<\/p>\n
On March 3, Congress passed the \u201cMerchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2020.\u201d\u00a0Sponsored by Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the bipartisan legislation will award a Congressional Gold Medal<\/a> to those surviving members of the American merchant marine who served during World War II.\u00a0This civilian organization was the vital link between the industrial capacity of the United States \u2013 known as the Arsenal of Democracy \u2013 and the war fronts in Africa, Asia, and Europe, separated by contested seas.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Axis military inflicted horrific losses on these civilians.\u00a0As early as December 7, 1941, a vanguard of Japanese submarines took up position off Hawaii and the American west coast.\u00a0The Army-chartered freighter SS Cynthia Olsen<\/em> encountered I-26<\/em> early in the morning as Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor.\u00a0After being stopped, the submarine sank the vessel with gunfire and a torpedo.\u00a0The entire crew of thirty-three, and two embarked Army soldiers, were lost. In the Far East, the liner SS President Harrison<\/em> attempted to allude the Japanese as she sailed from Shanghai. She was eventually run aground off the coast of China and three of her crew died, while the remaining 164 went into prisoners of war camps were another dozen later perished.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The following month, German U-boats made their arrival felt off the U.S. East Coast, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean in what they referred to as the Happy Time. For the members of the merchant marine, sailing without proper protection and escort, it was a Second Pearl Harbor. Later that summer, vessels and crews of the American merchant marine would face their most difficult struggles in attempting to fight Convoy PQ-17 to Murmansk, and resupply the beleaguered island of Malta, in epic battles.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The end of the Second World War proved bittersweet for the over 200,000 mariners that sailed for the American merchant marine.\u00a0Although President Franklin Roosevelt promised them equal treatment as other service members, they were denied the benefits of the G.I. Bill or veteran status.\u00a0For those who lost their ship or were interned in enemy camps as happened to Robert Daigle, as they were no longer working on board their vessels, the companies stopped paying them from the moment their ships were lost.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was not until 1988 that merchant mariners received veteran status, but many failed to take advantage of the benefits. With the Greatest Generation slowly fading away, the American Merchant Marine Veterans<\/a> led the effort to pass the \u201cMerchant Marine of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2020.\u201d They lobbied members of Congress and staged numerous Storm the Hill efforts to earn support for the bill.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The greatest tragedy that can befall the merchant marine veterans of the Second World War is for their service to be forgotten. Ships of the U.S. merchant marine were instrumental in sustaining the fight for our military and allies. Liberty ships, such as SS Jeremiah O\u2019Brien<\/em><\/a> were off the beaches of Normandy.\u00a0As American forces stormed Okinawa, on the doorsteps of Japan, Victory<\/em>-ships<\/a> were loaded with ammunition and surged to the front lines where they faced kamikaze attacks, resulting in the loss of Hobbs, Logan, <\/em>and Canada Victory<\/em> and the death of 24 mariners and 6 armed guardsmen.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As President Donald Trump prepares to sign H.R. 5671 into law, and as the few remaining veterans gather from March 24-29 at the Maritime Conference Center in Linthicum Heights, Maryland for the AMMV 34th<\/sup> National Convention<\/a>, it is appropriate that the nation give the recognition to these brave mariners for whom victory in World War Two was essential.\u00a0A Congressional Gold Medal is a symbol of those mariners who braved the seas to deliver the cargo, troops, and fuel needed for eventual victory against the Axis powers 75 years ago.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Salvatore R. Mercogliano is an associate professor of History at\u00a0Campbell University<\/a>\u00a0in Buies Creek, North Carolina and teaches courses in World Maritime History and Maritime Security.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n