This chunk of text was originally posted to Facebook and is swirling around the net.
A uniform says a lot. When Kings Point was in the process of construction, the U.S. Coast Guard (who was overseeing mariner training) was of the mind that the Academy and all the Maritime Service training stations were “for the duration.” When the role of training cadets was handed over to the War Shipping Administration/Maritime Service, the consensus under the new administration became the Academy was to be permanent. In 1943 there was a Dedication and re-styling of uniforms at Kings Point. Before 1943, cadet-midshipmen wore uniforms like those current in the industry – reefers and working khakis (and whites like banana boat officers). In July-September 1943, cadets began wearing dress uniforms just like the midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis and U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London. Of particular importance is the fact the Merchant Marine Academy uniformed its cadets like those at Annapolis – the administration was very pointedly stating these cadets were at par with those of the other service academies.
Below is a super neat booklet that is at the American Merchant Marine Museum – it shows cadet-midshipman in a dress uniform and all the medals and ribbons available to merchant mariners in early to mid-1944 (note: both the Meritorious Service medal and Gallant Ship ribbon were not yet created, they were instituted in August 1944).
The booklet also shows awards potentially awardable to Kings Pointers – showing these students served in war zones and could be (and were) decorated for bravery and service. During World War II there were two styles of ribbons: the thin U.S. Army sort and the taller U.S. Navy sorts. The ribbons depicted are in U.S. Navy format – showing the awardees are members of a sea service.
Here is the complete booklet with all the insignia and awards and what they mean; it is a part of the corpus of Admiral McNulty’s archive at AMMM.