For a long time, U.S. Merchant Marines received no special awards. This was partly remedied May 18 as U.S. Merchant Marine veteran James Lindsey received the Congressional Gold Medal.
One of the less-told tales of World War II is the story of the U.S. Merchant Marines, the civilian sailors who suffered between 9,000 to 12,000 fatalities, a higher loss rate than the U.S. Marines, We Are The Mighty reported.
"After my discharge I can reflect on my Merchant Marine service and be proud of what I had done and what the MM had done," Lindsey told the Lone Star Standard. "I was really disappointed that the Merchants Marines were not included in the GI Bill of Rights. I would have made a good coach if I had been allowed to go to college."
Nonetheless, Lindsey harbored no regrets about serving.
"The Air Force gave me the best training and allowed me to become a pilot," Lindsey said. "Not a coach, but a pilot."
Lindsey said the Merchant Marines were vital to winning the war, and he is glad to finally receive some recognition.
"The supplies we delivered helped win the war," Lindsey said. "If the MM had not delivered all the supplies that we did, there would have been no victory. A good many high-ranking officials — including Mrs. Roosevelt, admirals and generals — sang praises about the service the MM provided. Still, not a GI Bill for mariners. Now we have a replicate of a gold medal. Not a college degree, but it's our Bill of Rights."
Lindsey spent almost four years of the war as a merchant mariner, serving on vessels such as the Alcoa Master, John W. Davis and Percy E. Foxworth. Following the war, he entered the U.S. Air Force and served another 23 years.
There were 243,000 merchant mariners who served in World War II, The National WWII Museum reported. Approximately 4% of them died in service, which exceeded the casualty rate of all other U.S. military branches during World War II.
Merchant mariners were essential to victory, as they delivered almost 270 billion imperial tons of cargo through the Pacific and North Atlantic oceans to aid war efforts, the Center for International Maritime Security reported.
