Established 1936 – John A. Collins, President

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2025 – 7:15 AM

Older than the Coast Guard (1790) or the United States Navy (1797), the United States Merchant Marine was first involved in 1775 when a group of citizens, hearing the news from Concord and Lexington, captured a British schooner. The Continental Congress issued Letters of Marque to these privateers and others. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Merchant Marine carried supplies and suffered casualties.

Merchant Marine ships have been vital to war efforts because they were responsible for transporting shipment of supplies to military bases around the world for U.S. and Allied forces. The convoys carried vehicles, guns, bombs, gasoline, food, airplanes, medicine and military personnel – all necessary ingredients for warfare. During the Vietnam War, the National Defense Reserve Fleet and other US-flagged merchant vessels crewed by civilian mariners, carried 95% of the supplies used by the American armed forces.

Let’s shed light on the unsung heroes who generally are forgotten when military battles are fought. Paul Chardoul has studied the important field of logistics, both while on active duty in the Navy and as Executive Officer of the Headquarters Detachment of U.S. Naval Forces Europe.

Invocation: Eric Nelson
Introduction: Jeff Kissinger

Logistics

1. “Amateurs talk tactics, professionals study logistics” – attributed to various individuals

2. “An army marches on its stomach” – Napoleon

3. “The line between disorder and order lies is logistics” – Sun Tzu