Seven Decades Later, WWII Mariners Still Fighting for Benefits, Recognition

By Capt. Christopher J. Edyvean, National President Elect, American Merchant Marine Veterans

It appears wherever you look as of late, veterans are within the information. Many employment applications supply preferential hiring to veterans. Social media websites promote thankfulness to our veterans. Even in locations reminiscent of grocery shops and low outlets, footage of native veterans cowl the partitions to respectfully honor these heroes. For most of our nation’s veterans, this can be a good factor.

But there may be one group of fight veterans who’ve been betrayed by time. This group nonetheless seeks recognition for a job accomplished seven many years in the past. These are America’s WWII period service provider mariners.

Most individuals even vaguely aware of the historical past of the United States Merchant Marine are conscious that a whole bunch of ships had been sunk and hundreds of American seamen perished in WWII. Hundreds extra had been captured as prisoners of conflict. The Axis powers knew that the provides to Allied forces had been carried on the backs of service provider vessels, making these ships and crews the selection targets of U-boat assaults and airstrikes. The outcome: 1 out of each 26 U.S. service provider mariners was killed.

Veteran standing was not established for our mariners following the conflict as promised by President Roosevelt. In different phrases, their fight experiences weren’t acknowledged by our authorities and in flip some had been even drafted into the Korean War. Amazingly, the patriotic service of those males didn’t finish there. Get this: During the Gulf War build-up, the U.S. Merchant Marine suffered a extreme scarcity of seaman to crew the handfuls of ships that had been activated (many out of the “mothball” fleet) to ship the mandatory cargo. Guess who answered the decision? Filling many of those billets had been retired WWII mariners of their 70’s.

The previous decade has witnessed many failed legislative makes an attempt to achieve financial advantages for American WWII mariners. Considering veteran standing was actually granted following a lawsuit within the late 80’s, one might surprise simply why these veterans imagine they’re entitled to cash from Uncle Sam. The reply is kind of easy. When official standing was lastly awarded 4 many years after the conflict, it was far too late within the lives of those mariners to capitalize on any significant advantages that will have drastically assisted them had such advantages been instantly accessible.

On January twenty seventh, Congresswoman Janice Hahn of California launched H.R. 563, the Honoring Our WWII Merchant Mariners Act of 2015. If enacted, this would supply for a easy one time lump sum of $25,000 to every remaining eligible WWII mariner veteran. Many really feel this to be essentially the most reasonable piece of laws written for this trigger; if H.R. 563 turns into actuality, the federal government would get off low-cost compared to previous proposed laws. But progress continues in sluggish movement for this group. The invoice was referred to subcommittee ten days after it was launched and has acquired little fanfare since as solely a dozen or so co-sponsors have stepped as much as the plate.

In a video posted on her Facebook page, an emotionally charged Hahn expresses her disgust following an unsuccessful try so as to add H.R. 563 onto the protection invoice in mid-May. But if members of Congress are attempting to comb this subject beneath the rug, they might be underestimating the willpower and stamina of this group. It would appear that these remaining males can be too exhausted and too few to maintain combating for these rightful advantages, nevertheless, their collective message is easy: “We didn’t give up in WWII, and we’re not giving up now.” Energized by the honest devotion of Congresswoman Hahn, these WWII service provider mariners and their households are rallying from all components of the nation to push for the cheap provisions set forth in H.R. 563.

Morris Harvey, who sailed with the Seafarers International Union in the course of the conflict, is the outgoing National President of American Merchant Marine Veterans (AMMV). Morris is wrapping up his 4 years of presidency by main AMMV’s “Storm the Hill” efforts, wherein a handful of WWII mariners will meet with members of Congress subsequent week to advertise H.R. 563. One of those mariners is Charles Mills, President of AMMV’s Lone Star Chapter in Texas. Mills represents the numerous African-Americans who served within the nondiscriminatory WWII Merchant Marine.

Gabriel Frank, AMMV Edwin H. O’Hara Chapter President, resides in New York. In an 8 minute trailer of the upcoming video manufacturing “The Sea is my Brother”, Frank rallies for help of his wartime era of mariners. It turns into clear on this video clip as to only how uneducated most of the people is regarding the Merchant Marine’s position in WWII. Also obvious is the truth that Frank has struggled in life with out having obtained the advantages of the G.I. Bill at an affordable age.

Orville Sova first went to sea in early 1945, delivery out of San Francisco on the S.S. Granville S. Hall. Sova mournfully remembers the demise of President Roosevelt and is fast to elucidate that WWII service provider mariners would have been handled otherwise if not for FDR’s premature passing. As a devoted member of a St. Louis space AMMV Chapter, he bides a lot of his time writing letters and emails explaining how mariners of his period have suffered on account of lack of correct remedy by our authorities. His daughter, Sheila, has joined the trigger by campaigning day by day over social media platforms to help H.R. 563.

Melvin Rogow is certainly one of many WWII mariners who graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, an establishment which misplaced 142 cadets throughout WWII. Rogow himself survived the sinking of the S.S. Santa Catalina, which was loaded down with explosives. He and his daughter, Deborah, work vigorously to drum up grassroots help of Hahn’s new invoice.

Another Kings Point graduate is maritime artist Don Scafidi, who sailed as a cadet in the course of the conflict years. Shipping is a household custom for Don and his spouse Patti; they’re ecstatically pleased with their son who graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy 57 years after his father. Thanks to the web and social media, Patti has met and joined forces with the daughters of Sova and Rogow. The trio is “making noise” by getting the phrase out on H.R. 563 and educating anybody who will hear concerning the WWII Merchant Marine.

And there are such a lot of tales to inform.

Take for instance William Carlson, who lives alongside the frigid Minnesota shoreline of Lake Superior. Carlson, who will flip 93 on this 4th of July, was a member of the Armed Guard aboard the duel cargo/passenger vessel S.S. City of New York when it was torpedoed and sunk off the east coast of the United States on March 29, 1942. The survivors of this sinking witnessed life and demise as they awaited rescue. Carlson remembers {that a} feminine passenger gave beginning in one of many lifeboats and explains how a fellow shipmate from his hometown succumbed to the weather.

In the Chicago space resides AMMV Midwest Chapter member Walter Pass. Walter, who faithfully attends maritime memorial companies regardless of his disabilities, explains that his crusing days aren’t fairly over but. He usually talks a couple of future cruise aboard the WWII classic vessel S.S. American Victory. On this closing voyage, his ashes shall be scattered at sea.

Each certainly one of these WWII mariners has a novel story, however all of them have one frequent thread: Time is working out. Fighting for help of H.R. 563 shouldn’t be a couple of statistical variety of eligible mariners or handing out cash to faceless names. It’s about righting an injustice. It’s about true recognition. It’s concerning the husbands, the brothers, the uncles, the fathers, the grandfathers, and great-grandfathers who did their half to maintain this nation free.

H.R. 563: It’s time.

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