I get sad when I watch the Memorial Day concert on The Mall every year because like everywhere else our Merchant Marine veterans are ignored. In WWII they had higher casualty rates than all the other services including the Marines, yet they never got the veterans benefits that were due them even though they served in all theaters of the war. They wore uniforms, were subject to military regulations, fired the same guns as the Navy Armed Guards, got bombed, strafed, and torpedoed, and became POW's. The Merchant Marine Academy is the only Federal academy allowed to fly a battle flag because their students went to war and gave their lives. FDR planned to include Merchant Mariners in the GI Bill but he died before he could implement it. Please remember them.
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