Forgotten heroes: Merchant Marines push for 'belated thank you' benefits

Don Adams says if it weren't for his Merchant Marines, World War II would have had a decidedly less favorable outcome.

"If it hadn't been for the Merchant Marines, we'd be speaking German or Japanese today," said the 79-year-old Cape Girardeau resident. "When I say that to people, they tell me that's far-fetched. But I'm telling you, it's not."

Adams always considered himself a military man. But the government never really has. Thousands of World War II Merchant Marines have never gotten military benefits for their service on board transport ships. However, federal legislation has been introduced in an effort to recognize the Merchant Marines' contributions in World War II.

From 1944 until 1946, Adams served the war effort in a crucial way -- as a mariner on several so-called Liberty Ships, slow-moving cargo vessels that delivered oil, gas, ammunition, food, water and military equipment to troops across the globe.

During his 12 trips to places like South America, India, Cuba and Africa, Adams wore several hats: cook, deck hand and all-around Merchant seaman. It was a dangerous job, resulting in the highest casualty rate compared to the U.S. military branches. One out of 26 mariners was killed during the war. Enemy forces sank more than 800 Merchant Marine ships between 1941 and 1944 alone. More than 8,000 mariners died during World War II.

"We were always a target," Adams said. "If you take out the supplies, you've made a big hit to the war effort. They couldn't have fought the war without the supplies we took them."

Not officially a military branch during World War II, the fleet was in effect nationalized by the U.S. government, meaning that the government controlled the cargo and the destinations, contracted the private companies to operate the ships, put guns on board and trained the mariners to operate the ships and assist in manning the guns through the U.S. Maritime Service.

The Merchant Marines operated under the auspices of the U.S. War Department during World War II -- they even went to boot camp -- but did not receive any benefits from the GI Bill of Rights that Congress passed in 1945.

Veteran status

After a long court battle, the U.S. government finally bestowed veteran status to some mariners in 1988, and the rest got veteran status in 1998, including what Adams called a "watered down" version of the GI Bill of Rights.

But for the aging mariners, it was too late to take advantage of training and other educational opportunities.

If he had gotten those benefits when he was a younger man, Adams says life could have been better. He is grateful for the job he got when he returned home, working for 35 years at Southwestern Bell as a cable splicer. He may have gone to college on the GI Bill. Even if he hadn't, money would have been available for training for a higher-paying job.

But some members of Congress are trying to rectify the situation. Earlier this year, U.S. Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., introduced a bill called the "Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2005." That would pay the surviving 10,000 mariners who served in World War II a monthly stipend of $1,000, which would then go to their spouses after they die. The average age of a mariner is 81.

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson of Cape Girardeau is a co-sponsor of the bill.

"I greatly respect those who served as Merchant Marines in World War II," she said in a statement. "Under the GI Bill of Rights, which Congress passed in 1945, the Merchant Marines were denied a benefit they fought hard to earn. The bill serves as a belated thank you to these brave men and recognizes their service to our nation."

Congressional support

But the bill still hasn't made it to the floor of Congress. The fight is being closely watched by Bruce Felknor of Evanston, Ill. Felknor is a Merchant Marine historian and the author of "The U.S. Merchant Marines at War: 1775-1945."

He said that in the House of Representatives, there are 225 co-sponsors of the bill. The Senate only has 17, meaning there is a good deal of work to do.

"It won't even come to the floor until we get a strong enough demonstration of support," said Felknor, also a former Merchant Marine. "There's just no telling."

But Felknor and Adams both say that it's not entirely about getting the stipend. For them, it's mainly about getting recognition for a group of men who were vital in winning the war.

"I think mainly we want to be remembered as a significant major participants in World War II," Felknor said. "We really made the victory possible and people don't know that."

smoyers@semissourian.com

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