[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 106 (Tuesday, September 12, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H7457-H7459]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE SERVICE AND SACRIFICE OF THE UNITED STATES MERCHANT MARINE
Mr. KUYKENDALL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 327) honoring the service and
sacrifice during periods of war by members of the United States
merchant marine.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Con. Res. 327
Whereas throughout the history of the United States, the
United States merchant marine has served the Nation during
periods of war;
Whereas vessels of the United States merchant marine fleet,
such as the S.S. LANE VICTORY, provided critical logistical
support to the Armed Forces by carrying equipment, supplies,
and personnel necessary to maintain war efforts;
Whereas numerous members of the United States merchant
marine have died to secure peace and freedom; and
Whereas at a time when the people of the United States are
recognizing the contributions of the Armed Forces and
civilian personnel to the national security, it is
appropriate to recognize the service of the United States
merchant marine: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress--
(1) honors the service and sacrifice during periods of war
by members of the United States merchant marine;
(2) recognizes the critical role played by vessels of the
United States merchant marine fleet, such as the S.S. LANE
VICTORY, in transporting equipment, supplies, and personnel
necessary to support war efforts; and
(3) encourages--
(A) the American people, through appropriate ceremonies and
activities, to recognize and commemorate the service and
sacrifices of the United States merchant marine; and
(B) all government agencies to take appropriate steps to
commemorate the United States merchant marine.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Kuykendall) and the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr.
Taylor) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Kuykendall).
General Leave
Mr. KUYKENDALL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks on the resolution under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. KUYKENDALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
The merchant marines have served this country since the birth of our
Nation. Many people do not think of that. They are most frequently
remembered as the World War II veterans because of the great
significance they played in that conflict. However, beginning as early
as 1775, the merchant marine was actually the first military force we
used to defeat the British Navy with. During that time period, they
became our first Navy: merchant vessels with guns on them. They brought
critical supplies to fight for our independence.
If we go on to the next century in the 1800s, between 1812, the War
of 1812, and the first World War, they participated in not only that
War of 1812, but also the Civil War, the Spanish American War, and
delivered doughboys to Europe and their supplies to go with them.
In 1936, the Merchant Marine Act was passed by Congress which
established the United States merchant marine ``as a naval or military
auxiliary in time of war or national emergency.'' From 1941 to 1946,
during World War II, merchant marines took part in all invasions.
Merchant marine casualties were the highest in any service: 1 in 29.
One in 29 people that served became a casualty. Statistics were so
important in keeping track of the losses that during World War II we
kept secret merchant marine losses because in some weeks we were losing
over 30 vessels a week being sunk, between ours and allied forces
around the world, and we would never be able to report that and still
have men sign up to be a merchant seaman. By 1946, allied leaders
planning the invasions of Japan had the merchant marine assigned a
critical role in order to move millions of men and their material.
Again, the merchant marine after the war, World War II, came out in
the Korean War and they supported that operation. They supported the
Vietnam War in 1961 to 1973; and today they serve, even today,
supplying troops in Bosnia as well as our earlier conflicts in the
1990s, the Persian Gulf War.
Merchant marines provide a service which is critical to every war
effort. To tell my colleagues how critical it is, in World War II, the
average soldier, depending upon his job, required somewhere between
seven and 15 tons of material to supply them for 1 year. One soldier
for 1 year, seven to 15 tons. That does not get delivered by airplanes;
it gets delivered by ships all over the world. In fact, on average, in
1945, every hour there were 17 million pounds of cargo being delivered
by the merchant marine in support of our war effort.
In 1965, skipping ahead now to Vietnam, we had 300 freighters and
tankers supplying the United States military efforts, and on average,
on average, we had 75 ships and over 3,000 merchant mariners in
Vietnamese ports at any given time. Da Nang Harbor was the home of the
Marine Amphibious Force Logistic Command, and in support of 81,000
Marines in Vietnam, that command brought 96 percent of the war material
needed for the Marine forces there.
{time} 2115
That included everything from tanks to food.
Merchant marines have served as civilians, but routinely go in harm's
way in the conduct of their service. Here I am going to quote from B.D.
Hammer in an article he wrote in the New York Daily News on May 20,
talking about war heroes in the merchant marines:
All volunteers, these seafarers came from every vocation,
level of education, ethnicity,
[[Page H7458]]
and faith. Some were teens, and some were senior citizens.
Many were deemed unfit for military service. Yet the merchant
marine traveled across the oceans of the world, often without
proper protection, to every battlefront, every invasion of a
beachhead that this Nation called it to.
Again, one in 29 mariners who served aboard merchant ships in World
War II died in the line of duty. Some of those casualties: There were
8,651 mariners killed in World War II, U.S. mariners. One hundred
forty-two of those were cadets from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
They were college kids. We all nominate people to the U.S. Merchant
Marine Academy, and that academy is the only service academy, of the
five that we have, that is authorized to carry a battle standard. They
sent cadets to go fight the war.
We had 11,000 wounded, 1,100 more died of wounds ashore, and 604 men
and women were taken prisoner while serving as merchant marines. Sixty
of them died in prison camp. We have about 500 more Americans who died
in service while serving on allied vessels, 500 more. We had people die
in the Vietnam War serving in the merchant marine, and many more
injured due to actions around them.
As a nation, we must remain committed to maintaining a strong
merchant marine. It is the greatest insurance we will have that we will
always be able to deliver our men and materiel wherever in the world
they are needed. We need a strong Merchant Marine Academy to train
them, we need a strong shipbuilding industry to build their vessels,
and we need to recognize the service of those who gave their lives in
times of war.
The merchant marines have been part of America's history since we
became a nation. They are most frequently remembered for World War II
action because of the publicity of that event. Today, we have a few
remaining even from that war, and we should seek even more recognition
as they gradually pass on.
I urge the passage of this resolution, Mr. Speaker, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. TAYLOR of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am a fill-in tonight for our ranking member, the
gentleman from Guam (Mr. Underwood), who was called away because of a
family emergency, so the words I am going to read tonight are his, not
mine.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House Concurrent
Resolution 327, a resolution which would honor and recognize our
merchant marines.
I would first like to thank the gentleman from California (Mr.
Kuykendall) for introducing this important resolution. I am a proud
cosponsor of this legislation, which seeks to ensure that our merchant
marines receive the recognition that they long deserve.
The merchant marines, our first Navy, were instrumental in defeating
the British Navy during the Revolutionary War. Highly outnumbered,
these brave seamen contributed to the very birth and founding of our
Republic by preying on the vast arsenal of British enemy ships and
carrying critical supplies to assist in America's battle for
independence.
Since 1775, the merchant marines have served our country in all wars
up to the Persian Gulf War. Whether carrying imports or exports during
peacetime, or serving as naval auxiliary during wartime delivering
troops and war material, the merchant marine provides an essential
service to the well-being of our Nation.
Long called our Nation's fourth arm of defense, the merchant marines
have always answered the call to duty. During World War II, the
merchant marine was responsible for delivering not only our troops, but
95 percent of the supplies that our military forces needed to defeat
our enemies in both Europe and in the Pacific. These merchant seamen
were at constant risk of having their ship sunk by enemy submarines.
As a result of their bravery, the merchant marines had higher
casualty percentages than any branch of the Armed Forces. During World
War II, one in every 29 mariners perished. Eight thousand, six hundred
51 mariners were killed at sea, and an additional 11,000 wounded.
Due to the security and intelligence concerns surrounding our war
effort, merchant marine ship casualties were constantly underestimated.
Unfortunately, this resulted in inadvertently denying the American
people the knowledge of the sacrifices and accomplishments of the
merchant marines. Unknown to many Americans, these courageous seamen
suffered incredible losses in moving heavy equipment, troops, arms,
ammunition, and fuel across thousands of miles of hostile seas.
Today, House Concurrent Resolution 327 will finally honor their
dedication and sacrifice by recognizing their utter devotion to duty.
Congress has acted in the past regarding the merchant marine. The
Merchant Marine Act of 1936 officially established the merchant marine
as a naval or military auxiliary in time of war or national security.
Furthermore, in 1988, merchant marines who sailed on ocean-going
vessels from December 7, 1941, through August 15 of 1945 were granted
veteran status.
Today the men and women of the merchant marine continue to serve with
honor. As Members of Congress, we need to continue to educate the
American people about the importance and the achievements of the
merchant marine. House Concurrent Resolution 327 serves this purpose.
I urge all Members to support this important legislation in an effort
to ensure that our merchant marines receive the recognition and honor
they deserve for sacrificing so much to our Nation.
Mr. Speaker, having read the remarks of the gentleman from Guam (Mr.
Underwood), I would also say that the best way we can honor our
merchant marines is to continue to have a strong American merchant
marine. The way we can do that is to continue to protect the Jones Act,
continue to emphasize American shipbuilding, and to continue to, when
possible, give priority to American-made products that help in our
national defense.
I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Kuykendall) for
doing this. Again, I want to apologize for the absence of the gentleman
from Guam (Mr. Underwood), but there was a family emergency.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. KUYKENDALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, we are entering an era of great peace which we have been
in for the last few years, and we have a large contingent of our
veterans, in this case merchant marines, who have never been properly
recognized. Their job was secret, in many cases, particularly the loss
of their lives and the ships they sailed in during World War II, so the
important role they played was even more removed from the public.
Now, as they in great numbers begin to fade away, their importance
has by no means faded. We still need that merchant fleet. We still need
merchant seamen trained to run civilian ships to haul our materiel
wherever it needs to be hauled in support of our Nation's activities.
Part of the greatness of a nation is how we recognize those who give
of themselves in its defense and in its pursuits around the world. In
this case, this group has been overlooked too long, and it should be
recognized.
I urge my colleagues to vote yes to recognize the merchant marines
for their actions from the inception of our Nation to today.
Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a co-sponsor of H. Con. Res.
327 and as one who appreciates the vital contribution that merchant
mariners have made to the security and well-being of our sea-faring
nation.
Since 1775, the Merchant Marine has linked the United States in
commerce with trading partners all over the world. In wartime, merchant
seamen have served with valor and distinction. During World War II,
6,000 merchant mariners, including 142 Kings Point cadets, made the
ultimate sacrifice. Despite this terrible cost, the Merchant Marine
never faltered in its mission.
Today's merchant mariners continue their predecessors' legacy of
dedication and patriotism. Many of these great Americans begin their
careers at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York.
Since 1938, Kings Point has prepared cadets to serve as officers in
the Merchant Marine. Recognized as leaders in the maritime industry,
Kings Point graduates represent every state and territory in the union.
Rear Admiral Joe Stewart and his staff are to be commended for
continuing the tradition of excellence at Kings Point.
[[Page H7459]]
After World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, ``Mariners
have . . . delivered the goods when and where needed . . . across every
ocean in the . . . most difficult and dangerous job ever undertaken.''
I urge my colleagues to honor the contribution of the Merchant Marine
by voting ``yes'' on H. Con. Res. 327.
Mr. KUYKENDALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pease). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Kuykendall) that the
House suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, House
Concurrent Resolution 327.
The question was taken.
Mr. KUYKENDALL. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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