Right now I would like to send my deepest regrets too all the people who have lost members of their family who served our country as part of the Merchant Marines ,who were largely overlooked during the Second World War. These people voluntarily gave their lives in order to help win the Battle of the Atlantic and provide Great Britan with the supplies needed to continue the war effort.

I am refering in particular to my great uncle, Able Seaman John Francais Harte, who was lost at sea on August 25, 1940 as a crewman of the vessel SS Empire Merlin which was torpeoed and sank by uboat U-48.

God Bless you will never be forgotten...

Pat

Pat, I am sorry for your loss Bro.

R.I.P. Able Seaman John Francis Harte

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

Order......ARMS!

Hand salute, Sir -- RIP

And prayers for the 29 souls lost aboard the SS Edmund Fitzgerald thirty-five years ago this day.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

[img][img]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y207/mightychief/ANJ4XVWCA80KYAFCAZYJ068CA93AEDZCA17.jpg[/img][/img]
For all

The John W. Brown one of only two remaining operational Liberty Ships from WWII at it home in Baltimore. Today it is a fully operational museum ship. My Dad a x Navy man lobbied hard for Merchant marines to get Veteran status for WWII service in 87' 88'

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

My father served in the M.M. during WW ll. The story that still bleeps me off is how he returned from a "classified" tour of duty only to find MPs waiting at his parents home. They were there to arrest him for being a Draft Dodger.Turns out it was a classic case involving the left and right hands. I don't know when the M.M. became recognized as part of the war effort, but I do know there were a lot of bitter people who felt that they were snubbed by their country.
The mission involved laying under seas communication cables between America and Canada and was not common knowledge.

Order arms,
John.E

Ronald Reagan gave MM's that served in time of War Veteran status in 88' for benefits.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

Thank you father for me, it feels good to let that one go.

John.E

My dad was a radioman at a PT Base in the Philipines during WWII. He passed a couple years back but my hat is off to him and all of our veterans for thier sacrifices and willingness to protect us....

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I Can't Explain

There was a similar situation with the former members of the American Volunteer Group (aka "The Flying Tigers") who fought in China against Imperial Japan early in WWII as "soldiers of fortune" at the behest of the US government. They were denied veterans' benefits claimed for this service for decades. I believe it was Bush "41" who finally acknowlegded their service publicly and spearheaded a change in federal law.

Likewise, the Women's Air Service Pilots ("WASPs") of WWII were also isolated from veterans' benefits due to administrative quirks of federal law until sometime recently. I believe it was President Clinton who had the United States Code amended to honor these women who sacrificed so much to ferry military aircraft from the plants that manufactured them to the combat staging areas in England and the then Hawaiian Territory.

Better late than never.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Passed pal Carl R Wallen was in the USMM during WW II as a radioman.

Eternal thanks and honour to all who served.

A lot of Icelandic Seamen and fishermen died in the WWII while exporting fish to the British isles. Those men where not part of any army, just civilians doing their part to feed the soldiers fighting the Axis, and civilians in bombarded cities of U.K.

R.I.P.

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