The Columbiana Post Office recently unveiled a new postage stamp, the Purple Heart definitive stamp.

The stamp was issued by the U.S. Postal Service on May 30 to honor the sacrifices of the men and women who serve in the U.S. military.

The unveiling and issuance of the stamp commemorates the the oldest military decoration in the world still in present use.

The new stamp is part of the Postal Service’s 2003 stamp program, celebrating the people, events and history of our nation.

Several local Purple Heart recipients were on hand for the Columbiana unveiling. They were: Wayne Pate, Harold Gamble, Raymond Thornburg, Daniel Evans and James McMillan, all of Columbiana, and Marvin D. Muse of Wilsonville.

Also attending the event was Tom Seale, Mayor of Columbiana; Bonnie Atchison, South Shelby Chamber of Commerce; Alma Hawkins, Columbiana Post Office; and Edwin Brasher, Boy Scout Troop 560