On National Maritime Day, we honor the thousands of dedicated merchant mariners who serve on United States vessels around the world. During times of both peace and war, merchant mariners are always there – stepping up to transport equipment, troops, and goods across the globe to make our country safer and stronger.
With professionalism and passion, merchant mariners have forged us into the maritime Nation we are today. During the Revolutionary War, merchant vessels joined the vastly outnumbered American fleet to help defend our independence. During World War II, as our brave service members battled the forces of fascism, more than a quarter-million members of the Merchant Marine volunteered to transport tanks, ammunition, and troops across the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. Many of them made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of freedom. And today, merchant mariners not only help move hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of cargo through our 25,000 miles of waterways and more than 360 commercial ports annually – they also crew vessels of our United States Ready Reserve, shipping vital military cargo to help the people of Ukraine defend themselves against Russia’s brutal war.
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