CNBNews

As the country held its collective breath, there were three aspects of this story that got little coverage.

First, these criminal acts put tens of thousands of postal workers in harm’s way.

Second, despite the threat of injury or death, 500,000 dedicated, trained and accountable postal workers continued to carry out their mission contained in the 1970 Postal Reorganization Act: “The Postal Service shall have as its basic function the obligation to provide postal services to bind the nation together. … It shall provide prompt, reliable and efficient services to patrons in all areas and shall render postal services to all communities.” Postal employees continued to serve customers at retail windows, sort letters and packages, drive mail trucks and deliver mail daily to 157 million addresses.

Third, in many cases it was conscientious and alert postal workers who identified suspicious packages and took action to protect not just their own safety, but also that of their co-workers and the public. The leadership of the four postal unions and postal management cooperated to ensure that postal workers were on high alert and vigilant, helping lead to a positive outcome.

It’s little wonder that the Postal Service remains the most trusted federal agency. It does not use a dime of taxpayer money for its operations and is the crucial anchor of the successful e-commerce revolution. A recent poll by the Pew Research Center shows that 88 percent of the population has a favorable view of the Postal Service. Every person, household and business is a postal customer, and the post office remains central to the fabric of neighborhoods and communities.