2nd Congressional District representative Glenn Nye was a co-sponsor on legislation passed by the House of Representatives today that would provide compensation to World War II merchant mariners. He spoke in favor of the legislation as shown in the following video.
According to a release from the Congressman’s office:
During the Second World War, approximately 250,000 Americans served in the Merchant Marine, the service which transported the goods and military materiel across the Atlantic and Pacific to support the war effort. Roughly 9,300 mariners were killed – 1 out of every 26 who served – and 12,000 were wounded. Over 1,500 Merchant Marine ships were sunk during the war, many of them by German U-Boats during the perilous crossing of the North Atlantic.
… The legislation will establish a fund, controlled by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, that will make monthly payments of $1,000 to all those who served in the United States Merchant Marine (including the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service) between December 7, 1941 and December 31, 1946.
The bill (H.R. 23) passed the House on a voice vote and has been sent to the Senate.
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