Proclamation by the Governor of the State of Nebraska on U.S. Maritime Service 60th Anniversary
STATE OF NEBRASKA
Proclamation
WHEREAS, The United States Maritime Service was established by an act of Congress to be an armed, uniformed service responsible for training officers and men in weaponry and all phases of seamanship in order to man U.S. Merchant Marine ships during World War II, Korea, Vietnam and other wars; andWHEREAS, Imbued with a patriotic fighting spirit, United States Maritime Service training ships sailed in submarine and mine-infested waters, and its graduates participated in every invasion of World War II, delivering troops and vital raw materials to all branches of the Armed Forces; and
WHEREAS, Despite being the "Fourth Arm of Defense," the sacrifices and accomplishments of the veterans of the U.S. Maritime Service - where 1 of every 32 mariners paid with their lives, resulting in the highest casualty rate of any service--have been largely overlooked; and
WHEREAS, On the 60th anniversary of the founding of the United States Maritime Service, the State of Nebraska honors the contributions and sacrifices of its veterans,
NOW, THEREFORE, I, E. Benjamin Nelson, Governor of the State of Nebraska, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM the month of September 1998 as
MARITIME SERVICE MONTH throughout the State of Nebraska, and I do hereby encourage all citizens to recognize these veterans who served, sacrificed and contributed to the cause of peace in the world.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand, and cause the
Great Seal of the State of Nebraska to be affixed this
Twenty-Fourth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
Thousand Nine Hundred and Ninety-Eight.Attest:
Scott Moore, Secretary of State; E. Benjamin Nelson, Governor
Arranged for by U.S. Maritime Service and WWII U.S. Merchant Marine veteran James B. "Burt" Young, of Lincoln, Nebraska