AMO Currents - U.S. merchant marine loses a friend with death of Congressman John Murtha

AMO Currents - Posted: February 11, 2010

U.S. merchant marine loses a friend with death of Congressman John Murtha

The U.S. merchant marine lost a longtime friend and legislative ally with the death of Pennsylvania Democratic Representative John Murtha Feb. 8 at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va. He was 77.

Rep. Murtha represented Pennsylvania’s 12th District and was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in February of 1974. He had a distinguished 37-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring from the Marine Corps Reserve as a colonel in 1990. The honors he held included the Bronze Star with Combat "V", two Purple Hearts and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He was presented with the Navy Distinguished Service Medal by the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps upon his retirement.

Serving his 19th term in the House, Rep. Murtha was chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

“Congressman Murtha always recognized the important contributions of the American merchant mariner to U.S. national security and defense, and the crucial roles of the U.S. merchant marine in times of war and crisis,” said AMO National President Tom Bethel. “He was a knowledgeable and reliable friend on the key issues for this industry.”

Rep. Murtha was signatory to House Concurrent Resolution 65 in 1997, expressing the support of the 105th Congress for the Jones Act and its enforcement. He co-founded the Congressional Steel Caucus in 1979 to provide critical support for America’s steel industry by fighting subsidized steel imports, an important issue for U.S.-flagged Great Lakes bulk vessel operators.

Rep. Murtha was the eighth most senior member of the 435-member U.S. House of Representatives. Of the nearly 10,600 men and women who have served in the U.S. House since 1789, only 72 served longer than he had.