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Crew of SS Wright to Receive Medals in Shipboard Ceremony

On Monday, June 16, the officers and crew of the SS Wright will receive the Merchant Marine Expeditionary Medal in a shipboard ceremony. The Wright served in the combat zone during Operations Enduring Freedom/ Iraqi Freedom and has just returned from the Middle East. The Wright, an Aviation Logistics Support vessel, carried the helicopter platform, repair shop, and equipment for helicopters, fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, plus 300 Marines. The officers and crew of the SS Wright are all civilian merchant mariners who volunteered to go into the war zone. General John W. Handy, Commander of the U.S. Transportation Command, will present the medals.

This colorful ceremony will include presentation of colors by members of the Fourth Combat Engineer Battalion of the U.S. Marine Corps, which is based in Maryland. Several crewmembers of the Wright are from the Baltimore/Washington area.

The Wright belongs to the Ready Reserve Force (RRF), a fleet of 68 ships owned and maintained by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration. A total of 40 ships were assigned to Operation Enduring/Iraqi Freedom. RRF ships are crewed by American merchant mariners who volunteer for this potentially hazardous duty. American merchant mariners have supported U.S. military action since colonial times, often traveling into harm's way to transport materiel and supplies to the Armed Forces. More than 80 percent of the vehicles and other equipment were taken to the Iraqi conflict on American ships by merchant mariners.

The Merchant Marine Expeditionary Medal is awarded to men and women who serve aboard U.S.-flag ships in support of operations involving American and allied military forces. Members of the crew will be available to the news media for interviews after the ceremony, and a tour of the ship will be provided. General Handy also will be briefly available after the ceremony to take reporters' questions.

WHO: Officers and Crew of the SS Wright

WHAT: Presentation of Merchant Marine Expeditionary Medals

WHEN: 12 noon Ceremony; 11:30 arrival for news media.

WHERE: At Pier 1 North, 2000 Clinton Street, in Baltimore Harbor, MD

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