By Bill McAllister, Washington Correspondent

A group of 33 Democratic lawmakers, mostly from Western states, have urged the United States Postal Service to issue a commemorative stamp in 2017 to honor Japanese Americans who served in the U.S. Army in World War II or were incarcerated in camps during the conflict.

Reps. Mark Takai, D-Hawaii, and Judy Chu, D-Calif., organized the petition to Postmaster General Megan Brennan, citing the “courage, loyalty and undying patriotism to the United States” of these Japanese Americans.

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Next year will mark the 75th anniversary of those camps, noted the petition.

It was signed by three Democratic senators and 30 Democratic House members, many of whom were from California.

The petition pointed out that while thousands of Japanese Americans were forcibly removed from their homes on the Pacific Coast, more than 30,000 volunteered to serve in the military.

Most of those served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, 100th Infantry Battalion, and the Military Intelligence Service, Army units that became highly decorated for their exploits during the war.

“This stamp will also serve as a constant reminder that civil liberties belong to us all — not just a select few,” it says.

Mark Saunders, a Postal Service spokesman, said: “The stamp suggestion is currently under consideration.”

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