On October 21, 2001, Thomas L. Morris, Jr. died from inhalation anthrax. On October 22, 2001, Joseph P. Curseen, Jr. died from inhalation anthrax. Both men were employed at Brentwood Post Office in Washington, DC and both men were exposed to anthrax that had been sent in the mail. Over the next few weeks, there would be more anthrax discoveries in mail and more deaths. The tragedy led to many new security measures through the postal system and the adoption of the Biohazard Detection System.
A flag at the Brentwood facility was discolored when the building was decontaminated. The building was renamed Curseen-Morris Mail-Processing and Distribution Center.
Though it should not be of importance, I will mention here that both men were Black. While the USPS isn’t exactly a “they died in the line of duty” type of employer, the two men died as a result of terrorism (and they were sons, brothers, probably husbands and fathers, humans, and Americans). They should not be forgotten.