to the combat zones.” The project’s volunteers focus on packing up special-request...

Mailman arrested for stealing cards BY JOHN MARZULLI DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Saturday, December 8th 2007, 4:00 AM Every thief has a hallmark, and a Brooklyn letter carrier is the Greeting Card Bandit. The feds arrested Michael Olivio this week after an elaborate sting operation to identify the Grinch-like mailman in Bath Beach who intercepted hundreds of greeting cards for the cash inside, the Daily News has learned. After receiving complaints from residents in the 11214 area code, the bait was set. Special Agent Stephen Dolloff mailed "test greeting card letters" to the postal customers who had complained. One customer...

Peeved Patron Plugs Postal Worker Resident Shoots Chicago Postal Worker for Allegedly Delivering the Mail Too Late The Associated Press CHICAGO A postal worker in Chicago was shot in the leg late Tuesday after a resident along his postal route allegedly became angry that he was delivering the mail too late. Police said Denny Robinson, 31, was delivering mail around 6:30 p.m. in Chicago's West Pullman neighborhood when he was shot in the thigh. Robinson was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment for the non-life-threatening injury. Authorities said witnesses reported hearing a person yelling the postal worker was delivering...

10/16/2007 - DALLAS (AFPN) -- While the holidays may still seem far away, Americans hoping to show their support to deployed troops must be aware of some rapidly approaching deadlines. According to the Military Postal Service Agency, or MPSA, mail going parcel post must be sent by Nov. 14, while first class mail must be sent by Dec. 10 to arrive by Dec. 25. In addition to deadlines, several other factors must be considered when sending mail downrange. For example, each country has customs regulations that apply to all incoming mail, pertaining to everything from food items to reading materials....

9/13/2007 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Airmen will have a unique opportunity to commemorate the Air Force's 60th anniversary Sept. 18 through Oct. 18. The Air Force and U.S. Postal Service have joined forces to offer a commemorative postmark that will be available for cancellation from Sept. 18 to Oct. 18 at 40 base post offices worldwide. The pictorial cancellation features the B-24 Liberator bomber, which was flown in every combat theater during World War II. "This postmark has special meaning because bombers were the swords of Air Force history," said Andrew Stephens, a historian for the 11th Wing at Bolling...

By the time the letter marked "Return to Sender" was opened by an employee at the Montgomery County jail, prosecutors had assembled a strong case against Quinton J. Thomas: They had the cooperation of a woman who said she helped Thomas plan a robbery, and they had cellphone records that appeared to place Thomas near the Germantown parking lot where the victim of that planned robbery was fatally shot. Things looked so bad for Thomas, in fact, that his attorney had been urging him to consider pleading guilty to first-degree murder. Irritated, Thomas wrote a friend to complain about the...

Police: Mailman In Uniform Arrested In Drug Sting Postal Worker Intended To Sell Cocaine, Authorities Say POSTED: 3:26 pm EDT July 24, 2007 UPDATED: 7:04 am EDT July 25, 2007 INDIANAPOLIS -- A postal carrier wearing his work uniform was arrested this week after he tried to buy crack cocaine from undercover officers with the intention of dealing it, police said. James A. Hunter, 46, was arrested Monday at 2708 E. Thompson Road on suspicion of smoking a small sample of cocaine he allegedly accepted from the officers and asking for a price on 2 ounces of the drug, police...

Dogs Bite Mail Carriers Most In California (May 17, 2007)--It looks like mail carriers have a better chance of being bitten in California than any place else in America. As Dog Bite Awareness Week kicks off Thursday, the Post Office is releasing information on where the biggest problems are for carriers, and noting safety tips for dog owners. The New York metropolitan area had no record of a mail carrier bitten last year. Santa Ana, Calif. had the most: 96. In fact, of the top-five most likely places where mail carriers are bitten, three are in California. One carrier in...

OTTAWA (AFP) - Neither rain, sleet nor snow can stop Canada Post's trusted carriers from delivering the mail, but a cuddly house cat believed to be the devil in disguise seems to have done just that. According to reports, a Winnipeg couple was refused mail delivery this week and was asked to walk four kilometers each day to pick up their letters at a local post office in the western Canadian city because their cat terrifies the mailwoman. Canada Post spokeswoman Kathi Neal told AFP the eight-year-old black cat often sleeps underneath the front steps of the small bungalow and...

In-town Chicago mail system worst in U.S. CHICAGO, March 11 (UPI) -- A report that Chicago's in-town overnight mail delivery is the nation's worst appears indicative of the city's overall problem with postal satisfaction. The Chicago Sun-Times said that in addition to Chicago's struggles with in-town mail delivery, the Illinois metropolis has been failing in nearly every postal area related to customer satisfaction. While 92 percent remains the average quality rating of U.S postal delivery, only 77 percent of Chicago residents rated their mail services "excellent, very good or good." In response to instances of mail fraud and delivery problems,...

Question: Why is the U.S. Postal Service removing all clocks from its lobbies? Answer from the U.S. Postal Service: "It's part of our retail standardization program to make all the post offices look alike so you get the same service and the same supplies are available everywhere you go." Answer from a woman in line at the Academy Post Office on San Antonio NE: "That would be so I don't know how long I've been standing here." Yes, the clocks are gone, or they will be as post offices all over the country continue a decade-long switch to red, white...