Billy joined the Merchant Marine during WWII as an underage sailor. His mother signed him in with the agreement that he would finish high school after the war. He has received his DD 214 acknowledging that he is a WWII Merchant Marine Veteran. During his two tours as a Merchant Mariner, he served on 7 Victory ships and one Liberty ship, among others.

During WWII from January of 1945 until the end of 1946, he served on these ships:

USS Maine

USS Battle Mountain

USS Navajo Victory

USS Marine Dragon

After the end of WWII until 1950, he served on the following ships:

USS Tucson Victory

USS Arcadia Victory

USS Greenville Victory

USS David Star Jordan

USS President Harrison

From 1967 to 1971, he served on these Merchant Marine ships:

USS Horace Irving

USS Lahaina Victory

USS Bengal Mail

USS Las Vega Victory

USS Santa Fe

USS Oregon Standard

USS President Coolidge

USS President Jackson

Documentation of this information is from National Maritime Center records

Billy Lemuel Rose