Merchant Marine Background
The U.S. Merchant Marine played a vital role in the Allied victory of World War II. They moved great quantities of war materiel from their principle source of supply across as many as 6,000 miles of ocean to the battlefronts of the Far East. They held to high standards and contributed countless accomplishments in every war throughout history, participating in landing operations in cooperation with the U.S. Marine Corps, from Guadalcanal to Iwo Jima. Desperate for mariners at the onset of World War II, the U.S. Maritime Service officially accepted youngsters who were as young as 16 years old. Some who were physically impaired or unfit for the regular service went into the Merchant Marine. This is a portion of those posters that we have labeled as
Merchant Marine Recruiting
![]()
Materials published by the U.S. Government Printing Office are in the public domain and, as such, not subject to copyright restriction.
