WASHINGTON, DC – On Monday Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs L. Tammy Duckworth spoke at a U.S. Postal Service ceremony announcing the reissue of the Purple Heart stamp.

Hundreds of people attended the morning event at the Washington Convention Center.

"This stamp is a tribute to our nation's wounded veterans and a reminder of our society's commitment to care for them when the war is over," Assistant Secretary L. Tammy Duckworth said. "Many people who are severely wounded have their initial fears of a life destroyed replaced by the understanding that they can do just about anything."

This is the fifth issue of the Purple Heart definitive postage stamp.

The Purple Heart stamp was first issued on May 20, 2003, at Mount Vernon, Va. The Purple Heart is awarded in the name of the president of the United States to members of the U.S. military who have been wounded in combat or to the next of kin of those killed in action.

Assistant Secretary L. Tammy Duckworth is a recipient of the Purple Heart for wounds she sustained while serving in Iraq with the United States Army.

In 2004, her aircraft was ambushed and a rocket-propelled grenade struck the Black Hawk helicopter she was co-piloting during a mission north of Baghdad.