Maritime industry salutes Congressman Joe Courtney as the nation honors U.S. Merchant Marine veterans of World War II

Congressman Joe Courtney, U.S. Representative for Connecticut's 2nd District, addressed the audience during the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony held to honor U.S. merchant mariners of World War II on May 18. During the war, merchant mariners put their lives on the line for their country as they delivered critical supplies for Allied Forces serving in the European and Pacific theaters. (U.S. Navy photo by Bill Mesta/released)

The dedication and selflessness displayed by U.S. merchant mariners who reliably provided vital supplies and sustainment to Allied Forces in World War II is a very significant and relevant example for today's mariners and for future generations, said U.S. Representative Joe Courtney (D-CT) during a ceremony on May 18 in Washington, DC honoring surviving World War II U.S. Merchant Marine veterans with the Congressional Gold Medal.

The previous day, Rep. Courtney was a recipient of the maritime industry's Salute to Congress Award from the International Propeller Club of the United States.

During his speech at the ceremony awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to World War II Merchant Marine veterans, Rep. Courtney said that, while the gold medal was to commemorate the service of a past generation, the value of the merchant mariner is not relegated to a "a walk down memory lane."

"The future mission of the U.S. Merchant Marine is looming ever larger in increasingly contested maritime domains at a time when 90 percent of goods" exported by and imported into the U.S. move by sea, he said.

In 2020, Congress unanimously passed the Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act sponsored by Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA) in the House and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in the Senate. The bill was approved both chambers, and was signed into law in March of 2020, although the official award was delayed due to the global pandemic.

Rep. Courtney was one of several high-ranking elected officials who spoke to a small group of surviving World War II Merchant Marine veterans who made the trip to Washington, DC to finally be recognized by the federal government for to their invaluable service during the war. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) led the congressional delegation to recognize the mariners, along with Rep. Garamendi and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA).

Rep. Courtney has a long record of supporting the U.S. Merchant Marine and is the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces. A staunch supporter of the Jones Act, Courtney has also supported programs such as the Maritime Security Program, the recently created Tanker Security Program and the building of five new National Security Multi-Mission Vessels that will be used to train future mariners on state-of-the-art platforms.

Rep. Courtney said he learned of the many-decades-long slight toward the U.S. Merchant Marine veterans through a family member of his wife. By listening to that veteran's stories about traversing the Atlantic through treacherous waters, Rep. Courtney said he got a sense of the extreme peril routinely faced by World War II merchant mariners during their service at sea.

Approximately 243,000 mariners served in World War II, and 9,521 perished while serving. There were 733 Merchant Marine ships sunk due to enemy attacks. Nearly 4 percent of the total number of mariners who served were killed, a higher casualty rate than any other American military service branch during World War II. Only about 1,500 U.S. Merchant Marine veterans of World War II are alive today to receive the Congressional Gold Medal.

"The merchant mariners delivered the goods when and where needed in every theater of operation and across every ocean in the biggest most difficult and dangerous job ever undertaken," Rep. Courtney said, quoting a famous speech given by President Franklin Roosevelt, who was a powerful advocate for the Merchant Marine. "This day is long overdue."