All things considered, the Merchant Marines made the right choice in accepting a separate memorial in Diamond Park, rather than continuing to pursue more prominent recognition on the existing World War II Memorial.

Accepting the proposal means there still will be time for many of the mariners from the Second World War — mariners now in their 80s and 90s — to gain satisfaction and enjoyment from a monument that will properly acknowledge their sacrifices, dedication and achievements during that terrible conflict. Unfortunately, the current World War II memorial doesn't do that.

Although their effort to obtain proper recognition on the current memorial was unsuccessful, their long fight on that behalf can be judged meritorious and justified.

Their pleas and arguments on behalf of recognition on the memorial's front failed to be given the respect and open-minded consideration that were deserved. It's even correct to point out that these vital human components to the war effort were in fact treated disrespectfully, considering their sacrifices, suffering and losses.

But in the end, the dispute came down to time. If lack of an agreement had continued for much longer, there might not have been a large enough contingent of mariners to pursue the project to successful completion.

As the situation now stands, barring a major contributor coming forward, it still could be several years before the financing and memorial design are ready for actually preparing and erecting the monument at its Diamond Park site. The mariners would do well to ensure that a committee structure is in place to continue the project, even if some mariners are eventually forced to bow out for health or other reasons.

The mariner memorial issue no longer should dwell on why the mariners didn't accept previous proposals on behalf of a memorial honoring only them, just as the issue no longer should dwell on the World War II Memorial Committee's refusal to honor the mariners in a more prominent and appropriate way.

Those issues are over and done with and have no relevance as the situation now stands.

"I'm pleased we at least came to a compromise and put this behind us," said County Commissioner Dale Pinkerton.

"They (mariners) did a great job for this country," he added.

In fact, the war could not have been won without the missions they performed.

The focus now must be on raising the money for the mariner memorial and ensuring that the memorial, as designed, effectively depicts the mariners' important contributions to maintaining this nation's freedom.

A good agreement now is in place for that to take shape.