WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 – James Dupont had just finished delivering mail on his rural Arkansas route when he saw a truck and car collide head-on. The veteran letter carrier pulled the driver from the truck and, as the vehicle caught on fire, saved a passenger engulfed in flames. He then managed to bend open the door of the burning car to rescue that driver – injuring himself in the process.

Dupont and seven other letter carrier heroes will be honored at a special event Thursday, Oct. 7 starting at 11:30 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, DC.

The others: an Ohio carrier who one morning rescued a resident from a house fire and that afternoon aided a 12-year-old boy who had crashed his bicycle into a van. A Utah carrier saved a resident suffering a heart attack after noticing the man’s dog barking urgently; a New Jersey carrier rescued a homeowner from a fire; two Michigan carriers saved an elderly woman after becoming worried about her whereabouts; a retired Kansas carrier has helped feed 35,000 families across the state; and Seattle carriers built housing for Katrina victims in Louisiana.

The 2010 Heroes of the Year represent the efforts of thousands of letter carriers who not only deliver the mail to 150 million households six days a week, but often assist or save residents in situations involving accidents, fires, crimes or health crises.

We can provide more information, including how to reach these letter carriers.

The NALC represents letter carriers across the country. Its 300,000 members make it the largest of the four unions representing United States Postal Service employees. Founded by Civil War veterans in 1889, the NALC is among the country’s oldest labor unions.

SOURCE National Association of Letter Carriers