With rank-and-file Seafarers in the audience, two key military leaders who addressed the MTD executive board meeting Feb. 28-29 near San Diego left no doubt about the high esteem in which they hold the U.S. Merchant Marine.Major General Kathleen Gainey, commander, U.S. Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, and Vice Admiral Ann Rondeau, deputy commander, United States Transportation Command (TRANSCOM), each offered powerful words of support and appreciation for the reliability of U.S. mariners.
They also made it abundantly clear that America’s national security is best-served by maintaining a strong American-flag fleet with American crews.
Two dozen or so SIU members (including members of the union’s Government Services Division) were guests at the meetings, which altogether drew more than 200 people per day.
Speaking not only about mariners but also other members of unions affiliated with the MTD, Gainey stated, “You are critical to our nation. All of us in uniform appreciate you in the maritime trades.”
She noted the long history of America’s civilian mariners, literally dating to the country’s earliest days.
“The merchant marine has always been there beside us,” Gainey said. “You have always been there when we needed you, and you have always delivered. It doesn’t matter whether it was in harm’s way or whether it was in peace. You’ve always been there. Your partnership has never faltered. Your willingness to be there was never conditional. You’ve always delivered and been there for our service members around the world. There’s no amount of thanks that I could give you, because I’m here to tell you, having deployed twice, I know how critical it is that we get that equipment and those supplies on time. You deliver and we know we can count on you.”
Gainey said it is important that all segments of the maritime industry “keep the dialogue open on the key issues: port security, strategic sealift, rebuilding our ports … and ensuring that we keep a strong, strong maritime force with American-flag carriers.”
She mentioned the relatively new program in which protective vehicles known as MRAPS are being delivered (often by Seafarers-contracted ships) to U.S. troops overseas. Pointing out the efficiency of sealift, she noted that some of the decision-makers originally advocated airlift for the new military vehicles.
“If it was your son or daughter (waiting for delivery), you, too, would have wanted it there the fastest way possible,” Gainey said. “We were able to show them we can deliver” quickly by ship, and those deliveries have reinforced the value of American-flag vessels supporting our troops.
Gainey repeatedly referred to the effective “partnership” between the military and the commercial sector. She said deliveries to the warfighter have “significantly improved” because of that partnership, adding that “performance statistics” bear out the speed and reliability of American-flag ships.
“We in U.S. TRANSCOM are fully committed to the commercial-first policy,” Gainey declared. “If we don’t, then we will not have the maritime fleet that we need to support this nation when we would even go to a larger-scale war. You are the backbone and we know that. We always try to utilize the liner service as the first option to meet the required delivery date for our warfighter. And we’re looking to even expand that business…. It’s all about leveraging the strength that you have and the partnerships you have with other organizations. Partnership is what is going to make us strong, keep us strong, and make sure that this nation is free.”
She concluded that when she was researching the MTD prior to the meetings, she was very impressed by “how critical you are to the defense of this nation … the value of an organization that brings together all of these specialties. You are that fourth arm of Department of Defense and you are critical to this nation, and this is what makes America great.”
Rondeau credited MTD and SIU President Michael Sacco as “a man of his word” who “is a guy that is helping move things forward” for the U.S. maritime industry.
She noted that she comes from a union family – a background the helps her appreciate the importance of the MTD. The department’s history and current efforts are “important to us in uniform,” she said. “Why is that? Because you produce results.”
Rondeau shared a number of statistics reflecting the large amount of military cargo transported in recent years aboard U.S.-flag commercial ships as well as civilian-crewed Military Sealift Command vessels. “You truly have answered the nation’s call,” she said.
She twice referred to the March edition of the Seafarers LOG – once expressing her agreement with a letter extolling union membership, and then pointing out a quote from SIU Recertified Bosun David James. The bosun, who has sailed on multiple voyages for Operation Iraqi Freedom, recently said, “SIU members are here to support the troops.”
After sharing that quote with the audience, Rondeau recalled a scene from just a few days earlier, when 1,000 or so troops in Iraq had gathered to watch a movie. In accordance with protocol, the National Anthem was played before the show – but problems with the sound system kept interrupting.
She estimated that if something similar were to happen in a private theater in the U.S. filled with 18-to-22-year-olds, “you’re going to get at the very best some laughter and at the worst some profanity like you haven’t heard in a while. But (back in Iraq) the room was dead quiet on the third time of them trying to run the recoding of the National Anthem. At that point, one voice starts, another voice starts, and (soon) 1,000 soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen sang ‘the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air…’ and they sang to the end.
“These are people who have been there for a year or two. So I would say to David James, SIU or MTD union members who are here to support the troops: Those men and women are worth your investment. They’re worth what you give them and you give them a lot, because together we’re not just involved – we are committed.”
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