[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 15]
[House]
[Pages 21366-21370]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 BELATED THANK YOU TO THE MERCHANT MARINERS OF WORLD WAR II ACT OF 2007

  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 23) to amend title 46, United States Code, to provide 
benefits to certain individuals who served in the United States 
merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service and the Naval 
Transport Service) during World War II, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 23

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Belated Thank You to the 
     Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2007''.

     SEC. 2. PAYMENTS TO INDIVIDUALS WHO SERVED DURING WORLD WAR 
                   II IN THE UNITED STATES MERCHANT MARINE.

       (a) Establishment of Compensation Fund.--Subchapter II of 
     chapter 5 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 
     adding at the end the following new section:

     ``Sec. 532. Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund

       ``(a) Compensation Fund.--(1) There is in the general fund 
     of the Treasury a fund to be known as the `Merchant Mariner 
     Equity Compensation Fund' (in this section referred to as the 
     `compensation fund').
       ``(2) Subject to the availability of appropriations for 
     such purpose, amounts in the fund shall be available to the 
     Secretary without fiscal year limitation to make payments to 
     eligible individuals in accordance with this section.
       ``(b) Eligible Individuals.--(1) An eligible individual is 
     an individual who--
       ``(A) before October 1, 2009, submits to the Secretary an 
     application containing such information and assurances as the 
     Secretary may require;
       ``(B) has not received benefits under the Servicemen's 
     Readjustment Act of 1944 (Public Law 78-346); and
       ``(C) has engaged in qualified service.
       ``(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), a person has engaged 
     in qualified service if, between December 7, 1941, and 
     December 31, 1946, the person--
       ``(A) was a member of the United States merchant marine 
     (including the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport 
     Service) serving as a crewmember of a vessel that was--
       ``(i) operated by the War Shipping Administration or the 
     Office of Defense Transportation (or an agent of the 
     Administration or Office);
       ``(ii) operated in waters other than inland waters, the 
     Great Lakes, and other lakes, bays, and harbors of the United 
     States;
       ``(iii) under contract or charter to, or property of, the 
     Government of the United States; and
       ``(iv) serving the Armed Forces; and
       ``(B) while so serving, was licensed or otherwise 
     documented for service as a crewmember of such a vessel by an 
     officer or employee of the United States authorized to 
     license or document the person for such service.
       ``(c) Amount of Payments.--The Secretary shall make a 
     monthly payment out of the compensation fund in the amount of 
     $1,000 to an eligible individual. The Secretary shall make 
     such payments to eligible individuals in the order in which 
     the Secretary receives the applications of the eligible 
     individuals.
       ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--(1) There are 
     authorized to be appropriated to the compensation fund 
     amounts as follows:
       ``(A) For fiscal year 2008, $120,000,000.
       ``(B) For fiscal year 2009, $108,000,000.
       ``(C) For fiscal year 2010, $97,000,000.
       ``(D) For fiscal year 2011, $85,000,000.
       ``(E) For fiscal year 2012, $75,000,000.
       ``(2) Funds appropriated to carry out this section shall 
     remain available until expended.
       ``(e) Reports.--The Secretary shall include, in documents 
     submitted to Congress by the Secretary in support of the 
     President's budget for each fiscal year, detailed information 
     on the operation of the compensation fund, including the 
     number of applicants, the number of eligible individuals 
     receiving benefits, the amounts paid out of the compensation 
     fund, the administration of the compensation fund, and an 
     estimate of the amounts necessary to fully fund the 
     compensation fund for that fiscal year and each of the three 
     subsequent fiscal years.
       ``(f) Regulations.--The Secretary shall prescribe 
     regulations to carry out this section.''.
       (b) Regulations.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prescribe the 
     regulations required under section 532(f) of title 38, United 
     States Code, as added by subsection (a).
       (c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the 
     beginning of such chapter is

[[Page 21367]]

     amended by inserting after the item related to section 531 
     the following new item:

``532. Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Filner) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, before I get to these specific bills, let me 
just say, as chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, we 
are at a critical time in our Nation in dealing with our veterans. 
George Washington said it best over 200 years ago when he stated that 
``the morale of our active duty troops depends foremost on how they 
sense they're going to be treated when they come home.'' So we have a 
lot of work to do.
  We have a Secretary who has announced his resignation. Recently, just 
last week, the Dole-Shalala Commission released its report on some 
major changes for the VA and the DoD for the way we deal with our 
veterans and our wounded warriors. We need someone in that position, I 
think, who will shake things up a bit, who will not only do the Dole-
Shalala recommendations, but go further and really talk to two 
bureaucracies that have to do business far better than what they do. 
Too often, VA means for our veterans ``veterans adversary'' instead of 
``veterans advocate.''
  We have older veterans, like we're going to be dealing with in the 
bill up now, and we are going to have hundreds of thousands of new 
veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. It's a critical job that we must 
do. And I always say, no matter where we are in the war in Iraq, we're 
going to make sure that every young man and woman who comes back from 
the war gets all the love, the care, the attention, the honor, the 
dignity that a Nation can bestow.
  So we have a big job to do. And this package of bills we have today 
addressed both older veterans that we still have to care for and make 
sure any injustices that came up in their treatment are taken care of, 
as well as the needs that are so critical, whether they be brain injury 
or PTSD of the new veterans. We have to deal with both groups, and we 
have to do it right.
  I want to speak now on H.R. 23, the Belated Thank You to the Merchant 
Mariners of World War II Act.
  This is a bill that is six decades overdue, Mr. Speaker. And I think 
today we are on the verge of doing a historic thing, that is, providing 
a way to finally give the heroic merchant mariners of World War II the 
belated compensation that they've so richly earned and deserve.
  I think this Congress not only has to treat those new veterans coming 
back from Iraq, but we have the responsibility to correct the wrongs of 
the past, and this is one of the grave injustices that deserves 
rectification.
  There are over 250 Members of this House who have cosponsored H.R. 
23. But for those who haven't, let me tell you about the sad history of 
these forgotten heroes. The Merchant Mariners of World War II traversed 
the dangerous U-boat laden waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, 
faced down fierce attacks from enemy aircraft, and were instrumental in 
every theater of war by carrying 95 percent of all tanks, supplies and 
troops during World War II. As a result, they suffered the highest 
casualty rate of any of the military branches.
  It is indisputable that the allied forces would not have been able to 
begin, sustain or end World War II in victory without their valiant and 
selfless service. It is also indisputable, Mr. Speaker, that these men 
now are entitled to be compensated for their service.
  After the war, they did not receive the recognition as veterans, or 
the benefits of the unprecedented GI Bill of 1944, which, in many 
people's minds, they had earned. We all know the profound effects of 
that GI Bill on building the middle class. We all know that the 
education and ability to buy homes led to the creation of the success 
of the generations following World War II.
  At the signing of that bill in 1944, the GI Bill, which gave these 
veterans unprecedented education, housing, small business loans and 
health benefits, President Roosevelt himself declared, ``I trust 
Congress will soon provide similar opportunities to members of the 
merchant marine, who have risked their lives time and time again during 
war for the welfare of their country.'' Succeeding Congresses up until 
now have never done that.
  Their fight for equity continued for all the time since then, and 
even for the time after they finally attained veteran status after a 
lengthy court battle that was decided in 1987, which by then, 40 years 
after the war, over 125,000 merchant mariners had died.
  We've had the distinct privilege at the Veterans' Affairs Committee 
of receiving the heart-wrenching testimony of some of these veterans, 
one of whom was a named party in the lawsuit which finally gave him 
veteran status, a merchant mariner named Stanley Willner. Stanley was 
captured, interned, beaten, starved and tortured as a POW for 3 years. 
In fact, he was actually one of the unfortunate groups of allied forces 
that were forced to build the infamous bridge over the River Kwai. Upon 
release, he weighed a mere 74 pounds. When he returned home, his wife 
didn't recognize him, but neither did his country. He received just 2 
weeks of medical care and little else for his service to this Nation. 
What a miscarriage of justice.
  Mr. Speaker, it was only due to a sad confluence of powerful events 
after the war that this country did not bestow the brave men of the 
World War II Merchant Marine with veteran status. Their service was 
recognized by all the leaders of the Allied Forces from Generals 
MacArthur to Eisenhower.

                              {time}  1615

  I will include a list of quotes regarding their courageous service in 
the Record. I will also add a letter from the four maritime unions, the 
American Maritime Officers, the International Organization of Masters, 
Mates and Pilots, the Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association, and the 
Seafarers International Union, expressing their strong support for H.R. 
23, as amended.
  Mr. Speaker, the time has come to right this enduring wrong. To me, 
failing to correct the injustice suffered by the merchant mariners for 
the past six decades is equivalent to an employer telling a group of 
20-year-olds at the same company doing the same job that 85 percent of 
them will receive additional health, education, housing, and loan 
assistance benefits for the rest of their lives for their service, but 
the remaining 15 percent would not. Then, over 40 years later, the 
employer is forced to recognize the mistake and informs the 15 percent, 
sorry, we will give you what has not expired, but nothing else.
  Where is the fairness? Where is the equity? How do you measure the 
loss of these benefits, the missed opportunities and the dreams 
unrealized? That is what H.R. 23 tries to make up for, to create the 
semblance of equity that the mariners of World War II so richly deserve 
by providing a monthly stipend to qualifying mariners on a first-come-
first-served basis.

                                                    July 27, 2007.
     Hon. Bob Filner,
     Chairman, Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: We are writing on behalf of the 
     undersigned American maritime labor organizations to express 
     our strong support for H.R. 23, the ``Belated Thank You to 
     the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2007'' as 
     amended. The organizations we represent have the privilege of 
     including among our retired and active seagoing members 
     individuals who served our country with honor and distinction 
     during World War II. These World War II merchant mariners are 
     truly representative of the ``Greatest Generation'', and we 
     are extremely proud of them and the example they have set for 
     all merchant mariners who continue to respond to our Nation's 
     call whenever and wherever they are needed.
       General Colin Powell, following the Persian Gulf War, said 
     that: ``Since I became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 
     I have come to appreciate first-hand why our Merchant Marine 
     has long been called our Nation's fourth arm of defense. The 
     American seafarer provides an essential service to the well-
     being of our Nation as was demonstrated so clearly during 
     Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm . . .''

[[Page 21368]]

       We agree wholeheartedly with you that the enactment of H.R. 
     23 is necessary ``to correct an injustice that has been 
     inflicted upon a group of World War II veterans, the World 
     War II United States merchant mariners.'' We sincerely thank 
     you, Mr. Chairman, for your initiative in working to address 
     this injustice by sponsoring legislation to provide long-
     overdue recognition and benefits to World War II merchant 
     mariners. We are also grateful to your colleagues who have 
     cosponsored H.R. 23 and for their decision to add their names 
     to the bipartisan supporters who are committed to working 
     with you and with us for the enactment of H.R. 23 this year.
       There is not, nor should there be, any debate as to the 
     invaluable service given by American merchant mariners during 
     World War II. In fact, World War II merchant mariners 
     suffered the highest casualty rate of any of the branches of 
     the Armed Forces, other than the United States Marine Corps, 
     as they delivered troops, tanks, food, fuel and other needed 
     equipment and material to every theater of World War II. 
     Enemy forces sank more than 800 merchant vessels between 1941 
     and 1944 alone.
       As General of the Army, Allied Expeditionary Forces in 
     Europe, Dwight David Eisenhower stated, ``When final victory 
     is ours there is no organization that will share its credit 
     more deservedly than the Merchant Marine.'' Fleet Admiral 
     Chester W. Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Theater, said 
     that ``The Merchant Marine . . . has repeatedly proved its 
     right to be considered as an integral part of our fighting 
     team.''
       General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, speaking of the 
     merchant seamen who supported the liberation of the 
     Philippines, stated that ``With us they have shared the 
     heaviest enemy fire. On these Islands I have ordered them off 
     their ships and into foxholes when their ships became 
     untenable targets of attack. At our side they have suffered 
     in bloodshed and death . . . They have contributed 
     tremendously to our success. I hold no branch in higher 
     esteem than the Merchant Marine Service.''
       Finally, President Franklin Roosevelt eloquently and 
     accurately summed up the contributions of America's World War 
     II merchant mariners, telling the country and the world that 
     they ``have written one of its most brilliant chapters. They 
     have delivered the goods when and where needed in every 
     theater of operations and across every ocean in the biggest, 
     the most difficult and most dangerous job ever taken.''
       Yet despite this record of exemplary, indispensable service 
     to America's war efforts, merchant mariners were not given 
     the formal recognition and benefits granted other services by 
     the Congress through the G.I. Bill of Rights in 1945. In 
     fact, no legislation to recognize the contributions made by 
     World War II merchant mariners was enacted until Congress 
     extended limited veterans' status to these gallant American 
     citizens in 1988.
       We believe, as you have stated Mr. Chairman, that it is 
     time to correct this injustice. We believe our country has an 
     obligation to the remaining World War II merchant mariners to 
     fully acknowledge their service and to give them the measure 
     of benefit called for in H.R. 23. We ask you and your 
     colleagues to take the first step in righting this wrong by 
     voting to pass H.R. 23 during its consideration by the House 
     of Representatives.
       We again thank you and the Members of your Committee for 
     the support you have shown for the World War II merchant 
     mariners. We stand ready to provide whatever additional 
     information you may need.
           Sincerely,
     Thomas Bethel,
       President, American Maritime Officers.
     Timothy A. Brown,
       President, International Organization of Masters, Mates & 
     Pilots.
     Ron Davis,
       President, Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association.
     Michael Sacco,
       President, Seafarers International Union.
                                  ____

         Maritime Trades Department, American Federation of Labor 
           and Congress of Industrial Organizations,
                                    Washington, DC, July 27, 2007.
     Hon. Bob Filner,
     Chairman, Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: The Maritime Trades Department, AFL-CIO 
     and its 23 affiliated unions express our strong support for 
     H.R. 23, ``The Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of 
     World War II Act of 2007.'' We also offer our own ``Thank 
     You'' for your tireless efforts to correct a decades-long 
     injustice, which have incurred the respect and admiration of 
     maritime workers from one end of this country to the other.
       Except for an incomplete recognition in 1988, when the 
     Department of Defense agreed to award service medals to 
     civilian mariners who served in World War II and allow them 
     the privilege of being buried with veterans' honors, the 
     contribution of an entire generation of World War II 
     veterans--maritime's own version of ``the Greatest 
     Generation''--has been slighted. U.S. civilian mariners who 
     served in Wor1d War II suffered one of the highest casualty 
     rates of any of the branches of the Armed Forces. As Winston 
     Churchill and other great leaders of the time noted during 
     and after the war, the role that these brave mariners played 
     in keeping Great Britain and Russia supplied during the 
     darkest days of World War II had a profound effect on the 
     outcome of the war.
       Churchill, of course, called them ``unsung heroes in 
     dungarees.'' Dwight Eisenhower noted that, ``When final 
     victory is ours, there is no organization that will share in 
     its credit more deservedly than the merchant marine.'' 
     Franklin Delano Roosevelt said that when the history of the 
     war is recorded, the men and women of the U.S.-flag merchant 
     marine will ``have written one of its most brilliant 
     chapters.''
       While the Murmansk run and the deadly cross-Atlantic 
     transports were the best-known contributions of U.S. civilian 
     mariners, they certainly were not the only ones. The U.S.-
     flag merchant marine played a central role in every theater 
     of operations, including the Pacific, where Douglas MacArthur 
     noted, ``With us, they have shared the heaviest enemy fire.'' 
     Given this record, it was inconceivable that civilian 
     mariners were denied any formal recognition for their 
     important contributions to the war effort. You have called it 
     an historical injustice of the highest order. and you are 
     right.
       By providing eligible civilian mariners with appropriate 
     benefits, this legislation sends a clear message that the 
     United States government will always honor the contributions 
     of loyal, patriotic Americans. Coming at a time when this 
     country is embroiled in several conflicts abroad, it is an 
     important message that needs to he delivered. The House of 
     Representatives should pass this bill.
       The men and women of the U.S.-flag merchant marine are 
     unwavering in their support of our country and its troops in 
     harm's way. The fact that you and your colleagues understand 
     that and have been persistent in trying to correct a long-
     standing oversight also sends another message that needs to 
     be heard. By providing this Nation with a reliable source of 
     sealift and a skilled manpower pool of civilian mariners, the 
     U.S.-flag merchant marine will continue to play an important 
     role in the defense of this Nation.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Michael Sacco,
                                                        President.

  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate Mr. Filner for his leadership in 
bringing this bill forward and that of the staff on both sides. The 
legislation before us, H.R. 23, as amended, would provide $1,000 
monthly payment to World War II mariners.
  The merchant mariners braved great danger and suffered great loss in 
their service for the allies. This service has been recognized. Since 
1988, these wartime merchant mariners have full VA benefits, including 
health care. This bill goes further than that. It recognizes that these 
veterans did not have access to the GI Bill when they were young. In 
providing a monthly payment, H.R. 23 attempts to compensate for the 
loss of the potential offered by the GI Bill's educational benefits 
which were used by about half of the 16 million veterans of the Second 
World War.
  Thirty other groups also provided military service to the U.S. in 
World War II and have received veteran status in the same manner as the 
merchant mariners.
  We are a little bit concerned that we were not able in this bill to 
also help these deserving veterans. These groups include the Women's 
Air Force Service Pilots, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps and the 
famed Flying Tigers. They served loyally, selflessly and courageously. 
Their service also contributed directly to victory in 1945, and yet we 
haven't been able to accommodate them in this bill. In fairness, their 
duty must be taken into account. I hope that we can act in the near 
future and take care of them.
  I am also concerned that apparently because of the rules of the 
House, and I voted for PAYGO, that we couldn't find the offsets to fund 
this benefit. So the issue of funding is being passed to the 
appropriators. It is unclear where we are going to be able to find the 
approximately $485 million over the next 5 years to fund the bill.
  As a believer in the GI Bill, I certainly cannot dispute the fact 
that the lack of advantage conferred by GI Bill

[[Page 21369]]

education benefits disadvantaged merchant mariners and their families 
in the years following their service.
  Mr. Speaker, our merchant mariners provided intrepid and faithful 
service. Sixty years ago, they paid the heavy price for the freedoms we 
enjoy today. For that, they certainly deserve our appreciation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, we have a new Member from New Hampshire that 
I will call the ``not-so-gentle-lady'' because she has been incredibly 
active and taken a leadership role in passage of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she might consume to the 
gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Shea-Porter).
  Ms. SHEA-PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 
23. I thank the chairman for his leadership.
  Mr. Speaker, I was surprised and saddened to learn from a constituent 
that in spite of the service of the merchant mariners in World War II, 
none of them received the same benefits that other soldiers received: 
no access to the GI Bill, no health benefits, nothing.
  As you consider this bill that will finally show our gratitude to the 
merchant marines of World War II, I would like to recall the words of 
General Dwight Eisenhower, who understood what their service had given 
the United States. In 1944 he had this to say: ``Every marine in this 
Allied Command is quick to express his admiration for the loyalty, 
courage and fortitude of the officers and men of the merchant marine. 
We count upon their efficiency and their utter devotion to duty as we 
do our own; they have never failed us yet and in all the struggles yet 
to come we know that they will never be deterred by any danger, 
hardship or privation. When final victory is ours, there is no 
organization that will share its credit more deservedly than the 
merchant marine.''
  After the war he noted: ``Their contribution to final victory will be 
long remembered.''
  It is way past time to remember their devotion to the United States. 
It is way past time to reward them what they earned. Time is slipping.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, H.R. 23.
  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I urge my fellow Members of the House to 
support this bill. Certainly I will.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his endorsement, support, and 
leadership on our committee. He has raised some very good questions 
that I hope our committee will deal with.
  Mr. Speaker, without a doubt, these men, now all of them are in their 
eighties, the average age is 83, in fact, of the remaining 10,000 that 
are alive, have earned and deserve this delayed compensation. They 
fought the good fight. They gave our country everything they could.
  This is what H.R. 23 will do, provide the merchant mariners with the 
compensation they earned and have been denied for decades, not just in 
words, but in deeds.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask all the Members of this House for the support of 
this historic piece of legislation.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 23, the 
Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2007, 
which is a bill to amend title 46, United States Code, to provide 
benefits to certain individuals who served in the United States 
Merchant Marine, including the Army Transport Service and the Naval 
Transport Service during World War II.
  United States Merchant Mariners served as a crucial component of 
America's seapower force during World War II. Merchant Mariners were 
responsible for transporting armies and equipment behind enemy lines. 
Merchant Mariners helped transport not only troops, but also delivered 
ammunition, provisions, tanks, airplanes, fuel, and other wartime 
materiel into theater. Their significant contributions were critical in 
providing logistical support to the United States Armed Forces and that 
support helped our Armed Forces and allies achieve victory in the war 
in both the Pacific and European theaters.
  Over 243,000 Merchant Mariners served during the Second World War. 
These brave individuals endured the elements and constant threats from 
enemy submarines, mines, armed raiders, destroyers, and aircrafts. An 
estimated 9,300 Merchant Mariners lost their lives during the Second 
World War. The Merchant Mariner casualty rate was the highest 
percentage of war-related deaths when compared to each of the military 
services.
  Unlike other military servicemembers, Merchant Mariners were not 
offered similar opportunities to participate in the G.I. Bill of 1945. 
H.R. 23 will provide long-awaited parity for these selfless 
individuals. It is unfortunate that after 60 years these Merchant 
Mariners have not been provided access to a benefit they deserve. In 
the spirit of fairness and equity, and in keeping with this Congress's 
recent and previous actions of providing long-awaited and most 
deserving recognition to forgotten groups of Americans who served and 
sacrificed during World War II, I urge passage of H.R. 23.
  Today, the United States Merchant Marine continues its tradition of 
providing an essential component to our national security as the 
``fourth arm of defense.'' Our merchant ships bear the brunt of 
delivering military supplies overseas to our forces and allies. The 
stark lessons of 20th century conflict prove that a strong Merchant 
Marine is an essential part of American seapower.
  It is time that we thank these brave men and women whose efforts 
contributed greatly to the success of the United States during the 
Second World War. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 
23, which is sponsored by our colleague from California, Mr. Filner, 
the chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.
  Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, as a cosponsor of H.R. 23, I am pleased to 
support this legislation on the House floor today.
  The duty performed by the U.S. Merchant Marines during World War II 
was courageous and vital to our national interest. H.R. 23 would direct 
the Department of Veterans Affairs to pay a monthly benefit of $l,000 
to U.S. Merchant Marine veterans who served in the Army and Navy 
Transport Services between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946, or 
to their survivors.
  During World War II, the Army and Navy Transport Services delivered 
troops and supplies to the front lines. These men often put their lives 
in danger to keep supplies flowing, but Merchant Marine veterans were 
not granted benefits under the G.I. Bill of Rights that Congress 
enacted in 1945.
  All those who served in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force or 
Coast Guard were recipients of benefits under the G.I. Bill. The United 
States Merchant Marine regretfully was not included.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. SHULER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Merchant 
Mariners who served in our Nation during World War II and were an 
integral part of our victory. They suffered the highest casualty rate 
of any of the branches of the service while delivering troops, tanks, 
food, airplanes, fuel and other needed supplies to every theater of the 
war. Without the services of the Merchant Mariners, victory would have 
been more difficult, and certainly more lives would have been lost.
  Unfortunately, they were denied any rights under the GI Bill of 
Rights. The Merchant Mariners became the forgotten service. It wasn't 
until 1988 that they were given any benefits, and even then they did 
not qualify for some portions of the GI Bill.
  I am a proud cosponsor of H.R. 23, the Belated Thank You to the 
Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2007, under which certain 
honorably discharged veterans of the U.S. Merchant Marine would receive 
a monthly benefit of $1,000. This benefit to the veterans (or their 
survivors) would be an important step in recognizing their crucial 
contribution to the protection and preservation of the freedom of the 
United States of America.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting the Merchant Mariners 
who deserve recognition and benefits for their service to the United 
States of America during World War II.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Filner) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 23, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title was amended so as to read: ``A Bill to amend title 38, 
United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to 
establish the Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund to provide 
benefits to certain individuals who served in the United

[[Page 21370]]

States merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service and the 
Naval Transport Service) during World War II.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________