CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - 30 or more years of driving without at-fault accidents have earned prestigious awards for 12 Carmichael Post Office carriers. A big, happy extended family of US Postal employees recently celebrated their colleagues’ achievements with an 8 am coffee break and a frosted cake. The drivers, who have served between 30 and 42 years, will have their names added to an elite national list of postal service workers.

Their boss, Sacramento District Manager Jagdeep Grewal, presented the honorees with plaques and Post Office issue “safe driver” winter jackets. “Thirty years in and out of traffic is not an easy job,” she told the Carmichael gathering. “Especially in this computer age where people are so distracted by their cell phones. I encourage other employees to work for this goal.” Among Sacramento region’s fleet of 3500 postal vehicles, said Grewal, up to five accidents are reported every day. “To us, one accident is too many,” she said. “Your safety is very important to us.”

Topping the list of honorees was Frank Cirelli (66). With no thought of retirement, Cirelli has racked up more than 45 years in US Government service, including three years in the military. The award took the former Marine by surprise. “When you’re driving all day, you’ve got to be safe,” he considers. “It’s drummed into us every day by our managers. You can never lose your concentration.” Working a route so close to the American River bike trail, the carrier says he is programmed to be super-alert for cyclists. “They come screaming past you all the time,” he notes. “If I didn’t pay attention, there sure would be accidents.”

Fellow honorees were Patricia Peters (38 years of service); Arthur Blackwell (38 years); Kenny Villanueva (30 years); Erin Williams (30 years); David Huynh (30 years); Jeffrey Griffith (32 years); Randy Rubsam (31 years); Prem Pal (30 years); Brent Bailey (35 years); Julian Barbero (33 years); Joselito Diaz (30 years).

After a 15-minute party, Carmichael's army of postal workers went back to work. The heroic carriers rattled off in their trucks, safely hauling tons of holiday deliveries through rush-hour traffic. Neither snow nor rain – nor frosting of cake – stays these noble couriers.