Audience Rating: Unrated Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 0794054372632 Format: NTSC Label: Pbs Home Video Manufacturer: Pbs Home Video Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Pbs Home Video Release Date: 1998-05-19 Studio: Pbs Home Video
Editorial Reviews:
This look at civilian sailors who served in the U.S. merchant marine during World War II is informative, entertaining, and at times deeply moving. The men aboard the Liberty Ships, the famed cargo vessels that were manufactured at an astounding pace to keep America's troops and its allies supplied during the war, faced long ocean voyages made impossibly dangerous by the constant threat of being torpedoed by a Japanese sub or a German U-boat. Veterans of the merchant marine discuss their ordeals in interviews filmed aboard the Jeremiah O'Brien, the last surviving unaltered Liberty Ship, and their reminiscences, combined with well-chosen archival footage, range from humorous to heartbreaking. It's shocking to learn that American conservatives of the day denounced the civilian sailors as "cowards" and "bums," and the issue of how the men of the merchant marine were shabbily treated by American politicians during and after the war is discussed frankly. After relating harrowing tales of danger at sea, the veterans sadly recount how they were denied the government benefits accorded to other World War II vets for decades. The men aboard the Liberty Ships played a vital role in the Allied victory in World War II, and this thoughtful documentary is a fitting tribute to their contributions to their nation. --Robert J. McNamara
