Posted on 03/04/2020 2:29:58 PM PST by Sparky1776
Today, Congressman John Garamendi's (D-CA) "Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2020" (H.R.5671) passed Congress and is heading to the President's desk to be signed into law. Representatives Don Young (R-AK) and Susan W. Brooks (R-IN) joined the legislation as original cosponsors, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) sponsored the companion legislation in the Senate. This bipartisan legislation will award a Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest honors in the United States, to American Merchant Mariners who supplied our armed forces during World War II.
Exactly right.
I have to admit I’m astonished that a RAT proposed something I actually can support.
There is a rather large UNION for merchant sailors in the US-— that has a lot to do with it. They of course were NOT unionized during WWII. Garamendi is a union thug supporter,SEIU, hospitality, ... the “service” union scammers— these are his “people”.
That is the unfortunate politics of this glad hander— he can’t acknowledge volunteers under pressure from the very UN voluntary union closed shop types in the Maritime trades.
Thanks for an illuminating post, FRiend.
I live a long, long way from Garamendi’s district, so I know nothing about him except for his recent threat against Don Jr.
Perhaps one lesson here is that on rare occasions, bad motives can lead to good results. If I was a GOP representative, I probably would have voted for the bill.
This was my great uncle.
He manned the engines. His story of the timing necessary to throw in fuel as everything cycled was a story we loved hearing each year.
Thank you all for you comments, some interesting facts I didn’t know.
Quick update, the veteran or their family need to produce a DD-214, and the cost of the medal is $54.
Coincidentally, there’s a movie coming out in June w/ Tom Hanks on the subject of merchant convoys during WWII.
There is a Mariners Museum in Virginia. That’s where I found the names of all the ships that my dad had mentioned. He was a Radio Operator.
Garamendi has been one of the great villains in California politics for decades. Even when an ulterior motive is not evident, if he appears to be doing something good you can bet there is one.
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