A Congressional Gold Medal ceremony was held at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans to commemorate the recent awarding of the honor to World War II Merchant Marines. The event was held on October 1 in US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center at The National WWII Museum, according to this article from Nola.com.
This Congressional Gold Medal ceremony was an event that was made in partnership with the Merchant Marine Veteran Association, and while it was open to the public, the ceremony was also live-streamed on Facebook, YouTube, and Vimeo in addition to the in-person event at the Museum’s US Freedom Pavilion on Magazine Street.
In 2020, Congress passed the Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act in order to recognize the merchant mariners for their exhibited courage and contributions made during World War II. According to the United States Department of Defense, the medal was previously awarded in May of 2022. The Congressional Gold Medal was initially displayed at the American Merchant Marine Museum in Kings Point, New York. Additionally, each member of the surviving merchant mariners was set to receive a bronze replica of the coveted award. At the American Merchant Marine Museum Ceremony, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “President Franklin D. Roosevelt called their mission the most difficult and dangerous transportation job ever undertaken.”
During World War II, Merchant Mariners were private seamen who enlisted in the war to sail on merchant ships across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. These men served with bravery, honor, and dignity as they kept the Allied Forcessupplied on the front lines during WWII. The Merchant Mariners braved harsh conditions, enemy action, and danger as they risked their lives in order to supply the tools needed for the Grand Alliance to win the war. Looking back, roughly 4 percent of those who served were killed, which was a higher casualty rate than any other US military service. Out of the 243,000 men who served in the Merchant Marines in World War II, approximately 1,500 are alive today.
According to the United States Mint, “the U.S. Merchant Marine is overseen by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) and consists of privately-owned, U.S.-registered merchant vessels that provide waterborne transportation for passengers and cargo moving in domestic and international commerce. The Merchant Marine is not a military service, but acts as an auxiliary to DoD times of conflict – as was the case during World War II.”
Throughout the Fall, the National WWII Museum in New Orleans will also be hosting a variety of events like the Lunchbox Lecture: Bomber Builder: The Boeing Aircraft Company in World War II. This lecture is set to focus on and answer the question, “How did William Boeing parlay his hobby of flying into one of the most powerful and influential aviation companies of the 1940s and beyond?” Additionally, in October, the National WWII Museum’s own orchestra, the Victory Swing Orchestra will perform an evening of “Dine & Dance with the Victory Swim Orchestra,” wherein they’ll celebrate the great bands of the era.
The Mission Statement of the New Orleans’ National WWII Museum reads, “the National WWII Museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world—why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today—so that all generations will understand the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn.” It is through this mission that the Museum honored those Merchant Marines for their brave service during World War II at their Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony.
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