Vietnam Medal of Honor Stamps

The Medal of Honor: Vietnam War stamp sheet will feature photos of 48 living medal recipients, the Postal Service announced May 20.
The names of individuals who received the medal for their service during the war will also be listed on the sheet, which will be modeled after the recent World War II and Korean War Medal of Honor stamp folios.
Almost a dozen medal recipients from the Vietnam War are slated to participate in the Memorial Day dedication of the stamps.
Postal Service employees who served in the military during the war are also invited to attend.
The ceremony, which is free and open to the public, will be held Monday, May 25, from 1-2 p.m. at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC.

The Envelope, Please...the Winner is...

Operations Programs Specialist Walter Dobson (center) won the Scientific category in the South Florida Federal Executive Board's "Federal Employee of the Year" awards program. Sharing the moment are Manager, Operations Programs Support Janice Atherly (left) and District Manager Jeffery Taylor (right). Photo: Jann Miller

On May 8, the federal community recognized Walter Dobson for his work as Accident Investigator/Tort Claims Coordinator for the South Florida District. Dobson, an Operations Programs Specialist, won the Scientific category in the South Florida Federal Executive Board’s “Federal Employee of the Year” Awards Program. 

 "Team Pompano” also represented the South Florida District at the awards program. Employees nominated in the Management category included Pompano Beach, FL, Postmaster Edwin Coppola; Tropical Reef Manager, Customer Services Frank Mariano; Coconut Creek, FL, Manager, Customer Services Louis Mongilia; Margate, FL, Manager, Customer Services Camille Moscola-Calvo; Coral Springs, FL, Manager, Customer Services Rick Veiga and Coconut Creek, FL, Supervisor, Customer Service Support Ismary Veiga (also nominated in the Administrative Support category). Pompano Beach, FL, Administrative Assistant Sharon Puhl was nominated in the Clerical/Administrative Support category.

Dobson was one of 12 federal employees to win first place in their respective categories. He likened an accident investigation to completing a jigsaw puzzle, and that putting together the pieces of an accident is his job. Dobson is credited with saving millions of dollars for the U.S. Postal Service, primarily the South Florida District where he single-handedly processed 741 total accident reports and 240 tort claims in FY14.

Dobson began in 34-year postal career as a mechanic at the Miami Vehicle Maintenance Facility. In his current position, Dobson initiates, reviews and/or analyzes reports of every accident claim submitted by managers at 187 postal installations from Fort Pierce to Key West. While Dobson investigates claims ranging from customers tripping over curbs in postal retail parking lots to carriers experiencing dog bites on their routes, the majority of his work involves motor vehicle accidents. Approximately half of the South Florida postal use one of 4,966 postal vehicles tractor trailers, 11-ton and 2-ton trucks, carrier vehicles, and administrative vehicles. 

Damage to, or loss of, property or personal injury or death to non-postal personnel caused by the negligent or wrongful act or omission by an employee can be costly to his employer. He maintains an excellent rapport with local law enforcement agencies, insurance claims adjusters, claimants and their legal representatives, and witnesses. 

L to R: "Team Pompano," including Margate Manager, Customer Services Camille Moscola-Calvo; Tropical Reef Manager, Customer Services Frank Mariano; Pompano Beach Postmaster Ed Coppola; Coral Springs Manager, Customer Services Rick Veiga; and Coconut Creek Supervisor, Customer Service Support Ismary Veiga. Coconut Creek Manager, Customer Services Louis Mongilia was not available for the photo. Please see individual photo below. Photo: Ismary Veiga

Coconut Creek Manager, Customer Services Louis Mongilia, also competed in the Management category. Photo: Ismary Veiga

Coconut Creek Supervisor, Customer Service Support Ismary Veiga (left) and Pompano Beach Administrative Assistant Sharon Puhl (right). Photo: Louis Mongilia

Miami Retail Quartet Gives 100%

Congratulations to Miami Retail Associates who conducted perfect Retail Customer Experience (RCE) transactions: Rebecca Fickler, Coconut Grove Branch; Briggett Glinton, Miami General Mail Facility (GMF) Postal Store; Gerald Gorecki, Father Felix Varela Branch; and Byeong Im, Miami Springs Finance Unit.

New Supervisors in Training

The New Supervisor Program consists of 16 weeks --- four weeks of classroom training and then on-the-job training at their work location. During Week 12, participants receive cross-functional training --- Customer Services at the Processing and Distribution Centers and Maintenance and Distribution Operations at delivery unit. Participating are Supervisors, Customer Services Jean Auguste, Flamingo Branch; Lavon Barnett, Palm Beach Gardens Branch; Mary Beharry, Fort Pierce Main Office; Helen Culley, Jog Road Station; Cheryl Granville, Wellington Carrier Annex; Stacey Hill, Palms Central Branch; Mary Kelley, Okeechobee Post Office; William Looney, Jupiter Post Office; Katiaya Odom, Jog Road Station; Peter Rapone, Boca Rio Branch; Michael Razzano, Delray West Branch; Debbie Sciubba, Atlantic Branch; Angela Serio, Tropical Reef Station; Marjorie Tomassini, Deerfield Main Office; Supervisor, Maintenance Operations Cindy Fasano, West Palm Beach Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC), and Supervisor, Distribution Operations Daniel Nerys, Royal Palm P&DC, also are participants.

What's in Your Mailbox Today?

The Postal Service is making strategic investments in technology, Postmaster General Megan Brennan told mailing industry leaders May 18.
“We’re especially committed to investing in innovation to spur growth and profitability,” Brennan said at the National Postal Forum, the industry’s largest annual conference.
One example: USPS is developing a daily digital notification service that will allow customers to see what’s arriving in their physical mailbox, the PMG said.
The project, known as real mail notification, is being tested in Northern Virginia and will expand to New York City this year. Initial results are encouraging: Ninety percent of participants use the service daily to check what’s arriving in their mail.
“We’re building this platform to bring physical content onto the same screen as the user’s digital content. The potential is enormous for this industry,” Brennan said.
The PMG also discussed other opportunities for the industry to leverage the rapid adoption of digital and mobile technology by consumers.
“Our industry has a big role to play in that digital future,” she said.
A transcript of the PMG’s speech is available online. A video will be posted when it’s available on the Newsroom site.

Forget-Me-Not Stamps Deliver Missing Children Message

The Postal Service has issued a stamp to raise awareness of the nation’s missing children.
“We are deeply committed to this noble and urgent cause,” said Postmaster General Megan Brennan, who dedicated the stamp at the National Postal Forum in Anaheim, CA.
Almost half a million children were reported missing last year.
The stamp is the latest example of the Postal Service’s “longstanding commitment” to the cause, the PMG said. Since 1985, at least 158 missing children have been recovered through a program that puts their photographs on “Have You Seen Me?” mailings.
Representatives from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Valassis Communications Inc., the Postal Service’s partners in the mailings, participated in the stamp dedication.
The ceremony also featured a video message from longtime victims’ rights advocate John Walsh, who praised the stamp as “another example of how the United States Postal Service and Valassis bring hope to families that their children will return home.”
The stamp shows a small bunch of purple forget-me-nots and the words “Help Find Missing Children.” The stamp sheet includes information on how to join the search.

ISC Safety Record is No Rubbish

Miami ISC Distribution Clerk Luis Alfonso proudly displays his safety board.

Story & Photo: Lucille Roberson

To reduce the number of accidents at the Miami International Service Center, Manager, Distribution Operations Ben Jones issued a challenge for employees to come up with an idea that promotes the importance of safety in the workplace. Over the past two years, Distribution Clerk Luis Alfonso has been picking up items that could cause slips, trips and falls from the floor and displaying these safety hazards on a poster board. “Luis went above and beyond what was expected and earned a gift certificate for his efforts,” said Jones.