Congressman Al Green Pays Homage to Merchant Mariners of World War II in Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony
(Washington, DC) — On Wednesday, May 18, 2022, the 117th Congress of the United States is holding a Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony to honor the Merchant Mariners of World War II (WWII). Congressman Al Green, who will be in attendance, released the following statement:
“It is my sincerest pleasure to join my colleagues in honoring the Merchant Mariners of WWII with a Congressional Gold Medal. Among the brave Americans who served as Mariners is my constituent Mr. Charles Mills. Mr. Mills, who is 101 years young, has been on a journey for many years to secure justice for himself and the approximately 3,000 Merchant Mariners who are still with us. I am exceedingly humbled to have supported him and his fellow service members on their noble mission. I am also honored to be present with them today to witness this moment.”
“For nearly 78 years, justice has been denied to our WWII Mariners. The G.I. Bill benefits of 1944 (the Servicemen’s Act of 1944) did not include federal benefits for Merchant Mariners who served in WWII. Our government did not consider them veterans until 1988 and still did not justly compensate them for risking their lives and being willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for our country. They transported armaments and personnel across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and suffered a higher per capita casualty rate than any other branch of the U.S. Armed Forces during WWII.”
Congressman Al Green concluded, “A medal cannot replace the lives lost or make amends for lack of compensation that was rightfully earned. Nevertheless, I am pleased to see the Merchant Mariners honored in some measure and look forward to continue working with Mr. Mills and the rest of the Mariners to rectify a historic injustice.”
Congressman Al Green’s legislation H.R. 39 – Honoring our World War II Merchant Mariners Act of 2021 was included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022, which passed the House in September 2021 with bipartisan support. H.R. 39 allowed the Department of Veterans Affairs to distribute a discretionarily funded, one-time payment of $25,000 to U.S. Merchant Mariners who met certain service requirements during WWII. While H.R. 39 passed in the House version of the NDAA, it did not make it into the final version of the NDAA passed by the Senate in December 2021. For this and a multiplicity of additional reasons, a Congressional Gold Medal is a great honor, however, it is not enough. There must be just compensation for the noble service to their country that they rendered.