One of the most popular features of the Postal Record is its "Proud to Serve" section, which profiles letter carriers who, while delivering the mail, intervene in often dangerous situations to save the lives of their postal patrons.

The very nature of their jobs puts letter carriers on every street of every city and town in America. As a result, they are often the first to detect a fire or the first to arrive at the scene of an accident or crime. Ignoring dangers to themselves, letter carriers perform heroic acts to rescue those at risk.

Letter carriers routinely come to the rescue in crises that are far less dramatic than fires and crashes. Delivering mail to the same residences day after day, carriers are familiar with customers' habits and often notice changes in routine that mean a patron is in distress.

Sometimes they hear cries for help from residents who have fallen or otherwise become disabled, who know that the only person coming to their door that day is their trusted letter carrier. (Letter carriers also look out for elderly and disabled patrons through a program called Carrier Alert.)

From the "Proud to Serve" pages of the Postal Record, every year the union selects one national and three regional Heroes of the Year, who are honored in a ceremony in Washington, DC along with a Humanitarian of the Year. The "Proud To Serve" stories of their brave and quick-thinking actions are available by clicking on the photos at right.

HOW TO SUBMIT PROUD TO SERVE ARTICLES: NALC members and branches are urged to send information about exceptional acts of bravery or humanitarian service to the Postal Record, NALC, 100 Indiana Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001-2144 or via e-mail to postalrecord@nalc.org.