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I saw a guy trying to get free admission to the museum exhibit WWII submarine USS Pampanito
he claimed he was US MERCHANT MARINE and told the cashier they were also a part of the military and wanted a free pass to get on the submarine.
He sure wasted a lot of time trying to convince the cashier he was active duty military looking for some form of ID to show he is with the Merchant Marine
just to save a few bucks, some people are such cheapskates, I dont know if they let him in free.
I heard the Merchant Marine is only considerd part of the military during wartime when transporting military personnel.
Do you consider peacetime US Merchant Marine as active duty military?
Merchant Marine has often been in a dark region, such as trying to get recognition for what it does in war time/war zones to how its naval reserve is not quite the same as the regular naval reserve to even what individuals might do for the intelligence services. They do perform at least one of the "duties" that the Navy does in showing the flag around the world. Of course, unlike the Navy, should someone start shooting at them, they are at a hardship to return the fire.
Hence, given the above, I can see how a member might want to be part of this great public feeling being extended to the military at this time.
Would I personally allow it? Sure, just show me one's merchant papers.
Con:
The Merchant Marine is just a collective name for all US-flagged cargo or passenger ships. Either civilian- or government owned. The crews of a passenger jets used to transport troops into a war zone don't qualify for veteran benefits. MM crews haven't faced enemy danger since WWII.
Pro: During wartime, the US Military has the right to commandeer ships for the transport of military equipment or passengers. During WWII the merchant marine had the highest casualty rate (deaths as a ratio of number of people serving) of any arm of service because of the losses from torpedoes and bombs. Officers in the Merchant Marine go through training similar to that at West Point.
The majority of modern military personnel aren't fighters... they are support. The modern "tooth to tail" ratio is about 30% (or less) combat troops and 70% other. Is someone who enlists in the Army and does nothing but drive a supply truck or work on computer systems or write for a base newspaper here in the USA a "veteran"? Facing danger isn't a requirement for any other branch of service to be considered a "veteran".
My conclusion: WWII MM members were awarded limited Veteran status. If a member of the Merchant Marine can produce documents proving they are a veteran, they are a veteran. Otherwise, they were just a civilian serving on a US-flagged ship.
The US Coast Guard is a uniformed service, but falls under the DOT, not the DOD. Their mission is more akin to police than military - drug interdiction, transportation safety (water), civilian rescue operations, law enforcement on inland waterways and within the 200 mile zone etc. The pay and benefits are structured the same as the other military services, and they contract terms (length) of service, just like the military branches under the DOD. Coast guard members have veteran status when they leave or retire from their service.
The Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines are military services, and fall under the DOD with combat roles and missions.
As mentioned above, most are not combat troops, but have some sort of support role (although on today's non-linear battlefield, those roles do get blurred quickly), however, all are veterans based on service in the military.
A Coastie has a reasonable argument that they are active duty military (even though they are DOT), but a Merchant Marine does not.
The US Coast Guard is a uniformed service, but falls under the DOT, not the DOD. Their mission is more akin to police than military - drug interdiction, transportation safety (water), civilian rescue operations, law enforcement on inland waterways and within the 200 mile zone etc. The pay and benefits are structured the same as the other military services, and they contract terms (length) of service, just like the military branches under the DOD. Coast guard members have veteran status when they leave or retire from their service.
The Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines are military services, and fall under the DOD with combat roles and missions.
As mentioned above, most are not combat troops, but have some sort of support role (although on today's non-linear battlefield, those roles do get blurred quickly), however, all are veterans based on service in the military.
A Coastie has a reasonable argument that they are active duty military (even though they are DOT), but a Merchant Marine does not.
The Coast Guard was transferred to the Department of Homeland Security from Transportation when DHS was created.
Now, I am not saying that either qualifies to the question of this topic nor am I quite sure how merchant service during the Viet Nam War qualifies................
........................but the statement of not facing enemy action since WWII does not seem quite correct.
FWIW there is a local VA Referral Center which includes in its storefront window the respective Seals of the Coast Guard and Merchant Marine.
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