Fort Myers and Englewood Merchant Mariners awarded Congressional Gold Medal for war service

Two Southwest Florida Merchant Mariners were honored with a collective Congressional Gold Medal in mid-May for their service during World War II.

James Sciple of Fort Myers traveled to Washington, D.C. to receive his bronze duplicate medal during the honorary ceremony. George Koch of Englewood was unable to travel to the ceremony due to a recent surgery but looks forward to receiving his medal.

During World War II, the U.S. Merchant Mariners sailed through turbulent seas and targeted attacks by enemy vessels to transport almost 270 billion tons of cargo to allied forces.

The mariners took the oath of office, trained with firearms and conducted their duties like any other military branch would, said Sheila Sova, 63, vice president of the American Merchant Marine Veterans.

Yet when they returned from war, almost 80 years ago, the mariners did not receive veteran status or any benefits.

Since returning, many of them have been fighting for more recognition.

In March 2020, the Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act was passed unanimously. It awarded a collective Congressional Gold Medal to the Merchant Mariners. The ceremony to honor and award the veterans was then postponed due to COVID-19.

On May 18, the Congressional Gold Medal was revealed during the honorary ceremony in the U.S. Capitol. The medal will be housed at the American Merchant Marine Museum in New York state.

Ten veterans in attendance were awarded duplicate bronze medals during the ceremony. Any past member of the U.S. Merchant Marine can apply to be awarded the duplicate medal, as well as next of kin.

The trip was paid for by the AMMV, a nonprofit organization that aims to celebrate and assist the veterans. The AMMV corporate office is located in Cape Coral.

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James Sciple helped land tanks

The day after Sciple graduated from Fort Myers High School, he joined the Merchant Mariners. Everyone had a job to do during that time whether it was collecting scrap metal or fighting for the country, the 97-year-old said.

Sciple chose to join the U.S. Merchant Marine because the aquatic aspect of the position appealed to him. He was making $60 a month when he first started the job.

Sciple served on two tank landing ships as an engineer. The ships would use the high tide to land the on the beach, and the doors would open with tanks rolling out, ready to fight.

Then the ships would have to wait for the next high tide to pull themselves off. The ships would sit on the beach and take enemy fire for 24 hours.

Sciple would usually be in the engine room. His job was to keep the ship running.

Sciple remembers a Japanese bomber that would drop one bomb over the ship every night. Then, it would take off to get another bomb and drop it on another ship.

Sciple served as a mariner until the end of World War II and then worked as a miner overseas. He joined the AMMV about eight years ago. He enjoys swapping stories with other veterans.

Sciple met one of his closest friends, Vietnam War veteran Richard Wobbe, through Collier-Lee Honor Flight, an organization dedicated to the transportation of local veterans to memorials honoring their service. Wobbe, 68, volunteered to escort Sciple on a trip to Baltimore in 2021.

Wobbe originally became involved in Collier-Lee Honor Flight because of his uncle Henry Wobbe who fought in World War II and was drafted to serve in Korea after. His uncle passed away right before their first trip together. Wobbe decided to go on the trip with another veteran and is thankful for all the opportunities Collier-Lee Honor Flight brought him.

Prior to their Baltimore trip, Wobbe began to interview Sciple and take him to lunch. Sciple opened up to Wobbe and shared stories about his life during and after the war.

In one particular story, Sciple stayed in the Philippines after the war and hunted for treasure. Other treasure hunters discovered safes spread out in shallow water on one of the shorelines.

Their eyes lit up with gold when they finally pulled one of the safes out of the water. They all thought they were about to be rich.

“They rented a bulldozer, and they pulled one up on shore. They opened the safe up, and it turned out to be a a bomb,” Wobbe said.

None of the mines went off. They were left behind by Japanese soldiers.

Sciple spent most of his time sailing in the Pacific Ocean. In 2021, Sciple received a medal from Canada and Russia for his time as a Merchant Mariner.

“Makes you proud. Proud that people realized what you’ve done and that you’d done your part,” Sciple said.

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George Koch joined at 16

Koch, 94, joined the Merchant Mariners after finishing his sophomore year of high school. He was 16 years old and wasn’t old enough to join the army or any other armed forces. After completing his basic training, Koch was sent to the SS Eloy Alfaro.

He was assigned to be a wiper in the boiler room and was responsible for the maintenance of that area. They sailed into the North Atlantic and were attacked by German planes and submarines.

Koch had learned how to use 20 millimeter guns during his training and offered his help to the Navy forces on the ship. They had the situation under control, so Koch got onto the ship’s deck and watched as planes flew overhead.

“Planes were flying over and so far we didn't know we were under attack. I look to the rear of the ship, and I noticed 25 or 50 yards off the stern, a submarine had just passed the stern of our ship. A torpedo went past,” Koch said.

The captain of the ship caught Koch watching the attack and ordered him inside. After the attack, English corvettes dropped depth charges in the area to destroy enemy submarines.

“It sounded like somebody had put a bucket over your head and was hitting it with a hammer,” Koch said.

They made it through to the dock without any damage or casualties and started unloading the supplies.

“When we were in Murmansk (Russia), the city was all bombed out. It was in terrible condition. Everything was destroyed. The streets were nothing but mud,” Koch said. “My friend who spoke Polish was able to speak to one of the women. We asked them ‘Where are all the children?’ There was no children to be seen, and all they would say is they are in a safe place.”

After they left Murmansk, they were in another convoy traveling back to the United States. It was around Christmas time, and Koch felt nostalgic. He went up to the ship deck and everything was pitch black.

“I was standing there and looking up at the sky. All of a sudden there was a big white flash then there was another flash of green and then yellow and pretty soon the whole sky lit up. It was the Aurora Borealis,” Koch said.

Koch joined the mariners in 1944 and served until the end of the war in 1945. Then, he joined the Navy.

Koch was thrilled by the news of the collective Congressional Gold Medal. He felt it was well deserved.

“The Merchant Marine did so much during the Second World War, supplying all the material and so forth,” Koch said. “All the allies were depending on the United States for supplies and manpower so it was very, very positive that the Merchant Marine were able to deliver all the materials.”

In 2021, Koch received the Ushakov Medal from the Russian Embassy for his delivery of supplies to Murmansk.

Koch feels honored to have earned a duplicate medal of the Congressional Gold Medal and can’t wait for its arrival.

Honored 77 years after the war

The Merchant Mariners’ trip lasted three days. The first event they attended was at the World War II memorial. A table was set up, and people came by to take pictures with the veterans. The national anthem was sung and the color guard gave a performance.

For three days, they attended dinners, ceremonies and events that were all planned to honor the veterans. Wobbe accompanied Sciple on the trip as a friend and caretaker.

Through the trip, Wobbe was able to learn more about his uncle Henry, who he found out had been a Merchant Mariner. His uncle never talked about his time as a mariner; however, an AMMV member let Wobbe know that they were gathering all the material they had on Henry so Wobbe could learn more about him.

Wobbe felt his uncle watching over him during the trip.

“If it wasn't for him, I would not have been involved in Honor Flight and I would not be pursuing what he did during World War II,” Wobbe said. “I remember telling her, my uncle is sitting on my shoulder right here, right now, and these are his people. He wanted me here. It's just been 10 years in the making.”

Wobbe felt shocked and honored when Sciple asked him to join him on the trip to Washington, D.C.

“I will be forever indebted to him for allowing me to accompany him on such a momentous, historical occasion. This will be in the history books for the Merchant Mariners to have received a Congressional Gold Medal, which is the highest award they can bestow on people,” Wobbe said.

When the medal was brought out during the ceremony, everyone gazed at it with a twinkle in their eye. It’s just the funny thing about gold; go back to any movie, when people see gold everybody just looks, Wobbe said.

Wobbe looked over at Sciple and saw a smile spread through his face as his interest in the medal peaked.

“Here it is 77 years later. You earned that,” Wobbe said. “That's something that should have been done a long time ago, but at least it's done now."

The duplicate medals were not going to be given to the veterans that night; however, Congressman John Raymond Garamendi’s wife, Patricia Garamendi, insisted they should give the veterans their medals then. Garamendi is a Democrat serving California.

The guardians of the veterans helped get them up on the stage as a woman from the U.S. Mint came out and handed a medal to each veteran.

“She handed him a medal, and he looked at it, and he has a beautiful look on his face,” Wobbe said. “Then he handed it back to her. He didn't know it was for him, and that's what humble people do.”

For the rest of the trip, Sciple carried the medal with him everywhere he went. He would open and close the medal’s case in awe that it was there.

“It was just good to know that you were acknowledged as doing your part,” Sciple said.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers and Englewood Merchant Mariners awarded Congressional Medal