On Oct. 3 about 20 veterans from Carroll County will
commemorate Veterans Day and the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II
early this year, as they set sail on the World War II Liberty ship, the S.S.
John W. Brown.
According to Phil Mullikin, a volunteer for Project Liberty
Ship and a member of the Community Foundation of Carroll County, “I teamed-up
with the Kahlert Foundation to develop a grant to take Carroll County vets on
this cruise. For me it is killing two birds with one stone, I’m helping to
raise money for the preservation of the ship, and I’m doing something for the
vets in the county. November weather can be pretty unpleasant so the cruise is
made in October.”
Volunteering is nothing new for Mullikin, who also serves on
the board of ‘Catherine’s Cause,’ an anti-drunk driving organization. The
Kahlert Foundation is a Carroll County organization that supports veterans, and
youth, education and health care initiatives and programs.
In a recent phone interview, Mullikin said that he has
volunteered for Project Liberty Ship for four years. He was recruited by chief
officer Larry Knapp, a fellow Delaware River pilot. A river pilot himself,
Mullikin explained that he “worked with the Delaware River Pilots for about 13
years, after spending 35 years at sea as a merchant seaman. I ended my career
at the rank of captain.”
Volunteering for his adopted Carroll County is nothing new
for Mullikin, who also serves on the board of Catherine’s Cause, an anti-drunk
driving organization. Mullikin grew-up in a Maryland eastern shore family. I’ve
lived in Carroll County for almost 35 years. I got here as quickly as I could.
Mullikin said that he got involved with the restoration of
the Liberty ship because his hobby is carpentry. “But I started my work on the
John Brown as temporary relief chief officer. However, I did not want to
continue to do that because that is what I did all my life. But my ‘unlimited
master’s license upon ocean,’ allows me to make ocean transits should that need
arise for the Brown.”
Timed just about midway between two dates that have
significant meaning for veterans in this country, approximately 20 veterans
from Carroll County will board a ship of that has also has significant
importance.
On Oct. 3, the county residents will commemorate Veterans
Day (Nov. 11) and Sept. 2, 1945 official surrender by Japan that ended World
War II by coming aboard the World War II Liberty ship, the S.S. John W. Brown.
Philip W. Mullikin, a volunteer for Project Liberty Ship and
a member of the Community Foundation of Carroll County said he, "teamed up
with the Kahlert Foundation to develop a grant to take Carroll County vets on
this cruise."
The Kahlert Foundation is a Carroll County organization that
supports veterans, and youth, education and health care initiatives and
programs.
"For me it is killing two birds with one stone,"
Mullikin said. "I'm helping to raise money for the preservation of the
ship, and I'm doing something for the vets in the county."
As for the timing, "November weather can be pretty
unpleasant so the cruise is made in October," he said.
The S.S. Brown website explains that the cargo ship, built
in Baltimore, is "one of only two remaining, fully operational Liberty
ships that participated in World War II. The first of the 2,711 Liberty ships
was the SS Patrick Henry, launched on Sept. 27, 1941…"
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Project Liberty Ship, which is a
Baltimore-based non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the last
remaining troop transport from WWII as a living memorial, is providing visitors
with an opportunity to tour it and go on a cruise. WJZ’s Mike Schuh reports,
the organization is a rare link to the past and needs your help…”
