We couldn’t have done it without them! On #NationalMaritimeDay, we pay tribute to the unsung heroes of America's wars: the courageous, hard-working men of the US Merchant Marine (PC: https://bit.ly/3cW41zV ).

During World War II and the #KoreanWar, the men of the #MerchantMarine transported everything from beans, bullets, and band-aids to tanks, fuel, and spare parts - everything our fighting men needed to fight and win on battlefields across Europe, North Africa, and Asia.

For GIs fighting thousands of miles from home, Merchant Marine ships were a godsend. But they came at a high price. During #WWII alone, nearly 750 American cargo ships were sunk and more than 9,000 mariners killed. But the brave men of the Merchant Marine never relented.

During the #KoreanWar, mariners also answered the call. In Dec. 1950, as UN forces withdrew from Hungnam, North Korea, they participated in what would become the largest seaborne evacuation of civilians, under combat conditions, in US history.

For two weeks, North Korean refugees, fleeing from the approaching Chinese army and hoping to be rescued by the US military, were loaded onto US Navy and merchant marine ships and taken south - to freedom.

When the evacuation ended on December 24, nearly 100,000 refugees - along with over 100,000 UN and ROK servicemen - had been saved. It was the greatest humanitarian operation of the Korean War. #Timeless #SaveTimeless