Why World War II Mariners Deserve Proposed Benefit

H.R.23 and S.1272 did not come to a vote during the 109th Congress. Cong. Filner introduced a new Bill, also numbered H.R.23 in the 110th Congress and Senator Nelson along with Senators Stevens and Brownback introduced S.961.

During the 109th Congress the Chairmen of the House and Senate Veterans'Affairs Committees raised several objections to the proposed legislation.

Our response to those objections:

1. The cost ... is considerable.... the Committee would have to find $36 million of offsets in the first year alone.

According to recent news articles, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars cost $176 million per day. The first year cost for helping 83-year-old mariners -- some of whom are existing on Social Security -- would be equal to the cost of about 7 hours of the war in Iraq.

A recent audit revealed that between 1997 and 2003, the Defense Department purchased and left unused 270,000 fully refundable commercial airline tickets wasting $100 million. Auditors also found 27,000 transactions in which the Pentagon purchased airline tickets directly and then inexeplicably reimbursed the employee for the price of the ticket. Paying twice for the same ticket cost taxpayers $8 million.

The Defense Department Budget for 2007 is $471 Billion. That is $471,000,000,000.

In 2001 the Defense Budget totaled $305 billion. The following year, the General Accounting Office examined just $2.2 billion in expenditures of the previous 2 years and found $101 million dollars in "questionable expenditures." Examples of "questionable expenditures" were:

• Four successive Army units deploying to Bosnia spent $2.3 million on similar computer and office equipment without attempting to share or reuse the equipment.
• "Seemingly unneeded expenditures," such as these purchases by 5 Air Force Bases in Southwest Asia in Fiscal Years 2000 and 2001 [Al Dhafra Air Base, Escan Village, Al Jaber Air Base, Prince Sultan Air Base, Ali Al Salem Air Base]:

Air Force Purchase	Cost
Rental cars	$1,034,000
Cappuccino machines	88,183
White beach sand	4,638
Decorative river rock	18,980
Palm trees and bar stools	2,076
Artificial plants	11,598
Golf club set with bag	1,478
Escan Village Golf passes	5,333
Corporate golf membership	16,000
Genie lamp with Riyadh stone	432
Silver knife mounted on Riyadh stone	864
King/Queen comforter sheet sets	2,080
Maple pool cues (13)	2,352
Leather executive chairs (4)	4,262
Computer tutorial “Intelligent Investor”	2,987
Cowboy hats	4,896
Designer coffee table	2,205
Sumo wrestling suit	$3,395
Guided recreational tours	65,000
Nostalgic juke box	14,835
Three compartment lunch boxes	8,212
Valentines day decorations	328
Halloween decorations	9,825
Mardi Gras decorations	1,147
Remote control cars	3,766
Folding tool sets	49,500
Palm Pilots	36,100
Executive high-back chairs	48,500
Silver and china	49,668
Couches and loveseats	112,089
Recliners	8,800
Decorative furnishings	5,000
Bingo console	49,500
Nacho cheese warmer	1,039

 

No wonder some legislators think there's no money for mariners!

The average age of World War II mariners is 83, and since the average male lifespan is 72, the estimated $36 million cost per year would decrease extremely rapidly! After a computer with personal information was stolen, the Veteran Affairs department had no difficulty in finding $26 million dollars to notify veterans and to deal with potential credit problems.

But fairness, not cost is the issue!

While signing the GI Bill on June 22, 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt stated:

"I trust Congress will soon provide similar opportunities to members of the merchant marine who have risked their lives time and time again during war for the welfare of their country."

Mariners were denied a free college education, low-cost business loans, priority for jobs, one year unemployment insurance, free medical care, etc., they and their families suffered financial repercussions all their lives.

The Senator claims the USMM “suffered heavy casualties from enemy naval forces and land-to-sea artillery fire, ” and says, “thank you" for your service. Mariners already received a "thank you" from President Truman -- and that piece of paper and $3.00 will buy a cup of coffee.

2. The precedent ... would likely result in additional spending.

The Senator considered this would set a precedent for other groups which received Veteran Status as a result of Public Law 95-202 to ask for similar benefits. Please look at the List of Groups which received Veteran Status whose total numbers (other than mariners) were just a few thousand persons, and consider which ones were exposed to the kinds of dangers faced by mariners as seen in the photos below. All mariners were in harm's way as soon as they left a U.S. harbor!

Photo below, caption provided by the U.S. Navy, reads: "Torpedo damage to the oil tanker SS Pennsylvania Sun, as seen after the fire July 16, 1942. Burned body of seaman on the flying bridge."

Photo below: Explosion of the SS Paul Hamilton on April 20, 1944 en route to Bizerte, Tunisia. She carried ammunition and 47 mariners, 29 Naval Armed Guard, 504 U.S. Army Air Force. There were no survivors. The next-of-kin of the Armed Guard and Army Air Force received $10,000 life insurance and their dependents received monthly survivor benefits. Mariners families received $5,000 and no further benefits.

Mariners an Armed Force, Served in Combat Zones, Subject to Military Control

World War II Mariners suffered the highest casualty rate of any service during World War II. 1 in 26 mariners died in the line of duty, (Marine Corps: 1 in 34;. Army 1 in 48; Navy: 1 in 114; Coast Guard:1 in 421) Casualties were kept secret during the War to keep information from the enemy, and to attract and keep mariners at sea.

1 in 8 mariners lost their ships due to torpedoes, mines, armed raiders bombers, kamikazes, or uncharted waters, while they delivered troops, tanks, food, airplanes, fuel and other war materiel to every front and participated in every invasion.

According to international law, mariners lost their civilian status when they manned offensive weapons. They were subject to court martial by the Army or Navy forces with whom they served. In 1942, Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, the Chief of Naval Operations, directed that Naval discipline and control was to be exercised against Merchant Marine crews while in all theaters of war. General Eisenhower, asked for and received permission from the President, to award military medals to men of the Merchant Marine. Merchant Marine an Armed Force

The Uniform Code of Military Justice states, "... persons subject to this chapter: In times of war, persons serving with or accompanying an armed force in the field."

By Act of Congress passed in November 1941, the U.S. Navy mounted anti-aircraft guns and cannons on merchant ships. Navy orders to ship Masters included:

• "There is no situation where either the Master or Armed-Guard commander should delay opening fire on the enemy ."
• "It is the policy of the United States Government that no U. S. Flag merchant ship be permitted to fall into the hands of the enemy. The ship shall be defended by her armament, by maneuver, and by every available means as long as possible. Then, in the judgment of the Master, capture is inevitable, he shall scuttle the ship."
• "The Navy Department originally intended that the nucleus gun crews supplied by them were to be supplemented by merchant seaman for the purpose of loading ammunition supply under actual hostilities, thus reducing the numbers of Naval personnel placed on board merchant vessels for armed guard duty.
• " It is the desire of the Navy Department to instruct and train the officers and men of the merchant crew in all matters pertaining to gunnery and defense of their vessels. The Masters should be instructed to assist in every way to carry out this training. The training periods should be alternated between mornings and afternoons to enable each watch to attend instruction classes gun drills, and spotting board practice."
  
  On a typical cargo ship, 23 mariners out of a total crew of 40-45 men were assigned gun stations during battle with the enemy.

  Hearings before The Committee on The Merchant Marine and Fisheries, House of Representatives, April 4, 1946

  The CHAIRMAN [Schuyler Otis Bland]. What is your official position?

  Admiral Arthur P. FAIRFIELD. I am Chairman of the Board of Medals and Decorations, United States Maritime Commission....

  Admiral FAIRFIELD. I think everybody knows very well the service of the merchant marine during this war. Some people forget that on board each merchant ship in transocean service we had 10 guns, in comparison with the 1 gun of the last war, which was a stern chaser to prevent ships overtaking them. But the advent of the airplane made the 10 guns necessary, and in all transocean ships 9, at least, of these guns were antiaircraft. The guns were manned by men of the Navy and of the merchant marine, half and half, so that honors and distinctions going to one-half of the gun's crew would not look well unless the other half were equally recognized.

  The CHAIRMAN. That is, the half that came from the Navy would be recognized for their part in the service?

  Admiral FAIRFIELD. Yes.

  The CHAIRMAN. While those from the merchant marine would not.

  Admiral FAIRFIELD. Yes, sir....

  Mr. DAUGHTON. These members of the merchant marine who were part of these gun crews, were they volunteering for combat duty or were they detailed by the commanding officer?

  Admiral FAIRFIELD. They are detailed by the commanding officer, just as the Navy men were also detailed....

  Although 85% of all merchant marine casualties were classified as "Missing in Action," 476 mariners are buried in American Battle Monuments Commission National Cemeteries overseas. Were "civilians" buried in Military Cemeteries?

  During World War II, men with experience at sea were were forbidden to work in shipyards or to use State Employment offices. During an 8 month period during 1943-44, 600 men were released from the Army and required to return to sea.

  ---

  3. Comparison with Medal of Honor

  Some legislators compared the proposed $1,000 per month benefit to the payment received by those awarded the Medal of Honor. Mariners are not trying to equate their service to these great heroes.

  In 1945, Mariners were promised benefits similar to the GI Bill, but never received them. Denied a free college education, low-cost business loans, priority for jobs, one year unemployment insurance, free medical care, etc., they and their families suffered financial repercussions all their lives.

The proposed payment is an arbitrary sum selected to help make up for the injustice mariners suffered. According to Congressman Filner, "all other Veterans of World War II received assistance in the equivalent of $120,000 in 1946 dollars. Adjusted for inflation, the U.S. Government owes the Merchant Marine Veterans over $1 million dollars, for the lack of benefits." $1,000 per month paid to 83 year-olds is an absolute bargain!

It is ludicrous to claim that receiving "full veteran benefits from VA" starting in 1988, is equivalent to the GI Bill granted other World War II veterans in 1944.

House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Statement About GI Bill

“The GI Bill was perhaps the greatest social program ever passed by Congress,” [Congressman Lane] Evans said in support of the bill. “Its impact on post World War II America was profound. Millions of America’s veterans who otherwise might not have been able to afford a college education received a college degree from some of our country’s greatest institutions of higher learning. That investment in our veterans has been repaid in taxes on higher incomes many times over."

US News and World Report: GI Bill of 1944

"Within the following 7 years, approximately 8 million veterans received educational benefits. Under the act, approximately 2,300,000 attended colleges and universities, 3,500,000 received school training, and 3,400,000 received on-the-job training. The number of degrees awarded by U.S. colleges and universities more than doubled between 1940 and 1950, and the percentage of Americans with bachelor degrees, or advanced degrees, rose from 4.6 percent in 1945 to 25 percent a half-century later.

"By 1956, when it expired, the education-and-training portion of the GI Bill had disbursed $14.5 billion to veterans -- but the Veterans Administration estimated the increase in Federal income taxes alone would pay for the cost of the bill several times over. By 1955, 4.3 million home loans had been granted, with a total face value of $33 billion.

"In addition, veterans were responsible for buying 20 percent of all new homes built after the war. The results rippled through the rest of the economy; there would be no new depression -- just unparalleled prosperity for a generation."

4. Bill would grant a veteran’s benefit to individuals who are not veterans.

Mariners who served between August 16, 1945, and December 31, 1946 became veterans with the passage of the Merchant Marine Fairness Act of 1998.

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Sources:
Gibson, Charles Dana. Merchantman? or Ship of War - A Synopsis of Laws. Ensign Press, PO Box 638, Camden, Maine 04843: 1986

Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King. Message re Naval discipline and control to be exercised against Merchant Marine crews while in all theaters of war (FF1/A14-1), Serial number 6077,25 Dec.1942. Clarification:(District staff Headquarters, 12th Naval Dist. DEC.31,1942, p13-9, 3407314-B/SK. W Greenslade.

WAR SHIPPING ADMINISTRATION, OPERATIONS REGULATION NO. 35, January 25, l943. Mariners must be assigned to gun crews. All mariners required to undergo training.

Facts about Gunnery Duties

Instructions to Masters from the Secretary of the Navy, Frank Knox, Op-23L-JH (SC) S76-3 Serial 097923 NAVY DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, March 30, 1942

The Real Cost of the Iraq War to American Taxpayers

United States General Accounting Office, Report to the Chairman and Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on Defense, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. Senate May 2002 DEFENSE BUDGET Need to Strengthen Guidance and Oversight of Contingency Operations Costs

100 Documents that Shaped America Servicemen's Readjustment Act (1944)

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National Defense Budget Estimates for the FY 2001 Budget (Green Book)

List of Groups which received Veteran Status

URGENT! Belated Thank You

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04/02/07