Arguably the most overlooked component of the United States war effort during War II was the nation’s Merchant Mariners and the logistical lifeline they provided to Allied troops scattered across the globe. Under the auspices of the U.S. Maritime Service, the number of trained Merchant Mariners skyrocketed by nearly 300 percent, from 55,000 to 215,000.
Their contributions to the success of the U.S. and Allied war efforts were understood early in the fighting by President Franklin Roosevelt, whose background in the Department of the Navy gave him a deeper appreciation of the dedication and sacrifice displayed by the quickly trained seamen. In April 1942 he established the Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal, and a little over two years later added the Merchant Marine Meritorious Service Medal to recognize gallant actions that did not quite reach the level of outstanding character required by the Merchant Marine DSM.
Following the surrender of Japan but still less than a year after Roosevelt’s death in April 1945, President Harry S. Truman used his Executive powers to create the Merchant Marine Honorable Service Button, issued to Mariners as “public evidence of honorable service in the merchant marine, to any person who receives a certificate of substantially continuous service” while in the Merchant Marine. Truman issued the Executive Order as a buttress to legislation passed in June 1943 that ensured those who had served in the war effort as Merchant Mariners would be able to return to their jobs with private employers except in those cases where it was impossible or unreasonable for the employer to rehire them.