Why Weren't Merchant Marines Considered WW2 Veterans?

The U.S. Merchant Marine was a fleet of civilian-crewed cargo ships that became the military's primary supply chain in World War II. In every theater — North Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic Russia — merchant mariners carried the tanks, fuel, ammunition, and food that kept Allied forces fighting.
More than 700 ships were sunk by U-boats, surface raiders, and air attacks. Nearly 9,500 mariners were killed, and one in twenty-six who served died — a higher casualty rate than the Army, Navy, or Marines.
When President Roosevelt signed the GI Bill in June 1944, he publicly stated that Congress should provide "similar opportunities" to merchant mariners. Roosevelt died in April 1945. The Merchant Mariner Readjustment Act failed in committee under pressure from veterans organizations and the uniformed branches. Their reasoning: mariners were classified as civilians, paid union wages, and could technically leave their posts.
They were denied housing benefits, VA medical care for war wounds, and education assistance. In 1988, a U.S. District Court ruling finally compelled the Department of Defense to grant partial veteran status to mariners who served in specific capacities — 43 years after the war ended. They remain excluded from veterans benefits under the Social Security Act to this day. A 2005 act provided a monthly benefit to surviving WWII mariners; by then, the vast majority had already died.

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Видео Why Weren't Merchant Marines Considered WW2 Veterans? канала Useful History Tidbits