Apr 15, 2017 2 min read

There have been so many stories written about the men and women who served in World War II, and what they did for our country. There have been few stories about one elite group of men who served their country but never received the recognition they so richly deserve. I’m referring to the men who served in the United States Merchant Marine aboard the Liberty and Victory ships.

In World War II, more than 6,830 seamen lost their lives, 11,000 were wounded and 604 were taken prisoner. There were 833 ships sunk, and 31 disappeared. Members of the U.S. Merchant Marine serving onboard the Liberty and Victory ships suffered a greater percentage of war-related deaths than all the U.S. Armed Forces combined.

Most of the men who enlisted in the Merchant Marine were rejected by the other branches of the Armed Forces for variuous reasons. These men still wanted to serve their country, and they did their job well. They have never gotten the recognition they so richly deserve from our government. They were not entitled to the benefits of the G.I. Bill or any other services provided to veterans. They were even denied a pension. They were not accepted into such service clubs as the Veterans of Foreign Wars or the American Legion. The Claysville American Legion accepted my husband as a member in 2013. The American Merchant Marines Veterans Chapter No. 59 of Southwestern Pennsylvania had no choice but to end its existence after 25 years.

Joyce Paletta

Washington