On Aug. 24, a new definitive stamp bearing the portrait of General Joseph W. Stilwell issued and revealed a new definitive series: Distinguished Americans series, and the long-running Great Americans series comes to an end. Compared to the single color Great American Series, the new series is printed using a bicolor, offset, intaglio print combination.

The 10c new definitive honored General Joseph W. Stilwell, one of the nation's top military commanders of World War II.

Born in 1883, Stilwell served with distinction in the U.S. Army for 42 years. Nicknamed "Vinegar Joe," in part for his blunt candor, he was known for his willingness to share the hardships of the common soldier.

A 1904 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Stilwell served in World War I as an intelligence officer for the Fourth Army Corps and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his outstanding achievements. He served three tours of duty in China between the two World Wars and became fluent in the Chinese language. Stilwell was the military attach at the U.S. Embassy in Peking from 1935 to 1939.

Named chief of staff to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek in 1942, Stilwell was the senior American military commander in the China-Burma-India theater during World War II. After arriving in China in March 1942, he left immediately for the Burma front to lead the Chinese forces there. When Japan forced the Allied withdrawal from Burma in May 1942, Stilwell led a group of some 100 soldiers and civilians on a daring 140-mile march through the Burmese jungle and safely into India.

In late 1943, Stilwell led two divisions of Chinese troops he had trained in India, and a U.S. long-range penetration group known as "Merrill's Marauders," back into northern Burma to retake it from Japan and to reopen the Burma Road.

Stilwell received his fourth star on Aug. 1, 1944, the same month Allied troops reclaimed northern Burma. The Burma Road was officially reopened in January 1945.

Political considerations led to his recall from command in the China-Burma-India theater in October 1944. After a brief stint as commander of the Tenth Army in Okinawa, he returned to the United States. In 1945 Stilwell was awarded the Legion of Merit and the Oak Leaf cluster of the Distinguished Service Medal. In 1946 he was appointed commander of the Sixth Army in charge of Western Defense Command. He died later that year in San Francisco, Calif.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

     Issue:            General Joseph W. Stilwell
     Denomination & Type of Issue:         10-cent Definitive
     Format:         Pane of 20 (1 design)
     Series:          Distinguished Americans
     Issue Date & City:     August 24, 2000, Providence, RI 02904
     Designer:     Richard Sheaff, Scottsdale, AZ
     Engraver:     Banknote Corporation of America, Inc. (BCA)
     Illustrator:     Mark Summers, Waterdown, Ontario
     Art Director:     Richard Sheaff, Scottsdale, AZ
     Typographer:     Richard Sheaff, Scottsdale, AZ
     Modeler:         Banknote Corporation of America, Inc. (BCA)
     Manufacturing Process:     Offset, Intaglio combined
     Printer:         Banknote Corporation of America, Inc. (BCA)
     Printed at:     Browns Summit, NC
     Press Type:     Goebel, 670 - Epikos, 5009
     Stamps per Coil/Pane:     20
     Print Quantity:     100 million stamps
     Paper Type:     Pre-phosphored,Type I
     Gum Type:     Water-activated
     Processed at:     BCA, Browns Summit, NC
     Colors:     Offset: Red (PMS 1797), Process Black;     Intaglio: Black
     Stamp Orientation:     Vertical
     Image Area (w x h):     17.53 x 20.32 mm
     Overall Size (w x h):     21.33 x 25.14 mm
     Full Pane Size (w x h):     128.01 x 125.73 mm
     Plate Size:             240 stamps per revolution
     Plate Numbers:     "B" followed by three (3) single digits
     Marginal Markings: © USPS 1999 - Plate Position Diagram - Price - Barcode