The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1943-08-06
MERCHANT
Marine MUST
HAVE BACKING

The Merchant Marine has carried
to the boys of our armed forces and
those of our allies over 400 million
pounds of butter, cheese, poultry, dry
eggs, and milk; over 500 million
pounds of beef lamb, veal, and pork
ITO million pounds of vegetables; and
over 100 million pounds of cereals and
their by-products in a recent four
month interval. To the midwest
farmer and stockraiser, this means
direct participation in this war. A
chain is slowly being forged across
the world At one end stands the
farmer, at the other end the fighter,
and in the middle plying back and
forth between the two is the mer-
chant seaman.
The dungaree seamen of the Mer-
chant Marine carry in Liberty ships,
eggs, Minnesota's butter, Illinois corn,
Dakota's wheat, Montana's mutton,
Indianas hogs, Nebraska's beef, and
Oklahomas oil. They have trans
ported to date over II billion pounds
of food stuff Your boy sits down to
American meals whether he is in
Casablanca, Australia, the Solomon
Islands, or the Aleutians. He eats
the produce that this country grows
because the merchant ships get
through, despite the enemy and the
elements To your boy, 10000 ton
ship is life line.
Not only are the grain and meat
and vegetables of the midwest de-
livered by our Merchant Marine, but
many of the young men who sail the
ships come from the farms and the |
plains You have seen them harvest |
ng wheat in Kansas, blowing loan in |
North Dakota. husking corn in Iowa,
stock in Texas, fattening |
hogs in Illinois, truck farming in Wis
,onsin, and herding sheep in Wyo-
ming You have known these boys,
lot as seamen, but as men of the soil,
ind yet here, they are in these times
If war, oiling ships engine, stand
ng a watch, taking charge of the
of the very stuff they
Ised to grow.
Standing as symbols of what the
midwest seamen have done in the
var are Fred Mills, Phil Shera, and
rom Crawford. These men have been
warded the highest honor that mer-
liant seamen can get, the Distin-
.,,iebod Corvica Mada1 Mills oIiaf |
ative of Michigan, was responsible
or bringing lifeboat and so men
afely into port Shera, a third assist
mt engineer, native of Ohio, gave
lis life in order to save his shipmates,
nd Crawford, able seaman. native of
Illinois, went down with his ship be-
ause he chose to remain on deck
1wering the last lifeboat into the ;
yater, knowing all the while that
escue was impossible. These men ,
epresent the traditions of the mid
rest.
Team work counts in this war 1t /
the responsibility of the farmer to
row the foods of war It is the re- 7
of the fighter to trans !
,rm that food energy into victory. t
ut the farmer and the fighter will G
OF come together to win, unless the r
Ierchant marine does his job. To +
eep these farm products moving in 1
4 ever-strengthening stream calls for +
any experienced seamen. Our pres
ut supply is not adequate. Seamen n
no are now ashore will have to leave n
leir comforts and return to the r
lips. Experience such as seamen q
ave, like that of farmers, is not n
cked up overnight. The Recruit
ent and Manning Organization of
e War Shipping Administration is n
larged with the duty of finding these 9
en-. Our ship-building program, to ;,
e success of which every state in 4
e union has contributed, has :
ached five ships day. This means
ousands of experienced men. The :,
nited States Employment Service :
Id the Recruitment and Manning :.
rganization must get these recruits.
lrm products will spoil, ships will :,
delayed battles will be lost, men :
i'll die if the whole country does not =
It behind the Merchant Marine :,
i,