Statement from Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe on the Tenth Anniversary of the Anthrax Crisis

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Oct 18, 2011, 11:36 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ten years ago America experienced the unthinkable when anthrax was sent through the U.S. Mail and caused the death of five individuals, including two postal employees, and caused illness in others.

In the decade since this tragedy, the Postal Service decontaminated and renovated affected facilities, deployed state-of-the-art technology to detect and protect against potential threats and implemented educational programs for our employees and the mailing community.

The anthrax crisis served as a defining moment for the Postal Service and due to the unwavering dedication and commitment of Postal employees across the nation, the mail continued to move.

As we observe the 10-year anniversary of the anthrax crisis, we also acknowledge the more than 550,000 employees who continue to work tirelessly to process, deliver and protect the U.S. Mail — maintaining the public's safety, confidence and trust in the U.S. Postal Service.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $67 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world's mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 29th in the 2010 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service