IF CELEBRITY FACES WIN STAMPS OF APPROVAL, LET'S GIVE WAR HEROES THEIR (POSTAGE) DUE.

Byline: Dennis McCarthy 

Warren Geeting's letter to the editor in Monday's edition, questioning why war heroes don't rate a commemorative stamp like rock 'n' roll singers or movie stars, is right on the money.

It seems ridiculous and a little embarrassing that the U.S. Postal Service chooses to pay homage to birds, flowers, mammals, Elvis and Marilyn Monroe, but has overlooked war heroes like Audie Murphy, the Congressional Medal of Honor winner.

Pam Murphy, Audie's widow, who does a great job of helping veterans blaze a trail through red tape over at the Sepulveda Veterans Administration Medical Center, said Monday that her family would be ``proud of the idea,'' but did not want to promote it.

She says it is not her family's place to ask for such a tribute.

Maybe it should be ours. I called postal officials Monday to see how to get the ball rolling.

Let me give you a little background on the process, first. The decision on who or what gets a commemorative stamp is made by a citizens advisory committee, not the Postal Service.

The committee meets quarterly in Washington, D.C., to review the estimated 30,000 letters it receives annually recommending stamp subjects and designs, said George Marsh of the Postal Service's Corporate Relations Center in Los Angeles.

``From those recommendations, about 40 new theme stamps are chosen every year,'' Marsh said.

To be considered for a commemorative stamp, the subject must stand the test of time, be consistent with public opinion and have broad national interest.

If it's a person, he or she must have been dead for 10 years, with the exception of U.S. presidents.

I think it's a pretty safe bet that war heroes meet and exceed the Postal Service's criteria for a stamp.

But the closest it's come so far in honoring war heroes was the World War II stamps that came out a few years back commemorating the 50th anniversary of that war.

``We came out with about 10 new designs a year over two years, but there was nothing specifically on war heroes,'' Marsh said.

``Every year, we get the preliminary news release for stamp designs coming up, and I haven't seen anything on war heroes coming up later in 1996,'' he said.

If you agree with Geeting's letter and believe war heroes deserve their own stamp as much as rock 'n' roll singers and movie stars, let the committee know.

Write to the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee, c/o Stamp Management, U.S. Postal Service, Washington, D.C. 20260-6756.

From Korea in 1950 to Vietnam in 1972, Butch Stone was on the bandstand with the Les Brown Band behind Bob Hope - looking out into a sea of young G.I. faces far from home.

On Monday night, the baritone sax player will be honored close to home for his long musical career by 300 friends packing the Ventura Club for a testimonial tribute.

``Why, I don't know - they say I'm a nice guy or something,'' Butch said Monday from his Van Nuys home.

Or something.

``Playing those USO tours was such a thrill,'' Butch says. ``I'd always be looking at all the kids' dog tags, and when I saw one from California, I'd tell him to give me his telephone number, and I'd call his folks when I got back home.

``Man, those were some beautiful talks. The parents would get so excited that I saw their son. They'd want to know how he looked, if his hair was long, was he eating right?

``For the kids, those trips brought a little bit of home to them, and a lot of emotion to us,'' he said.

Bob Hope and his wife, Delores, Les Brown and a host of other USO tour veterans will be on hand to honor Mr. Nice Guy, Butch Stone, and his wife of 53 years, Shirley.

American Legion Post 193 in Van Nuys is looking for a few good teachers to attend its Freedom Foundation workshop in historic Valley Forge this summer from July 27 to Aug. 2.

The workshop offers teachers a firsthand look at historic sites and events in this country's history so they can return to the classroom next year and make American history come alive for their students.

The legion pays $550 for the weeklong workshop, which includes air fare, lodging and meals. The teacher's cost is $400 for the week.

Anyone interested in the workshop should contact legion education chairman Frank Lumbert at [phone].

MEMO: Dennis McCarthy's column appears Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.