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  1. Tag:
  2. Merchant Marines

Merchant Marines

  • #VeteranOfTheDay Navy Veteran Ming Chang

    #VeteranOfTheDay Navy Veteran Ming Chang

    Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Navy Veteran Ming Chang, who was the first naturalized Asian American to reach flag rank in the Navy.

  • Dedicated and Driven: Marco Polo Smigliani

    Dedicated and Driven: Marco Polo Smigliani

    Marine Corps Veteran Marco Polo Smigliani received a Purple Heart for his service during the Vietnam War. He was a crew member of SS Columbia Eagle, the first American ship to be hijacked in 150 years.

  • #VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran James O. Schmidt

    #VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran James O. Schmidt

    Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran James O. Schmidt. Schmidt served as a paratrooper and merchant mariner during World War II and a special forces operator during the Vietnam War.

  • Melvin Bockelman: Technical Genius

    Melvin Bockelman: Technical Genius

    Chief Master Sgt. Melvin Bockelman served in the Merchant Marines during World War II before joining the Air Force. He worked to computerize the Air Defense Command in Colorado before joining the Kansas City Police Department.

  • #VeteranOfTheDay Merchant Marine Veteran William Scott Chambers

    #VeteranOfTheDay Merchant Marine Veteran William Scott Chambers

    On the Merchant Marine birthday, today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Merchant Marine Veteran William Scott Chambers, who served the war effort from 1941 to 1945.

  • James Jolly: Danger at sea

    James Jolly: Danger at sea

    Radio operator and Merchant Marine James Alvin Jolly served for six years in the maritime theater of World War II where he frequently encountered German submarines.

  • From Merchant Marine to veterinarian, one life led to another for a WWII Veteran

    From Merchant Marine to veterinarian, one life led to another for a WWII Veteran

    “I ain’t no hero, but I did my time,” says former U.S. Merchant Marine, Coast Guardsmen and Army Soldier John Rust.

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Last updated June 16, 2025

United States Department of Veterans Affairs

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