[MrsEmmaPeel]

This is a great cause. Can we make it mappen?

[GummyIII]

FYI...

[StarCMC]

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.

[leadpenny]

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.

[mainepatsfan]

These guys never get the credit they deserve. Without them the war couldn't have been won.

[Run Silent Run Deep]

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

[Eagle Eye]

Pardon my ignorance, but were the Merchant Marines drafted, enlisted, or civilain workers in a military environment?

[mort56]

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.

[Physicist]

My dad was in the Merchant Marines in the North Atlantic during WWII. He saw some big ships go down, but fortunately not out from under him.

[Run Silent Run Deep]

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.

[Run Silent Run Deep]

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.

[nkycincinnatikid]

My Dad was MM, had one of his ships hit and sunk by a kamakaze , I think it was a Leyte Gulf. This recognition, which my father wouldn't have given a fig about anyway, will be coming posthumously for most of those guys.

[Neil E. Wright]

VetsCoR has long recognized the contributions made to National Defense by the U.S. Merchant Marine, not just in WWII, but also in Korea and VietNam to the present day. Indeed, members of the Merchant Marine have acquitted themselves with HONOR in every conflict in which this country has fought to defend the FREEDOM and LIBERTY that is the birthright of EVERY HUMAN BEING on the planet, from the Revolutionary War to the present day conflicts to bring the same FREEDOM and LIBERTY to the oppressed in the Middle East.

At our website, Portraits of FREEDOM, we state: "Honoring the men and women of our Armed Forces and Merchant Marine, past and present. Heroes ALL." There is a separate listing for those who wish to honor their relatives or friends who have served in the U.S.M.M. with a page.

At VetsCoR, we SALUTE the service and SACRIFICE of the U.S. Merchant Marine members who have gone into harms way, usually unarmed and unable to shoot back when fired upon, to keep the the front line troops supplied with "beans and bullets".

±

"The Era of Osama lasted about an hour, from the time the first plane hit the tower to the moment the General Militia of Flight 93 reported for duty."
Toward FREEDOM

[Utopia]

This is such a great cause! Count me in!

[ken5050]

BUMPED along, with thanks..

[Utopia]

I just wrote my Congressman!

[Snickersnee]

Merchant Marine sailors made $1,500 per month while underway and Soldiers, Sailors and Marines made $21. No way in h-ll do they deserve a grand a month now. Uniformed veterans don't get that. Where do I sign up to fight this? It sounds like something out of their notoriously Commie union.

[JennysCool]

Bigtime bump, Mrs. Peel!

Keep me posted!

[MaryLynn]

Thank god its about time.My husband tried to get into every branch of the service.But he was only 16 so the only thing left was the MM.He serviced from 1943 until 1946.He never got help on schooling,buying a home etc.He is now 79 and it wasn't until the late 80s he got a discharge.I think its about time the USA gave something to these guys instead of giving it all away across the ocean to ones trying to blow us up and hold us up for higher gas prices.Thank you