He lives near their office. Maybe sharpening the pointy sticks and waiting in the bushes…
This just came in…
AMERICAN MARITIME PARTNERSHIP ANNOUNCES CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF AMERICAN MARITIME HEROES
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and the World War II merchant mariners announced as inaugural American Maritime Heroes at launch
WASHINGTON – American Maritime Partnership (AMP), the voice of the nation’s domestic maritime industry, announced the start of a year-long celebration that will recognize individuals and groups of individuals who have added to the rich history of the United States as a maritime nation through their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and the World War II merchant mariners are announced as the campaign’s first American Maritime Heroes.
“The American Maritime Heroes campaign celebrates our maritime heroes and will serve as a reminder to all of the undeniable importance of America’s history as a maritime nation and the role of the maritime industry to U.S. prosperity and security,” said Matt Woodruff, Chairman of the American Maritime Partnership. “We are proud to begin the campaign by honoring Sec. Elaine Chao, who is widely recognized as the best transportation secretary ever for the U.S. maritime industry, and the nearly 250,000 World War II merchant mariners who provided the manpower to operate and maintain the wartime vessels that ultimately helped our country and our allies win World War II.”
Sec. Chao has previously served as deputy maritime administrator at the U.S. Maritime Administration; chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission; deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation; and as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor. In addition, she has led major organizations like the Peace Corps and United Way.
“We have never had a transportation secretary with such knowledge about, experience in, and passion for our industry,” Woodruff said . “When the chips are down, there is no stronger advocate than Sec. Chao. She is a proven American maritime hero.”
The World War II merchant mariners are renowned for their bravery and contribution to the Allied victory nearly 75 years ago. Almost 250,000 merchant mariners transported tens of millions of tons of war supplies and more than seven million servicemen under the most challenging circumstances imaginable. As a result, they suffered the highest casualty rate of any service during World War II, with one mariner out of every 26 lost. Often defenseless against enemy vessels, these merchant mariners continued to sustain the war effort. A total of 8,241 merchant mariners died in World War II, and many others were captured and became prisoners of war. Today only about 2,000 remain.
“Especially as Americans reflect this week on the 75th anniversary of D-Day, it is a privilege to salute the courageous mariners who helped make the invasion possible and ensured that our military could triumph, at Normandy and throughout the entire war,” said Woodruff. “We all owe these heroes a debt of gratitude that can never be fully repaid.”
As this campaign continues, the individuals to be recognized will come from many different backgrounds and be credited for a variety of achievements. What unites these heroes is that they all have made – or are making – a positive difference in the still-unfolding history of American maritime.
This year-long celebration will culminate on June 5, 2020, the 100th anniversary of the enactment of the U.S. Merchant Marine Act of 1920, also known as the Jones Act. The Jones Act is a fundamental law that for nearly a century, along with other related coastwise laws, has ensured that all vessels transporting goods between U.S. ports are American-built, -flagged, -owned, and -crewed. Moreover, it ensures a qualified pool of mariners to crew American vessels, enables the readiness of the nation’s defense shipbuilding industrial base and sealift capabilities, and sustains our strategic seaports for times of war or national emergencies.
The American Maritime Partnership is encouraging everyone to join in this celebration by submitting their hero nominations at AmericanMaritimeHeroes.com, and to follow the campaign’s celebrations on Twitter and Facebook.
So the two inaugural AMP maritime heroes, Elaine Chao (listed first?) and WWII merchant marine veterans… cause they’re basically the same. Where’s Sheila when you need her…
Not one accomplishment listed for Secretary Chao, just the résumé of a Washington DC insider bouncing around political appointee positions.
I suppose base flattery is the coin of the realm these days, but that is some lazy flattery that couldn’t find one noteworthy accomplishment to mention.
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I saw that. Glad I unfollowed those sycophants. To post her name as a hero on this 75th anniversary of D-day is vile and disgusting. They should remove the post. And kick rocks.
I noticed that the SIU Facebook page liked and agreed with the post so that confirms everything you know about the Sacco bunch
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I do not know Elaine Chao, nor have I ever met her. I know someone who did many years ago and described her (then) as attractive, knowledgeable, and very driven. That said I think almost any Secretary of Transportation will be hampered by a country that cares more about its roads and rails than its maritime component.
What do you do when our leaders push in other directions and you are low man (women) on the totem pole? Cuts are being made everywhere to fund a Southern Wall and proposed bailouts to farmers. Our last real ally was Nixon. Since then promoting our maritime has been an after thought (or no thought) and that includes our current POTUS.
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Statement from SIU
Union Heartily Backs Choices of Secretary Chao, WWII Mariners
SIU Applauds Launch of ‘American Maritime Heroes’ Celebration;
Union Heartily Backs Choices of Secretary Chao, WWII Mariners
As the American Maritime Partnership (AMP) announces the kickoff of its year-long celebration titled “American Maritime Heroes,” the SIU enthusiastically backs the first two honorees: U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao, and the U.S. Merchant Marine of World War II.
Secretary Chao is a tireless, unwavering advocate of the American maritime industry. Her effectiveness and commitment to our industry are unsurpassed. The SIU is proud and humbled to respectfully count her as a friend.
SIU President Michael Sacco described Secretary Chao as “someone who not only understands our industry, but also truly cares about the American worker. She is a tremendous leader and is universally respected, admired and trusted throughout our industry.”
Secretary Chao’s support for American-flag shipping and U.S. mariners is nothing new. Beginning in 1986, when she became Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Maritime Administration, she has consistently advanced programs that boost our industry. This also held true during her service as Chairwoman of the Federal Maritime Commission (1988-89), as Deputy Secretary of Transportation beginning in 1989, and as Secretary of Labor from 2001-2009.
We are honored to have hosted Secretary Chao at our affiliated school in Piney Point, Maryland, in 2002, 2005 and 2017. We deeply appreciated her keynote remarks in October 2003 when the late SIU President Paul Hall was inducted to the DOL Hall of Fame. And we enjoyed celebrating together in June 2005 when she christened the Pride of America in New York City.
More recently, we were heartened when one of her first official acts as Transportation Secretary was delivering keynote remarks in Beaumont, Texas, as the car carrier Liberty Passion formally reflagged under the Stars and Stripes in March 2017. Later that same month, SIU President Sacco was a featured speaker at a gathering in the nation’s capital that served as both a formal welcoming of Secretary Chao and an observance of the department’s 50th anniversary.
Sacco added, “There is nobody better qualified to be Secretary of Transportation than Elaine Chao, as she has demonstrated since day one. Throughout her time in government, she has been a steadfast friend to the SIU and to maritime labor. She has stood up to defend the Jones Act, the Maritime Security Program, cargo preference and the other key programs that keep our industry alive. She understands the importance of providing jobs to America’s working families, and she has seen firsthand the value of the United States Merchant Marine to our nation’s defense and prosperity.”
AMP’s other selection – the U.S. Merchant Marine of World War II – hits home with our organization. More than 1,200 SIU members lost their lives to wartime service; their names are individually memorialized on a large plaque at the union’s affiliated school in Piney Point, Maryland.
Overall, the U.S. Merchant Marine of World War II proved nothing short of indispensable for the Allies. As noted by AMP in its kickoff of the American Maritime Heroes campaign, “Almost 250,000 merchant mariners transported tens of millions of tons of war supplies and more than seven million servicemen under the most challenging circumstances imaginable. As a result, they suffered the highest casualty rate of any service during World War II, with one mariner out of every 26 lost. Often defenseless against enemy vessels, these merchant mariners continued to sustain the war effort. A total of 8,241 merchant mariners died in World War II, and many others were captured and became prisoners of war. Today only about 2,000 remain.”
The late SIU historian John Bunker wrote in 1951, “Before any of the nation’s armed services were ready for all-out duty in World War II, the merchant marine and the men who manned it were on the front lines of global action. No executive manifestos; no formal enlistment, no testings of loyalty or pledges of devotion to their country’s service were required to put SIU crews into action or prove their willingness to face danger – and death.”
The official casualty figures for British and Commonwealth merchant navy personnel was more than 37,000 during WW2 but it is acknowledged that it could be more than that. Pay was half that enjoyed by US seamen and your pay stopped the day the ship went down. Those lucky enough to survive were off pay until they signed on another ship and could do it all again.
I should add that the first British merchant seaman died as a result of enemy action 9 hours after war was declared in 1939.
I think that the more than a million dollars dumped into her foul and disgusting husband’s election campaigns has done more to “hamper” the American merchant marine than anything else.
If Gaddafi mated with Galapagos tortoise they would have produced a McConnell.
Those people are no better than the worst example of African kleptocrats, all they lack is the whackjob costumes of Gaddafi and Bokassa.
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Politico just posted another piece
A top Transportation official helped coordinate grant applications by McConnell’s political allies.
The Transportation Department under Secretary Elaine Chao designated a special liaison to help with grant applications and other priorities from her husband Mitch McConnell’s state of Kentucky, paving the way for grants totaling at least $78 million for favored projects as McConnell prepared to campaign for reelection.
Chao’s aide Todd Inman, who stated in an email to McConnell’s Senate office that Chao had personally asked him to serve as an intermediary, helped advise the senator and local Kentucky officials on grants with special significance for McConnell — including a highway-improvement project in a McConnell political stronghold that had been twice rejected for previous grant applications.
This should be a loud and clear call for resignation of both of these swamp dwellers. Chao’s conflict of interest regarding US merchant marine issues should be sufficient for a criminal indictment for acting as an unregistered foreign agent.
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Should be, but it’s only business as usual in the Washington swamp.
Geez Mikey, you do like to stir things up.
Perhaps a mail campaign to the misguided idiots at the American Maritime Partnership is in order.
I just wonder who in hell they are partnering with … Chinese money lenders? FoC shipowners?
I would not doubt that those people would have given Baldur von Schirach a merit badge for youth leadership.
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Elaine Chao. An American Maritime Hero.
War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.
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Here’s another hero.
Lost a little respect for Seamen’s Church. Hope they got a decent contribution or fund raising out of this.
When I think about the organization of Tote as revealed by the El Faro testimony I don’t think of the words “award winning”.
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That’s all that matters nowadays. Welcome to the new normal in the Trumpian world of corruption and hypocrisy.
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Just goes to prove that there is more than one way to fight a war. Australia is waking up to the Chinese infiltration of their universities. China incorporated has a vast diaspora throughout the Western world who have been commanded to act in China’s interests. Many of these people have relatives still in China which make them more likely to be compliant.
Reading all this there is only one conclusion: What an unbelievable corrupt mess. It seems they can do whatever they like and they donot have to answer to anybody. This will never end…
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The scary thing is this. The vast majority of the USA’s voting public have no idea who the transportation secretary is or what the job entails. Hell, the Secretary of Energy in the USA, Rick Perry former governor of Texas, wanted to abolish the department of energy when he was running for president. Now he runs the place and was SHOCKED to discover that a major part of the Department of Energy is keeping up with nuclear weapons. Most US citizens could not even tell you who their House of Representative member is and only about half know who their Senator is. They certainly don’t know that former industry lobbyists are now running departments of government which are supposed to be watching out for all the people. This did not begin with the Trump administration either but it has gotten exponentially worse.All they know is what they see on Facebook or TV or whatever echo chamber news source they choose, mostly FB or some other social media. Most do not read newspapers or magazines. They just get by day by day trying to keep up with their bills never knowing how their choices and future are being decided. Dictatorships and revolution are born from such ignorance.
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