Air Force

“The Singing Cowboy,” Orvon Grover “Gene” Autry was born on September 29, 1907, in Tioga, Texas. 

On September 22, 1981, the USPS inaugurated its Sports Series (sometimes called the American Sports Personalities Series), honoring some of America’s most notable athletes. 

Pilot and Flying Tigers founder Claire Lee Chennault was born on September 6, 1890, in Commerce, Texas.

Future President John Calvin Coolidge Jr. was born on Independence Day, July 4, 1872.  He spent his early years in the New England town of Plymouth Notch, Vermont.

On June 15, 1942, the Post Office Department inaugurated its V-Mail service.  During World War II, letters bound for service personnel were photographed and transferred to microfilm.  This special process enabled letters to take up a fraction of their usual space on planes going to war zones, allowing more room for crucial supplies. 

On May 20, 1950, the US first celebrated Armed Forces Day.  Armed Forces Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in May, near the end of Armed Forces Week.

On May 3, 2000, the USPS issued the first stamps in the Distinguished Servicemen Series.

On April 9, 1942, the largest number of US forces was captured at the end of the Battle of Bataan, leading to the Bataan Death March.  Today, this date is commemorated as National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day.

On March 22, 1941, James Stewart was inducted into the US Army, making him the first major US movie star to don a military uniform during World War II.