About This Stamp
With the issuance of the Distinguished Marines stamps, the U.S. Postal Service honors a tradition of excellence in military service that began with the establishment of the first two battalions of Marines by the Continental Congress in 1775.
These stamps commemorate four legendary Marines who served with bravery and distinction during the 20th century: John Basilone, Daniel J. Daly, John A. Lejeune, and Lewis B. Puller.
The John Basilone stamp features a detail of a 1943 photograph of Basilone and the insignia of the 5th Marine Division. Basilone served and died with the 1st Battalion, 27th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division during the invasion of Iwo Jima in February 1945.
The Daniel J. Daly stamp features a detail from a circa 1919 photograph of Daly and the insignia of the 73rd Machine Gun Company, which is a variation on the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division insignia. During World War I, Daly served as a Marine with the 73rd Machine Gun Company in the 2nd Infantry Division.
The John A. Lejeune stamp features a detail from a circa 1924 photograph of Lejeune. The stamp also depicts the insignia of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, which Lejeune commanded during World War I.
The Lewis B. Puller stamp features a photograph of Puller at Koto-ri, Korea, in 1950, and the insignia of the 1st Marine Division. Puller was a battalion commander and regimental commander with the 1st Marine Division during World War II and the Korean War.
Art Director & Designer
Phil Jordan
Phil Jordan grew up in New Bern, North Carolina, and attended East Carolina University. After Army service in Alaska, he graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in visual communications. He worked in advertising and in design at a trade association before joining Beveridge and Associates, Inc., where he provided art direction for corporate, institutional, and government design projects. A partner in the firm, he left after 18 years to establish his own design firm where he managed projects for USAir, NASA, McGraw-Hill, IBM, and Smithsonian Books, among others. He was Design Director of Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine for 15 years. His work appeared in numerous exhibitions and publications such as Graphis and Communications Arts. A past president of the Art Directors Club of Metropolitan Washington, he was an art director for the U.S. Postal Service from 1991 to 2014. A resident of Falls Church, Virginia, he is a retired glider pilot and a member of the Skyline Soaring Club.