Camden-Kings Bay Navy League Fall 2022
First Annual Gary Straight Navy League Scholarship,
Winning Essay
Amanda Pollock
According to Marc Liebman, in his article, We are a Maritime Nation, “We are one of six nations blessed with deep-water ports on both coasts that provide access to two of the world’s great oceans.” However, the ocean is such an everyday part of our lives that some people fail to realize just how much it allows our country to do. Being a maritime nation means that we have the ability to grow as an economic and militaristic superpower. Because of this, we have the ability to aid other nations in their times of need.
The United States imports a large portion of our goods from other countries. While this can be beneficial in that it helps to increase the global economy, it means that when there is an issue within one country or shipping system, it can have devastating effects on the US. In particular, the most recent example of this can be found in the supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ports in China were forced to close, and for two weeks they were at a complete standstill, meaning no trade was taking place. As a maritime nation, the US was greatly affected by this closure as we rely on China for a large majority of the goods that we need to be a productive country. However, prior to the pandemic, trade between different countries allowed for a flow of ideas and new, innovative technologies. It was imperative for the growth of our nation, and because the United States has the ports needed to facilitate effective trade, we were able to capitalize on the sharing of ideas, allowing to grow our nation's economy. The trade that happens on a day-to-day basis would not have been possible if not for our prowess as a maritime nation.
Additionally, the United States’ proximity to water has changed the way that we engage in conflicts with other countries. There have been instances when the country has had the ability to remain neutral throughout the beginning of a war or has even started a war due to our global position. During both World Wars, the United States attempted to remain neutral for as long as possible, and it was only because of specific attacks on our country that we joined the war. The bodies of water between the US, Europe, and Asia served as a boundary and, for the most part, protected our country from violence. However, if one looks at the Spanish-American War, that was caused by the US’s need to expand globally. Since there was no unconquered land geographically connected to us, we turned to fighting other countries over islands in the Pacific. The majority of this war was fought on water and allowed us to rebuild our navy after its decline following the Civil War. Since the Spanish-American War, the navy has continued growing, and in 1943 rose to be the largest navy in the world. Currently, our navy functions as not only our navy, but also as the navy for our allies, and it is our job as a maritime nation to keep the world safe and prevent future conflict.
Nevertheless, being a maritime nation, one with a military to rival all others, comes with a price. A price that is not just paid by the men and women in the military, but also by their families. That price is paid by the young children who watch their parents sail away on a ship and can’t fully comprehend the job they are doing or understand that they will return in a few months. The price is paid by the older children who switch schools halfway through the year and have to make brand new friends, only to be told that it was a “character-building experience.” It is paid by the high schoolers trying to scrape together college applications and hoping that the inconsistent list of activities won’t count against them, because attending three different high schools wasn’t their fault. It is paid by every single family member who has ever sacrificed anything to make sure that the military was able to protect this nation.
The United States has an important role in the happenings of the world and will continue to have major effects as we progress into the future. Throughout the last 50 or more years, we have been the country that continuously ensures free global commerce for the world. Moving forward, it is imperative that as a maritime nation we do not stop protecting the oceans from dangers or threats to our free country, and that we keep aiding the world by allowing trade and commerce to flow freely.
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