Well-earned recognition for the U.S. Merchant Marine is a big step closer to becoming reality.
In late June, U.S. Rep. John Garamendi (D-California) announced that his bipartisan Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2019 has secured the 290 cosponsors necessary to receive a mandatory vote in the House of Representatives. The bill will move to the Consensus Calendar, which hosts legislation that’s typically passed unanimously by the House, according to Garamendi’s office.
“Throughout the Second World War, our armed forces relied on the U.S. Merchant Marine to ferry supplies, cargo and personnel into both theaters of operation, and they paid a heavy price in service to their country,” said Garamendi. “The U.S. Merchant Marine suffered the highest per capita casualty rate in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II. An estimated 8,300 mariners lost their lives, and another 12,000 were wounded, to make sure our service members could keep fighting. Yet, these mariners who put their lives on the line were not even given veteran status until 1988.”
He recalled meeting three World War II mariners last year: Charles Mills of Texas, age 97; Eugene Barner from Kansas, age 92; and Robert Weagant from Illinois, age 92. Garamendi continued, “These mariners put their lives on the line for this country, braving German and Japanese submarines in their Liberty ships as they delivered critical supplies to our service members in the European and Pacific theaters. Unfortunately, their sacrifice is commonly overlooked. A Congressional Gold Medal would give them the recognition they deserve, and that’s why I’ve introduced this bill: to give these veterans and their families the honor and respect they are owed. I’m pleased that this bill will receive a vote in the full House of Representatives and is in an excellent position to become law,” Garamendi concluded.
“The time has come for our nation to provide a well-deserved thank you and honor the remaining U.S. Merchant Marine Veterans of WWII with a Congressional Gold Medal,” said Christian Yuhas, vice president of the American Merchant Marine Veterans and a chief engineer in the merchant marine. “I urge Congress to support this important bill.”
The Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act was introduced in the Senate simultaneously by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). U.S. Reps. Don Young (R-Alaska) and Susan Brooks (R-Indiana) are the original cosponsors in the House of Representatives.
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