Veterans have honorably dedicated much of their lives to fighting to protect the Republic of China and its citizens—whether during the Northward Expedition, the Sino-Japanese War or the war against the Chinese communists. After moving to Taiwan with the ROC government and retiring from the military, they have dedicated themselves to building the nation’s infrastructure, setting a great example for society. In order to encourage a sense of solidarity among veterans and to highlight their spirit of “sacrifice, striving and repaying the nation’s kindness,” the ROC government in 1979 established October 31 as Veterans Day. To show the veterans and their families that the nation recognizes their contributions, Chunghwa Post is issuing a set of two stamps to commemorate this special occasion on the 25th Veterans Day. The stamps will be released on October 31, 2003 (Veterans Day). One stamp will have a denomination of NT$5 and the other a denomination of NT$25. The design of the NT$5 stamp features the Central Cross-Island Highway, a mammoth and extremely difficult project built by the veterans; the NT$25 stamp features veterans’ homes and veterans’ hospitals, which the government has built to provide for veterans’ housing and medical needs. Both stamps bear the insignia of the Veterans Affairs Commission. The stamps are painted by Mr. Lee Kuang-chi and printed in color deep-etch offset by Cardon Enterprise Co., Ltd.ROC’s late president Chiang Kai-shek founded the Veterans Affairs Commission in 1954 to take on the task of assisting veterans in various matters. Under a national policy of replacing older soldiers with younger ones in order to strengthen national defense, the Commission has instituted measures to properly place and care for veterans. During the many years it has worked on behalf of veterans, it has adopted measures that have assisted them in gaining employment, medical care, home care and education. Representing an increasingly comprehensive set of services, these measures offer a good example to the world of how to care for retired members of the armed forces.