# 2765h FDC - 1992 29c World War II: "Willie & Joe" Keep Spirits High

U.S. #2765h

1993 29¢ "Willie & Joe" Keep Spirits High, 1943

1943: Turning the Tide

World War II 50th Anniversary Series

·      Stamp from the third in a series of five sheetlets commemorating the 50th anniversary of World War II

Stamp Category:  Commemorative

Set:  WWII 50th Anniversary

Value:  29¢

First Day of Issue:  May 31, 1993

First Day City(s):  Washington, DC

Quantity Issued (if known):  12,000,000

Printed by:  Bureau of Engraving and Printing

Printing Method:  Offset printing in plates of 80; intaglio printing in sleeves of 160

Format:  Sheetlet of 10 stamps arranged in two strips of five surrounding world map

Perforations:  11.1

Why this stamp was issued:  By the mid-1980s, Americans were already writing in to the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC) suggesting stamps honoring the upcoming anniversary of World War II.  The challenge would be creating enough stamps to appropriately honor the war, while not adding an extra 100 stamps to each year’s schedule.

To aid in this process, CSAC created a three-member World War II subcommittee to figure out how to select subjects for the stamps.  The committee then worked with Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine historians to develop a list of appropriate topics.  By April 1986 they had a list they believed would “properly recognize and honor all facets of national endeavor that contributed to victory.”  They also selected the themes for each year and recommended that the center of each sheet feature a world map surrounded by 10 stamps honoring significant events.

At various times, the group considered issuing a variety of stamps such as singles, se-tenant blocks of four, and souvenir sheets.  They also considered beginning the series in 1989, which would have marked the 50th anniversary of the start of the war in Europe.  In the end, they decided to produce five 10-stamp sheets commemorating the years the US was in the war – 1941 to 1945.

About the stamp design:  British-born artist and World War II veteran William H. Bond of Virginia was selected to create the art for the stamp.  He’d never designed stamps before, and the set of 50 was quite a challenge.  The stamps had to be immediately recognizable for each event, and their designs and color schemes had to vary enough that they didn’t look similar, but also appear balanced across the sheet.  It was also extremely important that the illustrations be accurate as millions of people who had participated in the war would be looking at them with a very critical eye.  Bond took inspiration from war-time photos, with some stamps being nearly identical and others a combination of multiple photos.

The “Willie and Joe” keep spirits high stamp shows an illustration of Bill Mauldin’s beloved comic characters Willie and Joe in front of a simplified skyline of a city engulfed in war.  The yellow and orange tones in the sky are meant to represent the flames of war.  Bond created the illustrations of Willie and Joe and the USPS sent them to their creator, Bill Mauldin, for approval.  Mauldin was initially unhappy with the illustrations and worked with Bond to adjust them so they were more accurate representations of his characters.

About the printing process:  This stamp was printed on the six-color offset, three-color intaglio webfed D press.

First Day City:  The sheetlet this stamp came from was issued on Memorial Day in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House.  This was President Bill Clinton’s first stamp dedication and during the ceremony he signed a proclamation making the following week one of national observance of the 50th anniversary of World War II. 

About the World War II 50th Anniversary Series:  Issued between 1991 and 1995, this series commemorates battles and events at home and abroad from the years America was involved in the war.  Each sheetlet features 10 stamps surrounding a detailed map.  The world maps are masterpieces of thumbnail summaries. They call attention to the major military and political developments of the year and include events not featured on the individual stamps. Color coded for easy identification of friend and foe, they’re “a year in summary” at a glance.

History the stamp represents: 

Following his 1940 enlistment in the Army, Bill Mauldin was shipped with his division to Sicily in 1943. There he joined the Mediterranean division of the Stars and Stripes. Although he covered fighting in Salerno, Sicily, and other locations throughout Italy, France, and Germany, he is best remembered for his cartoon characters, Willie and Joe. Two American G.I.’s., they accurately portrayed the plight of the World War II combat soldier. Keeping their spirits high, this disheveled pair helped many soldiers caught up in the horrors of war keep their sense of humor. Even after the war was over, Willie and Joe continued to give enlisted men a laugh as they accurately pictured the soldier’s difficult transition back to civilian life. In 1945 Mauldin received a Pulitzer Prize for his work.

The Stars and Stripes - the paper in which Willie and Joe first appeared - had its beginnings during World War I. A small publication, it went out of business following the war and was purchased by the National Tribune - a newspaper started in 1877 by Civil War veterans. Keeping the “Stars and Stripes” name, the paper continued publication throughout WW II.   Today the paper continues to serve both active-duty and veteran soldiers in the U.S. military.