Jack Lord, was born John Joseph Patrick Ryan, in New York City, Borough of Brooklyn, on December 30, 1920. Jack's father, a steamship executive, owned several merchant ships. .At age 15 he started spending summers at sea in the Merchant Marine, and from the deck of ships, painted and sketched the landscapes he encountered; Africa, Mediterranean, China. At the onset of World War Two he became a member of the Army Corps of Engineers, working in Persia (Iran) for a year. He returned to the Merchant Marine as an Able Seaman before enrolling in the deck officer course at the United States Merchant Marine Academy, then located at Fort Trumbull in New London, Connecticut, graduating as an Ensign with a Third Mates License. --
Jack served aboard Liberty ships during the war. One of the ships he was serving on was torpedoed, and he barely escaped with his life. By war�??s end, Jack was a Mate Navigator and held a presidential unit citation signed by President Harry Truman. --
At the end of World War II, Jack returned to Persia (Iran) for fourteen months (1945-1946) to work with the Corps of Engineers, then a part of the War Department. He was a steel worker and helped to build roads and bridges. Upon returning Stateside, he was sent to Washington, DC, for two years (1946-1948). There, he served as an artist for a service magazine and made training films for the U.S. Maritime Service. --
He was best known for his Hawaii Five-O portrayal of Detective Lieutenant Steve McGarrett (1968-1980), as the head of a special state police task force, which was based upon an actual unit that existed under Martial Law in the 1940s. --
Jack had worked in jobs as varied as steel construction in Persia (Iran today) and automobile sales. He was an artist, an actor, seaman and once possessed a seaplane pilot�??s license. Lord died in 1998. His ashes were scattered in the Pacific at Kahala Beach. His estate, valued at $40 million, was left to be divided among twelve Hawaiian educational, cultural, and medical institutions. ---
Other Comments:
In time of war, the Merchant Marine is an auxiliary to the Navy, and can be called upon to deliver troops and supplies for the military. The merchant marine is a civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Navy, but not a uniformed service, except in times of war when, in accordance with the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, mariners are considered military personnel. In a time of �??national emergency�??, the President can permanently seize any merchant marine vessel in return for fair compensation, or commandeer it for temporary use with no compensation if returned in reasonable condition. --
In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill into law granting veteran status to merchant mariners who served in WWII. Prior to such legislation, they did not receive veteran�??s benefits.
