Merchant Seamen Belatedly Gain Veteran Status
As the war continued merchant mariners were often reminded how indispensable they were, from supporting Army and Marine assaults on Pacific islands to ferrying troops and materiel to the beaches of Normandy. Government officials from the President on down publicly recognized their contributions without which the war would have lasted longer and more lives been lost.
_________________________________
When the war was over a form of public recognition of the Merchant Marine was a First Class stamp, issued in February, 1946, depicting a Liberty ship loading cargo. It was the fifth in a series honoring "branches of the Armed Forces."
But the verbal accolades and the commemorative stamp hid a great injustice that wasn't addressed for more than four decades. Despite their indispensable role, not to mention their affiliation with the Coast Guard as a branch of the "Armed Forces," merchant seamen were not eligible for the important benefits available to military veterans until January, 1988, when after four decades of debate and uncertainty Congress corrected the injustice. By that time it was too late for many of them.
Applying for Veteran Status
Eligible seamen submitted their service history which, if approved, would give them a DD Form 214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty:" the key that unlocked access to benefits.
Herman's letter and the paperwork he received in response are shown here. As his address indicates, he had come back from Minnesota to the Portland area where his active duty had begun aboard the S.S. Segundo Ruiz-Belvis.
_____________________________
The space on Herman's DD 214 for "Decorations, Medals, Badges, Citations" provides a rare scrap of personal information: he received the Merchant Marine Emblem and the Pacific War Zone Bar seen here.
_________________________________________
The DD 214 also records the years of Herman's service with the cutoff date of August 15, 1945 - the date of the Japanese surrender. Congress had granted veteran status only for the exact period of hostilities, so seamen engaged in post-surrender military support or civilian relief (probable reasons for the Elmer A. Sperry's voyage to China) did not receive credit for additional time. That was to change.
Five years later, in 1993, the cutoff date was extended to December, 1945, conforming to the military services. Herman saved two newspaper articles published at the time; the first is a factual summary of the issue.
____________________________________
The second, by Guy Gugliotta of the Los Angeles Times/Washington Post syndicate, is far different. Not only is he angry that Congress waited 42 years to grant veteran status to merchant seamen, he is angry that it took another five years to extend their eligibility by four crucial months.
After citing military options for high school graduates in 1942, he continues "Then again, maybe the government could tempt you with another idea. Why not join the merchant marine?
"So instead of glamour and glory you found yourself standing watch in the engine room of a single-screw, bathtub-hulled Liberty ship. It was hot. It was noisy. It was boring. It was slow. And it was dangerous.
"Never mind. It was all supposed to work out in the end. When the war was over a grateful nation would pat you on the back and send you home with a portfolio of benefits and opportunities. Or so the merchant mariners thought."
The full article is displayed below:
The cynicism is unfiltered, and while one or two facts might be challenged the thrust of the piece is on the mark. That the policy of denial changed overnight with an act of Congress after years of lobbying confirms that the merchant seamen should have received the benefits from the start. A narrative of the issue may be found at this link.
This is taken from the informative website American Merchant Marine at War. It is not clear in 2021 whether the site is being regularly updated, but it nevertheless provides a wealth of detail about the Merchant Marine in American history.
_____________________________________