And not long ago, he visited the World War II Memorial in Washington, making sure to see that the Merchant Marine insignia was among those of the other services. Mike Argento's column appears ...

In recent weeks, some members of Congress have expressed alarm that the U.S. Merchant Marine is shrinking to a point that America would not be able to find enough cargo ships and merchant mariners ...

With World War II underway, the U.S. hastily opened an academy in the woods to train the nation’s civilian maritime forces, known as the Merchant Marines. Eleven buildings were erected on 10 acres.

“I’ve got no regrets.” The 93-year-old served with the Merchant Marines during World War II and is also a US Navy veteran. “I quit 7th grade in 1945 and went on Merchant ships,” said Powell.