Joseph Demler Port Post Office bill awaits president’s signature

A bill calling for the Port Washington Post Office to be renamed the Joseph G. Demler Post Office is heading for President Donald Trump’s desk.

The bill was approved last week by the U.S. House of Representatives and comes on the heels of a Nov. 18 vote by the U.S. Senate approving the name change.

The bill was sponsored by senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson to honor Demler, a World War II veteran who spent much of his career working at the Port Washington post office, where he became the assistant postmaster.

Demler, who died on Feb. 5 at his Port Washington home, was the face of the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight, which adopted his motto “Every Day is a Bonus” as its slogan.

It was a mantra Demler followed after surviving life in a prisoner of war camp for three months after he took part in the Battle of the Bulge. When the camp was liberated, doctors estimated that Demler was three days from death.

A famous photo of an emaciated Demler lying in a cot taken when the camp in Limberg, Germany, was liberated was published in Life magazine. Demler was dubbed the “human skeleton” and for many people it personified the cruelty of the war. 

Demler participated in the Stars and Stripes’ first honor flight.

“Since Joe Demler had such a long career at the Port Washington post office, even meeting his wife there, the senator thought it would be a very fitting tribute,” Renee Riddle, Johnson’s Wisconsin communications director, said. “The Demler family agreed.”

“It is fitting that this building will bear Joe’s name so that his contributions to his community and country will always be remembered,” Baldwin said. “Joe Demler bravely served our country during World War II, and deserves to have his service and sacrifice to our nation honored.”