Front:
Official MailUSA
Official Mail USA
15
ARISTI
15
oorivate use $300
Penalty for privatee
JUN
1988
19
CREWAS
BreenEs
2ASS
Chis lable
Back:
THE FIREMAN'S EAGLE
First Day of Issue: June 11, 1988
First Issue Location: Corpus Christi, Texas
In colonial days, volunteer bucket brigades struggled
bravely to fight fires, quickly passing buckets of water
from one person to another in an attempt to quench the
flames. As volunteer and full-time fire departments
evolved, many of them adopted as their proud emblem
the American eagle, symbol of America herself. Carved in
wood, the eagle adorned the earliest human-drawn fire
carriages, with their slow and laborious hand-operated
pumps. Later, carved wooden eagles decorated the
steam-operated pumps of the mid-1800's, drawn by
horses and manned by career firemen. Even after the first
of the modern self-propelled gasoline-driven fire engines
appeared in the early 1900's, many fire departments con-
tinued to display the American eagle on their equipment.
And deservedly so. For through their heroic efforts to save
life and property, firemen have long since become a
beloved part of America, admired by schoolchildren and
adults alike — much like the American eagle itself.
No. 88-30
©1988 The Maximum Card Collection
A Division of Unicover Corporation . Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007
Original painting by Chris Calle
