THEY SERVED IN some of the harshest conditions of World War II and suffered the highest casualty rate of any branch
of the armed forces.
And yet, the sailors and officers of the United States Merchant Marine were for more than 43 years denied many of
the benefits awarded to other World War II veterans.
Today, Congress is trying to recognize the Merchant Marine's important contribution to the war effort by awarding
the more than 10,000 surviving service veterans a $1,000 monthly stipend.
"The Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders fully supports this long overdue honor for our brave American
merchant seamen," said Freeholder Gerry P. Little.
Little said the Merchant Marine was charged with delivering supplies across the frigid North Atlantic even before
the Unites States formally entered World War II.
"They manned the 'Liberty Ships' that carried everything from tanks to GI socks from our factories to the
battlefields of Europe, " he said. "Without the bravery and sacrifices of the Merchant Marine sailors, we could not have
liberated Europe."
The sailors were in constant danger of attacks by German u-boats as their ships trudged through rough Atlantic
seas.
"For us today, it's hard to imagine what it must have been like serving aboard a merchant ship that could be
torpedoed at any moment" Little, who is liaison to the Ocean County Veterans Service Bureau, said.
More than 1,500 cargo ships were sunk and 9,000 officers and sailors were killed during the war, a casualty rate
of 1 in every 26, the highest of all the services.
Despite the dangers they faced, those who served in the Merchant Marine during World War II were not awarded
veteran status until 1988, causing many of them to miss out on earlier benefits.
The bill now before the House and Senate would give the surviving veterans, or their surviving spouses, $1,000 a
month for the rest of their lives.
"When their country needed them, they answered the call," Freeholder Director John P. Kelly said. "It's well past
time these brave veterans receive the benefits they so justly deserve."
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