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Article: A World War II veteran defends the merchant marine.(Commentary)(Editorials)(Letters)
- Article from:
- The Washington Times (Washington, DC)
- Article date:
- December 20, 1997
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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I want to clarify a few points made in Frank Sargent's letter of Dec. 15, "The straight facts about the merchant marine."
To be considered a veteran of World War II, a merchant seaman must have served between Dec. 7, 1941, and Aug. 29, 1945. I signed papers through the U.S. Coast Guard at the Commerce Department to be a part of the merchant marine on Dec. 8, 1941. I was sent by the Coast Guard to the Coast Guard training center for merchant seamen. After two months of training, I was assigned to the Sun Oil shipping department in Marcus Hook, Pa. There I was assigned to the SS Chester Sun, a tanker.
My ship traveled to the New Hebrides, a group of ...