Rural Carrier Hero

Rural Carrier Mary Blair was recently delivering mail in New Bethlehem, PA, when she spotted a single-car accident. Blair stopped to assist the lone victim, a 21-year-old woman who was crawling out of the overturned vehicle and bleeding. The Postal Service employee called 911 and urged the woman — who was on her way to … Read more

Rural Carrier Deborah Amsbaugh recently responded to a life-threatening emergency while delivering mail in Polk City, IA. She was at a home’s curbside mailbox when a teenager burst out of the garage, screaming for help. Amsbaugh soon learned that the boy had come home from school unexpectedly and discovered his father unconscious in the garage. … Read more

Rural Carrier Becky Illgen was recently delivering mail in Cottage Grove, WI, when she spotted a little girl who was clearly confused and scared. Illgen stopped and offered to help the child — a third-grader who had gotten off at the wrong bus stop and had no idea where she was. The Postal Service employee … Read more

Rural Carrier Tab Eigenbrodt was making deliveries recently in East Chatham, NY, when he noticed mail was piling up in the box of a longtime customer who always emptied it daily. Eigenbrodt alerted a neighbor, who checked on the woman and found her collapsed in her home. The woman, who was severely dehydrated, was hospitalized … Read more

The first time Humboldt, IA, Rural Carrier Associate Kathy Lucero saw a Postal Service customer walking a new puppy one day recently, everything was fine. But when they later crossed paths again on Lucero’s route, a crisis erupted. Two stray pit bulls bolted toward the woman and attacked her puppy, leaving her screaming for help … Read more

Rural Carrier Amber Kohn was delivering mail recently in Herrin, IL, when a car in front of her began weaving on the road. Kohn saw the driver slump forward as the car slowed and rolled toward a culvert. The Postal Service employee pulled over, ran to the car and safely accessed it to put it … Read more

Clearfield, UT, Rural Carrier Associate Tait Francis was recently delivering mail when he spotted smoke and flames billowing from the attic of a nearby home. Francis rushed to the front door and pounded on it until a resident answered, unaware of the calamity. While the Postal Service employee called 911, the woman and her two … Read more

Jacksboro, TN, Rural Carrier Associate Jacqueline Shoupe was delivering mail recently when she noticed something amiss at a disabled customer’s home. The front curtain was torn down and the woman was waving frantically, trying to get Shoupe’s attention. Upon closer inspection, the Postal Service employee saw the customer’s caregiver lying on the floor, and the … Read more

Rural Carrier Vicky Hunter was the first person on the scene following a recent single-vehicle accident in Ashford, AL. Hunter was on her way to work when she saw that a car had crashed into a deep ditch alongside the road. The Postal Service employee called 911 and stayed with the driver, encouraging him to … Read more

Rural Carrier Raymond Luna recently smelled smoke as he delivered a package to a customer in Lyles, TN. At her front door, the woman told Luna not to worry because she had been burning brush. But as he started to leave, he saw black smoke pouring from the rear of the house. The Postal Service … Read more

Ewing, MO, Rural Carrier Rick Sharpe was concerned when he recently noticed that an older customer’s mail had piled up in her box over several days. Sharpe went to the woman’s front door to check on her but got no answer. He then spotted her through a window, collapsed on her living room floor. The … Read more

When Rural Carrier Margaret Denney recently delivered a package to an older customer’s home in Hayden, AL, the woman’s daughter answered the door. As they greeted each other, Denney heard someone calling out for help, and they soon discovered that the customer had fallen in a side yard. The daughter couldn’t lift the woman on … Read more

When Rock, WV, Rural Carrier Patricia Matney recently rushed to the aid of a riding lawn mower accident victim, she was helping not only a customer, but a Postal Service colleague. Matney was delivering mail at the man’s residence when she saw that he was trapped beneath an overturned mower with smoke pouring from it. … Read more

Rural Carrier Associate Kimberly Huckabey was recently delivering mail on her route in Noel, MO, when she spotted smoke billowing from a house. Huckabey immediately called 911, and although she knew that the homeowners were away on vacation, she checked around outside the residence to make sure no people or pets were in danger. Emergency … Read more

An older Postal Service customer in Calverton, NY, recently got life-saving help from an attentive rural carrier. Terry Dion was delivering mail to the man, John Stippell, when she noticed that he seemed unwell. Dion called 911 and stayed with Stippell until emergency responders arrived and took him to a hospital for treatment of a … Read more