All over the country there are various ways that people and organizations are honoring the life of former President George H.W. Bush. The United States Postal Service (USPS) has decided to stop its regular mail deliveries on Wednesday to show respect of the 41st president of the United States.
The suspension of mail is set for Wednesday, Dec. 5, which President Trump proclaimed as a national day of mourning to remember the 41st president. Bush died on Friday at the age of 94.
The postal service said in a statement that “out of respect” for Bush, and to “honor his vast contributions to our country during his lifetime,” regular mail deliveries, retail services and administrative office activity will be suspended for the day.
“We will provide limited package delivery service on that day to ensure that our network remains fluid and we do not experience any impacts to our package delivery operations that might negatively affect our customers or business partners during the remainder of our busy holiday season,” officials said.
This will not be the first time that the USPS has halted operations in remembrance of and to honor of a president. The agency has closed or suspended operations at least seven times to mourn presidents, including John F. Kennedy in November 1963, Dwight D. Eisenhower in March 1969, Harry S. Truman in December 1972, Lyndon B. Johnson in January 1973, Richard Nixon in April 1994, Ronald Reagan in June 2004 and Gerald Ford in 2007.
Although the postal service is an agency of the federal government, it is an independent agency.
Do you support the practice of suspending service as a way to honor the passing of a former president? Or do you not support halting delivery and operation? Let us know what you think. We look forward to seeing your comments at the end of the article.