Joe wrote:

Art Costan (my uncle) and his friend Bill came up with the ideal of a
USMM memorial in the 80's. In the 90's he collected the first 10,000
dollars from his MM buddies in Nevada and gave the check to Bob Dole to
get the ball rolling. Now anyone can visit the memorial.


This striking memorial, the first national memorial to merchant seamen
in the United States, was commissioned by a group of local seamen to
honor merchant marine veterans from all wars.

A good project, the merchant marine is well deserving of a
memorial. It was a vital service and often brutal.

DSK