Posted on 03/06/2005 8:29:04 AM PST by MrsEmmaPeel
My father, now in his 80s served in WWII as a merchant marine. He sent me the following letter. I quote:
You may not be aware that Merchant Mariners were not awarded any GI benefits at war end; no educational tuition, no housing purchase assistance, none of those benefits given to Coast Guard, Army, Navy nor Marine Corps service veterans. Nonetheless, the United States Merchant Marine provided the essential sealift between the production of military needs in the US and the fighting forces scattered around the globe. Sailing on oil tankers as I did, demonstrated the important link between the crude oil of Venezuela and the refineries in Curacao and Aruba to the Pacific Naval fleet.
As the war progressed, the prewar total of 55,000 experienced mariners was increased to over 215,000 through U.S. Maritime Service training programs. About 8,300 mariners were killed at sea, 12,000 wounded of whom at least 1,100 died from their wounds, and 663 were taken prisoner. (Total killed estimated 9,300.) 66 died in prison camps or aboard Japanese ships while being transported to other camps. 31 ships vanished without a trace to a watery grave. 1 in 26 mariners serving aboard merchant ships in World WW II died in the line of duty, suffering a greater percentage of war-related deaths than all other U.S. services. Casualties were kept secret during the War to keep information about their success from the enemy and to attract and keep mariners at sea. Newspapers carried essentially the same story each week: "Two medium-sized Allied ships sunk in the Atlantic." In reality, the average for 1942 was 33 Allied ships sunk each week. Although President Roosevelt expressed a desire to recognize Merchant Mariners as military personnel, his untimely death and the secrecy and misdirection about maritime transport activity may explain the lack of recognition of our efforts at the time.
Please write to you congressmen and Senators urging them to support the Bill."
FYI...
Thank you for posting this. My father-in-law worked as a Merchant Marine in the advertising room for the war effort - recruiting stuff. This would be really nice - not just the money, but the recognition.
I'd like to thank the Merchant Marines for getting me from NY to Bremerhaven on the USNS Gordon Liberty ship in Feb 62.
Damn, those were big waves in the North Atlantic. Nine days of KP sucked too.
As far a money goes, I really doubt it my Dad needs it. Its the recognition. Why has it taken so long for WWWII vets to be recognized? And why even longer for the merchant marines?
Can you help and urge support of this bill?
I'll do what I can.
I thought there was a change of WWII MM status ten or twelve years ago. Can't remember what it was about.
I don't know. I guess I never realized that he didn't get any sort of allowances. But you know, in that generation, it was duty. They didn't expect to be coddled and won't hardly talk about their service even when pressed. IT was just a fact of life that there was a job to do and someone needed to do it, so they stepped up to the plate. My FIL was in minor league baseball and left that to go into the Merchant Marines. I found some pictures recently taken of him at work at that time. He didn't really have much to say about it - it was just his job. So they are hardly the folks who would be raising a stink to get recognition, you know?
These guys never get the credit they deserve. Without them the war couldn't have been won.
My dad served during WW II on merchants ships from the eastern seaboard, the Atlantic, the Med, through the Suez Canal over to the Phillipines. He'd have been 87 this year.
God bless your father and all the brave sailors of the Merchant Marine!
--Son of a sailor
Pardon my ignorance, but were the Merchant Marines drafted, enlisted, or civilain workers in a military environment?
That is certainly true. After the war, my Dad did not receive any GI benefits whatsoever, so Mom helped to put him through ULCA (Electrical Engineering).
FYI here is a comparison of Merchant Marine casualty rate to other services
Service - Number serving - War Dead - Percent - Ratio
Merchant Marine - 243,000 - 9,497 - 3.90% - 1 in 26
Marines - 669,108 - 19,733 - 2.94% - 1 in 34
Army - 11,268,000 - 234,874 - 2.08% - 1 in 48
Navy - 4,183,466 - 36,958 - 0.88% - 1 in 114
Coast Guard - 242,093 - 574 - 0.24% - 1 in 421
1 in 26 mariners serving aboard merchant ships in World WW II died in the line of duty, suffering a greater percentage of war-related deaths than all other U.S. services. Casualties were kept secret during the War to keep information about their success from the enemy and to attract and keep mariners at sea.
Thanks.
I found this:
http://www.usmm.org/faq.html
Can we get a list of those Congressmen who are actually against this measure?
YES, WE CAN MAKE THIS HAPPEN!
H.R. 23 Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2005
109th CONGRESS 1st Session
To amend title 46, United States Code, and Title II of the Social Security Act to provide benefits to certain individuals who served in the United States merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service) during World War II.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 4, 2005
Mr. FILNER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To amend title 46, United States Code, and Title II of the Social Security Act to provide benefits to certain individuals who served in the United States merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service) during World War II.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the "Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2005."
SEC. 2. MONTHLY BENEFIT FOR WORLD WAR II MERCHANT MARINERS AND SURVIVORS UNDER TITLE 46, UNITED STATES CODE.
(a) Monthly Benefit - Chapter 112 of title 46, United States Code, is amended --
(1) by inserting after the table of sections the following new subchapter heading:
SUBCHAPTER I --VETERANS BURIAL AND CEMETERY BENEFITS; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new subchapter:
SUBCHAPTER II -- MONTHLY BENEFIT
Sec. 11205. Monthly benefit
(a) Payment - The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall pay to each person issued a certificate of honorable service pursuant to section 11207(b) of this title a monthly benefit of $1,000.
(b) Surviving Spouses -
(1) PAYMENT TO SURVIVING SPOUSES - The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall pay to the surviving spouse of each person issued a certificate of honorable service pursuant to section 11207(b) of this title a monthly benefit of $1,000.
(2) EXCLUSION - No benefit shall be paid under paragraph (1) to a surviving spouse of a person issued a certificate of honorable service pursuant to section 11207(b) unless the surviving spouse was married to such person for no less than 1 year.
(c) Exemption From Taxation- Payments of benefits under this section are exempt from taxation as provided in section 5301(a) of title 38.
Sec. 11206. Qualified service
For purposes of this subchapter, a person shall be considered to have engaged in qualified service if, between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946, the person --
(1) was a member of the United States merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service) serving as a crewmember of a vessel that was --
(A) operated by the War Shipping Administration or the Office of Defense Transportation (or an agent of such Administration or Office);
(B) operated in waters other than --
(i) inland waters;
(ii) the Great Lakes; and
(iii) other lakes, bays, and harbors of the United States;
(C) under contract or charter to, or property of, the Government of the United States; and
(D) serving the Armed Forces; and
(2) while serving as described in paragraph (1), was licensed or otherwise documented for service as a crewmember of such a vessel by an officer or employee of the United States authorized to license or document the person for such service.
Sec. 11207. Documentation of qualified service
(a) Application for Service Certificate - A person seeking benefits under section 11205 of this title shall submit an application for a service certificate to the Secretary of Transportation, or in the case of personnel of the Army Transport Service or the Naval Transport Service, the Secretary of Defense.
(b) Issuance of Service Certificate - The Secretary who receives an application under subsection (a) shall issue a certificate of honorable service to the applicant if, as determined by that Secretary, the person engaged in qualified service under section 11206 of this title and meets the standards referred to in subsection (d) of this section.
(c) Timing of Documentation - A Secretary receiving an application under subsection (a) shall act on the application not later than 1 year after the date of that receipt.
(d) Standards Relating to Service - In making a determination under subsection (b), the Secretary acting on the application shall apply the same standards relating to the nature and duration of service that apply to the issuance of honorable discharges under section 401(a)(1)(B) of the GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977 (38 U.S.C. 106 note).
Sec. 11208. Definitions
In this subchapter, the term 'surviving spouse' has the meaning given such term in section 101 of title 38, except that in applying the meaning in this subchapter, the term 'veteran' shall include a person who performed qualified service as specified in section 11206 of this title.
Sec. 11209. Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs such sums as may be necessary for the purpose of carrying out this subchapter.
(b) Conforming Amendments- Subsection (c) of section 11201 of Title 46, United States Code, is amended --
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking 'chapter' and inserting 'subchapter'; and
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking 'chapter' the second place it appears and inserting 'subchapter'.
(c) Clerical Amendments - The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 112 of title 46, United States Code, is amended --
(1) by inserting at the beginning the following new item:
'SUBCHAPTER I--VETERANS' BURIAL AND CEMETERY BENEFITS'; AND
(2) by adding at the end the following new items:
SUBCHAPTER II--MONTHLY BENEFIT
11205. Monthly benefit.
11206. Qualified service.
11207. Documentation of qualified service.
11208. Definitions.
11209. Authorization of appropriations.
(d) Effective Date- Subchapter II of chapter 112 of title 46, United States Code, as added by subsection (a) of this section, shall take effect with respect to payments for periods beginning on or after the date of the enactment of this Act, regardless of the date of application for benefits.
SEC. 3. BENEFITS FOR WORLD WAR II MERCHANT MARINERS UNDER TITLE II OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY ACT.
(a) Benefits - Section 217(d) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 417(d)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
(3) The term 'active military or naval service' includes the service, or any period of forcible detention or internment by an enemy government or hostile force as a result of action against a vessel described in subparagraph (A), of a person who --
(A) was a member of the United States merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service) serving as a crewmember of a vessel that was--
(i) operated by the War Shipping Administration or the Office of Defense Transportation (or an agent of such Administration or Office);
(ii) operated in waters other than --
(I) inland waters;
(II) the Great Lakes; and
(III) other lakes, bays, and harbors of the United States;
(iii) under contract or charter to, or property of, the Government of the United States; and
(iv) serving the Armed Forces; and
(B) while serving as described in subparagraph (A), was licensed or otherwise documented for service as a crewmember of such a vessel by an officer or employee of the United States authorized to license or document the person for such service.
(b) Effective Date - The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply only with respect to benefits for months beginning on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.
This site will allow you to directly contact the members of congress from your state.
http://www.usmm.org/urgent.html
URGENT!
H.R. 23 Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2005
H.R. 23: Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2005, provides $1,000 per month to WWII mariners (average age 81) or their widows in lieu of benefits not received after World War II. The Bill also gives Social Security credit for time served in the the merchant marine, like the credit given to others who served in the Army or Navy.
We thank the 157 Members of Congress who cosponsored HR 3729 in 2004. The bill died in Committee and was never voted on. H.R. 23 was introduced in the 109th Congress by Bob Filner on January 4, 2005.
Let help to make it happen!
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