Veterans Day Highlights Connections To Merchant Marine
The fighting of World War I ceased in 1918 when an armistice went into effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, although the war didn’t officially end until the following June when the Treaty of Versailles was signed. November 11 was recognized as Armistice Day, a day to honor veterans of the most destructive war in history. It was made a legal holiday in 1938. In 1954, it was renamed Veterans Day to honor U.S. veterans of all conflicts.
Lawmakers concerned with American national security have always recognized the deep connection between a strong military and a strong merchant marine. That connection was never absent from the minds of the Founders as they shaped not only the Constitution but also navigation and trade laws designed to protect and support American merchant vessels and crews.
During World War II, the protected inland shipyards of the “brown water navy” built the landing craft that made the Normandy landings possible. The blue-water merchant marine became a de facto branch of the armed services. During that war, merchant mariners suffered a higher casualty rate than either the Navy or the Army although they were, tragically, not recognized by Congress as veterans of that conflict, and thus entitled to veterans’ benefits, until most of them were gone.
The authors of the 2008 book The Way of the Ship note, “Perhaps the greatest irony in the history of shipping in America is the central theme of this book: most Americans think of shipping as an oceanic enterprise, as indeed it was during the colonial period. But for most of U.S. history, shipping on coastal and inland waters has exceeded oceanic shipping in both volume and value.”
That’s still true today, and the brown-water shipping industry remains a welcome home and natural transition for many veterans. Brown water companies eagerly recruit veterans, and many of our most prominent leaders and members are linked by bonds of service.
This Veterans’ Day, let’s remember to thank them and all veterans for the benefits of our way of life.
