[Sparky1776]

The bill authorizes (1) gold medal to be struck with the remainer to be bronze and paid for by the veteran or their family.

[Vaquero]

These guys were targets. God bless them.

[SuperLuminal]

Next to the Russians, these heroes suffered one of the highest casualty rates of WWII...

However, I think it is obscene that families and any of these heroes still above ground would have to pay for the medal...

We give away billions and billions every year to illegal vermin and welfare slackers inside the U.S., but true American heroes get stuffed!

[Thank You Rush]

I guess there was no more pressing business in the House to attend to than this. The work and service of the Merchant Marines was definitely honorable and necessary but a priority now after 80 years?

[DoodleDawg]

Nice to know there aren’t any more important issues for Congress to deal with.

[Rocky]

The bill authorizes (1) gold medal to be struck with the remainer to be bronze and paid for by the veteran or their family.

Most of these guys are dead by now. It will be the families buying the medals to commemorate the service of loved ones.

Before the Allies learned how to protect convoys, and before the Liberty ship program really took off, the Germans were sinking cargo ships faster than the Allies could build them. A lot of times there were no rescue ships available to pick up survivors. It was the definition of hazardous service.

[broken_clock]

Nice to see Garamendi doing something useful instead of threatening to punch out Donald Trump Jr.

[EC Washington]

One of my Uncles was on the Murmansk Run - the Russians treated them like the enemy. They were not allowed to leave ship after the horrendous trip though the Arctic Sea and attacks by the Germans. He never went on that run again. When he got back to the US, he joined the Coast Guard.

[tinamina]

My father was one. Lived a life filled with bitterness because he got no Veteran benefits.

[Ciexyz]

👏👏👏

[dainbramaged]

I have the Purser's desk and chest of drawers from a Liberty Ship, scrapped at Todd Shipyard Seattle in the late 50's. My father worked there and employees were told to help themselves to the furniture, dishes, flatware etc.
The desk and chest are quarter sawn oak, very sturdy stuff - I've looked online for other examples to no avail so they must be rare.

[ConservativeMind]

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.