The hero of the day is a person who has been selected by the great random for a special honor. The hero of the day may tell themselves that this great honor really doesn’t mean all that much to them, but deep down inside they are secretly gloating at receiving this rare artifact. Only one hero of the day may have this item at a time and it is only given to the hero that the great random chooses.
In 1974, NALC created the Hero of the Year awards to pay tribute to those letter carriers who, ignoring dangers to themselves, perform selfless and heroic acts. Each year independent judges—representing labor community organizations, community service groups and emergency public services—read Postal Record stories of heroes and select a National Hero, a National Humanitarian and three Regional Heroes.
Each hero of the day receives a certificate and an individualized pin to commemorate their award. The heroes and their family members are invited to an official ceremony at the union’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. During this celebration, the hero is also joined by a variety of government and AFL-CIO affiliated labor leaders, postal and community service officials and representatives and community members who support NALC’s proud tradition of service.
In the ‘Hero of the Day’ series, the New York Post featured essential workers and volunteers who were going above and beyond in their efforts to help others during the COVID-19 pandemic. This unique journalism earned the newspaper the 2021 Rev. Mychal Judge Heart of New York award, named after the FDNY chaplain who died during the Sept. 11 terror attacks.