The Brave Never Die-Honor MMWWII
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The Brave Never Die...
Recently the 75th anniversary of the torpedoed ship M/S City of New York was remembered by the ships doctor being recognized as a hero. Leonard H. Conly was a surgeon aboard the ship in 1942. One passenger was pregnant & accompanied by her 4 year old daughter. Suddenly the ship was hit by a torpedo The woman made it to the lifeboat and the doctor followed behind her. She broke her hip and he broke several ribs.
The doctor delivered the baby in the lifeboat, a healthy 8 lb. boy who lived a long healthy life. He was forever known as the "Baby that Hitler couldn't get." The New York Times followed this baby throughout his entire life. On the 75th anniversary, March 29, 2017, Dr. Conly was awarded postumously, the highest medal ever to a mariner, the Distinguished Service Medal . His son Len Conly Jr. and grandson Darren accepted the award.
These are the stories that movies are made about!
Being the proud daughter of a MMWWII Veteran, I became an advocate for the recognition of the USMM that were never given their just recognition as part of the U.S. Armed Forces. FDR died in office before he was able to declare these men as veterans and give them access to the GI Bill.
A proposed memorial sculpture in honor of the Merchant Marine WWII Veterans, survivors and victims of the German U-boat attacks off the East Coast of the United States is being planned. This task of a major hurricane proof life size bronze sculptur will be very costly. The funds raised will be used to purchase all of the materials up front & as soon as possible to begin working on this sculpture which will take almost a year.
What you see here is a small clay model and we will update pictures as it begins to take progress. The sculptor and maritime artist Douglas Alvord who lives in N.C. read the book written by William Geroux, "The Matthews Men." Doug was inspired in particular by the story of the "Life Boat Baby" who was born in a life boat after being torpedoed off the City of New York. The baby was named for the rescue ship the U.S.S. Jesse Roper (Jesse Roper Mohorovic) and appeared in many New York Times front pages stories. He was known at the time as "the baby that Hitler couldn't get." The artists passion is driven by the idea of recreating the emotions of these brave men and women who were forced into lifeboats in the darkness, not knowing their fate.
NOAA has discovered numerous merchant ships that were located of the coast of North Carolina. These are the watery graves of many brave mariners and Navy Armed Guard that were brought down by U-boats, They are hoping to claim this area part of a National Maritime Sanctuary and this monument will be a perfect addition to the coastline wherever they decide to place it.
The recognition of the brave US Merchant Marine in WWII will mean so much to all of the families of the 9,300 mariners who lost their lives in the war. It will mean even more to the surviving MMWWII Veterans who will never forget their shipmates lost at sea or those that died in POW camps after sustaining severe torture. They sufferered the greatest loss of 1-26 men compared to all other branches of the military and our Congress has forgotten them. But with each donation, you will have pledged to make up for these attrocities by showing your support for the Merchant Marine of WWII who were indeed some of the bravest and yet most ignored warriors, by the history books and our Congress.
Perhaps by NOAA recognizing this as a sanctuary and if this statue is completed, maybe Congress will see how much people really care about the MMWWII. Several bills to award the remaining MMWWII Veterans have failed 10 times in Congress and even the Congressional Gold Medal Act they were going to be awarded is now being bypassed by the Senate to be awarded to another country's WWII veterans. Each link at the bottom will help you understand more about the stories mentioned above and information regarding the MMWWII.
This would mean the world for me to see all of these things take place in 2017. A promise to my father, who is in Heaven, would be fulfilled if our country finally recognizes MM of WWII. I am carrying on his legacy and the legacy of all Merchant Mariners of WWII. Won't you help me?
Sheila M. Sova
Proud Daughter of a MMWWII Veteran & Korean Army Veteran
Artwort by Douglas Alvord
Frequently Asked Questions about the Merchant Marine The Merchant Marine of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act in June 2015.
The Improbable Story of Birth Amidst the Battle of the Atlantic
Talk by Wiliam Geroux who wrote the book "The Mathews Men Seven Brothers Against Hitler's UBoats"
Science on the Sound Lecture Series: "Mathews Men"
Recently the 75th anniversary of the torpedoed ship M/S City of New York was remembered by the ships doctor being recognized as a hero. Leonard H. Conly was a surgeon aboard the ship in 1942. One passenger was pregnant & accompanied by her 4 year old daughter. Suddenly the ship was hit by a torpedo The woman made it to the lifeboat and the doctor followed behind her. She broke her hip and he broke several ribs.
The doctor delivered the baby in the lifeboat, a healthy 8 lb. boy who lived a long healthy life. He was forever known as the "Baby that Hitler couldn't get." The New York Times followed this baby throughout his entire life. On the 75th anniversary, March 29, 2017, Dr. Conly was awarded postumously, the highest medal ever to a mariner, the Distinguished Service Medal . His son Len Conly Jr. and grandson Darren accepted the award.
These are the stories that movies are made about!
Being the proud daughter of a MMWWII Veteran, I became an advocate for the recognition of the USMM that were never given their just recognition as part of the U.S. Armed Forces. FDR died in office before he was able to declare these men as veterans and give them access to the GI Bill.
A proposed memorial sculpture in honor of the Merchant Marine WWII Veterans, survivors and victims of the German U-boat attacks off the East Coast of the United States is being planned. This task of a major hurricane proof life size bronze sculptur will be very costly. The funds raised will be used to purchase all of the materials up front & as soon as possible to begin working on this sculpture which will take almost a year.
What you see here is a small clay model and we will update pictures as it begins to take progress. The sculptor and maritime artist Douglas Alvord who lives in N.C. read the book written by William Geroux, "The Matthews Men." Doug was inspired in particular by the story of the "Life Boat Baby" who was born in a life boat after being torpedoed off the City of New York. The baby was named for the rescue ship the U.S.S. Jesse Roper (Jesse Roper Mohorovic) and appeared in many New York Times front pages stories. He was known at the time as "the baby that Hitler couldn't get." The artists passion is driven by the idea of recreating the emotions of these brave men and women who were forced into lifeboats in the darkness, not knowing their fate.
NOAA has discovered numerous merchant ships that were located of the coast of North Carolina. These are the watery graves of many brave mariners and Navy Armed Guard that were brought down by U-boats, They are hoping to claim this area part of a National Maritime Sanctuary and this monument will be a perfect addition to the coastline wherever they decide to place it.
The recognition of the brave US Merchant Marine in WWII will mean so much to all of the families of the 9,300 mariners who lost their lives in the war. It will mean even more to the surviving MMWWII Veterans who will never forget their shipmates lost at sea or those that died in POW camps after sustaining severe torture. They sufferered the greatest loss of 1-26 men compared to all other branches of the military and our Congress has forgotten them. But with each donation, you will have pledged to make up for these attrocities by showing your support for the Merchant Marine of WWII who were indeed some of the bravest and yet most ignored warriors, by the history books and our Congress.
Perhaps by NOAA recognizing this as a sanctuary and if this statue is completed, maybe Congress will see how much people really care about the MMWWII. Several bills to award the remaining MMWWII Veterans have failed 10 times in Congress and even the Congressional Gold Medal Act they were going to be awarded is now being bypassed by the Senate to be awarded to another country's WWII veterans. Each link at the bottom will help you understand more about the stories mentioned above and information regarding the MMWWII.
This would mean the world for me to see all of these things take place in 2017. A promise to my father, who is in Heaven, would be fulfilled if our country finally recognizes MM of WWII. I am carrying on his legacy and the legacy of all Merchant Mariners of WWII. Won't you help me?
Sheila M. Sova
Proud Daughter of a MMWWII Veteran & Korean Army Veteran
Artwort by Douglas Alvord
Frequently Asked Questions about the Merchant Marine The Merchant Marine of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act in June 2015.
The Improbable Story of Birth Amidst the Battle of the Atlantic
Talk by Wiliam Geroux who wrote the book "The Mathews Men Seven Brothers Against Hitler's UBoats"
Science on the Sound Lecture Series: "Mathews Men"
Organizer and beneficiary
Sheila Sova
Organizer
Glen Carbon, IL
Douglas Alvord
Beneficiary
