Mauldin Stamp of Approval

Legendary war cartoonist Bill Mauldin is being honored with a stamp from the United State Postal Service. The stamp gets released sometime this month. Mauldin’s cartoons, often featuring his characters Willie and Joe, were honest and supportive of the enlisted soldiers defending the country during World War II while making fun of the brass, which endeared him to millions of “regular guys”. They told real stories of the front lines and the difficulties our soldiers endured using humor, which comforted both the G.I.’s and the people back home who loved them.

I only met Mauldin once, at my first National Cartoonists Society Reubens in 1999 in San Antonio. By then he was ravaged by Alzheimer’s disease and in declining health, and he was difficult to talk to. It was obvious how much he was revered and loved by the cartoonists there, which was very moving when witnessed firsthand. I think it would have been something to have met him before his health problems robbed him of much of his identity. He passed away in 2003.

Congratulations to Bill Mauldin for the well deserved honor, and I am looking forward to getting one of these stamps.