Commander, Fleet Forces Command Pays Tribute to US Merchant Mariners

By Laura Seal, Military Sealift Command Public Affairs

May 19, 2010 - WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The commander of U.S. Fleet Forces (USFF) praised generations of U.S. merchant mariners for their contributions to the nation's defense at a ceremony attended by more than 200 people including government and industry leaders during Military Sealift Command's (MSC) National Maritime Day observance at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., May 18.

National Maritime Day was established by Congress in 1933 to honor the contributions and sacrifices of U.S. merchant mariners in defense of the nation. These dedicated men and women are frequently considered the unsung heroes of the nation's defense.

USFF Commander Adm. J.C. Harvey Jr. paid tribute to the more than 6,500 U.S. merchant mariners who serve aboard MSC's ships, and highlighted the mariners' critical support to U.S. and allied warfighters around the world.

"Today, our merchant mariners have a large footprint," said Harvey. "Their service and sacrifice, their pride and professionalism are the firm foundation of our global military operations."

Harvey also noted the mariners' role providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief, most recently in Haiti where mariners expertly delivered urgently needed logistics support and medical care in the immediate aftermath of the January earthquake. Twenty-one ships owned by, chartered by or under the tactical control of MSC were on site or on standby to assist the people of Haiti.

Commander, Military Sealift Command, Rear Adm. Mark H. Buzby, hosted the event and expressed his gratitude to the thousands of civilians who crew MSC's ships. MSC, the single largest employer of U.S. merchant mariners in the world, employs more than 5,000 civil service mariners and more than 1,500 commercial mariners who work for private ship operating companies under contract to MSC.

"We at MSC are proud of our civilian mariners, so it is fitting that today is set aside to acknowledge the great debt of gratitude we owe to the dedicated men and women of the U.S. merchant marine," said Buzby.

Buzby also recognized by name four civil service mariners from hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) – Chief Mate David Lieberman, Third Mate Joseph Kranz, Second Assistant Engineer Peter Barry and Boatswain Gerald Butch. They, and the rest of Comfort's crew, took the ship to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and sustained it there for seven weeks while medical personnel in the shipboard hospital treated nearly 900 earthquake victims.

Earlier in the day, Lieberman, Kranz, Barry and Butch were among 11 merchant mariners who received Merchant Marine Medals for Outstanding Achievement in recognition of their contributions to Haiti relief efforts at a U.S. Maritime Administration ceremony in Washington, D.C.

At the heart of MSC's ceremony was the placement of three wreaths to commemorate mariners lost at sea in peacetime and war. The solemn occasion drew to a close with a 21-gun salute by a seven-person firing party positioned on the Anacostia River waterfront just outside the gallery. The wreaths were later placed in front of the merchant marine bronze relief sculpture on the east wall of the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Merchant mariners have been a vital component of American sea power since the Revolutionary War when more than 11,000 mariners died in service. Today, mariners continue to play a critical role in the nation's defense, enabling the U.S. military to operate around the world.

MSC operates approximately 110 noncombatant, civilian-crewed ships that strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world, move military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces, conduct specialized missions, and replenish U.S. Navy ships at sea.