Letter to the Editor
[B]U S Maritime Academy Facility should serve Vets[/B]
As I approach the fiftieth anniversary of my graduation I am seriously questioning the value to the American taxpayers of this institution. Founded during WWII to supply officers to man the ships vital to our foreign war effort the Academy served the nation, training officers through the uncertainty of the cold war and the war in Viet Nam. It satisfied its mission well and sent many leaders to serve this nation.
The students, as in the past, pay essentially nothing for tuition room board and uniforms. All costs are paid under the US Department of Transportation, which contributes close to one hundred million each year.
Times have changed eliminating the need for the Academy primarily because of the demise of our countries ocean going merchant fleet. When we graduated our country was still engaged in a cold war and had an American maritime industry ready to support our country. We as graduates had a commitment, which in the event of war we could have met in the American maritime service, US military or private maritime service. Today there is essentially no international maritime in our country. All we have are costal and lake transport industries which certainly would not warrant the numbers graduated by the Academy. The school is preparing graduates to serve in a non-existent industry. Only a very small percentage of graduates serve in the direct service of our country.
I have concluded that the school no longer serves a purpose for the taxpayers of this country and that it is providing an unfair benefit to it’s graduates who now compete predominately in an unrelated sector with those who have paid tuition and usually start their lives with tuition debt.
Most state maritime schools have broadened their curriculums and joined their respective state university systems where tuition is charged.
Further, I believe that it is unfair to graduates of our service academies who have mandatory service commitments [U]and usually and unfortunately go off to war.[/U]
Our graduates continue to not have a commitment to an industry which no longer exists. They go into stateside markets where they compete with peers who have the burden of past tuitions paid and often-unpaid student loans. I see that there is no broad industry that requires the special skills that the Academy provides. I do admit that there is value to employers of the leadership training that cadets receive but do not see the related burden on the taxpayers. I reject the idea that today’s cadets should receive the same benefits as we did 54 years ago as times have changed.
The campus on the other hand is magnificent but in a deteriorated state. I believe that it would make an outstanding facility for the rest, rehabilitation and retraining of our returning veterans and even their families.
James Mackey class of 1962 USMMA
