Sen. John Hoeven, right, presents the Congressional Gold Medal to Gerald “Pat” Effertz. The medal was presented at a ceremony at the Joseph I. Weller American Legion Post #39 in Velva on Tuesday.

VELVA — Sen. John Hoeven presented the Congressional Gold Medal to Gerald “Pat” Effertz, a veteran of the Merchant Marines, at a ceremony on Tuesday at the Joseph I. Weller American Legion Post #39 in Velva.

Effertz of Velva enlisted in the Merchant Marines in the fall of 1943 after a discussion with his high school buddy, Arlo Peterson. The young men came to the conclusion that you were either going to stay afloat or sink. Effertz became a second class engineer in charge of oil transfers used on the ship. Peterson went on to officers’ school and they did not see each other again until the end of the war, although Effertz did take Peterson’s wife to dinner at the Cliff House in San Francisco one time.

During basic training at Catalina Island, off the southern coast of Los Angeles, California, he was advised to always volunteer for anything and everything, resulting in becoming a frequent volunteer for survival skill drills in cold water. He would put on a rubber suit, jump in, take the suit off and put it back on. A tough thing to do. On one occasion he jumped in and his rubber suit filled up with cold water, pulling him under. Fortunately, they retrieved him before he drowned.

“Turns out the rubber suit had a hole in it!” he said.

The Merchant Marines transported Army battalions, large vehicles and equipment and sometimes passengers from place to place via water routes. They were the supply line for virtually anything the Allied Armies needed to survive and fight on foreign ground. They ran their ships down the middle of not only the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, but through the Indian Ocean as well, with war ships on each side for protection.

“More men, per capita, lost their lives in the Merchant Marines than any other branch of service,” Effertz said.

Of the 250,000 members of the American Merchant Marines who served this country, 12,000 were wounded in action and more than 9,000 perished at sea as their ships were sunk by enemy forces while traveling to their overseas destinations.

Effertz received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Coast Guard on Aug. 15, 1945. His brother, Sylvester Effertz, also served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

In 2020, Congress passed the Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act to recognize the Merchant Mariners for their courage and contributions during the war. This medal is the highest expression of national appreciation that the U.S. Congress can bestow for distinguished achievements and contributions.

In 2021 the McHenry County Veterans Service officer read a news article released by the Disabled American Veterans stating Congress had approved the issuance of the Congressional Gold Medal to veterans who served in the Merchant Marines during World War II. He researched the Office at the Department Transportation, which oversees the issuance of the medals to individual veterans, and submitted the formal request in May 2021. Once the documentation was completed, Effertz was put on the list to be issued the medal. Effertz’s daughter felt a gathering of 22 family members, friends and fellow veterans was in order.

The presentation was made possible with the help of Sally Johnson, who is Effertz’s great-niece and also representative for Hoeven in his Minot office.

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