What This Bill Does
This bill awards a Congressional Gold Medal to the 761st Tank Battalion as a group, honoring their role in helping Allied forces succeed in Europe during World War II. The bill recognizes the 761st as the first Black soldiers to serve as part of an American armored unit in combat.
Who It Affects
The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate carry out the medal presentation. The National Museum of African American History and Culture receives and displays the medal. The Secretary of the Treasury designs and produces the medals.
Key Provisions
• The Speaker of the House and President pro tempore of the Senate must arrange to present a gold medal to the 761st Tank Battalion collectively in recognition of their military achievements (Sec. 3(a)).
• The Secretary of the Treasury will design the gold medal with suitable emblems, devices and inscriptions to be determined by the Secretary (Sec. 3(b)).
• Following the award, the gold medal goes to the National Museum of African American History and Culture for display and research purposes (Sec. 3(c)(1)).
• The Secretary may create and sell bronze duplicate medals at a price that covers production costs including labor, materials and overhead (Sec. 4).
• Costs for the medals come from the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund, and money from selling duplicate medals goes back into that fund (Sec. 6).
What Changes
The 761st Tank Battalion receives official recognition through a Congressional Gold Medal. The National Museum of African American History and Culture will hold and display this medal.
Important Definitions
None defined in the bill text.
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1022
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 761st Tank Battalion, collec-
tively, in recognition of their crucial role in the success of Allied forces
in Europe and for the example they set as the first Black soldiers
to go to war as part of an American armored unit.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 14, 2023
Mr. PALMER (for himself, Ms. SEWELL, Mr. GROTHMAN, Mr. BURCHETT, Mr.
CAREY, Mr. HUDSON, Mr. HARRIS, Mr. GRIFFITH, Mr. CARL, Mr.
EDWARDS, and Mr. LATTA) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the
Committee on House Administration, for a period to be subsequently de-
termined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 761st Tank
Battalion, collectively, in recognition of their crucial role
in the success of Allied forces in Europe and for the
example they set as the first Black soldiers to go to
war as part of an American armored unit.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘761st Tank Battalion
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Congressional Gold Medal Act’’.
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•HR 1022 IH
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
1
The Congress finds the following:
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(1) The 761st Tank Battalion, known as the
3
‘‘Black Panthers’’, was activated on April 1, 1942,
4
and served as the first predominantly Black Amer-
5
ican armored battalion in the European Theater of
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World War II until its deactivation on June 1, 1946,
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in Germany.
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(2) Lieutenant Jackie Robinson, the first Black
9
Major League baseball player, was among the few
10
Black officers in the 761st, but he was court
11
martialed before seeing combat for an act of civil
12
disobedience in refusing to move to the back of a
13
bus.
14
(3) Despite resistance from many top-level
15
American politicians and military officers, the 761st
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served valiantly under Lieutenant General George S.
17
Patton.
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(4) In his welcoming speech, Patton said, ‘‘I
19
would never have asked for you if you weren’t good.
20
I have nothing but the best in my Army. I don’t care
21
what color you are as long as you go up there and
22
kill those. . .’’.
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(5) After entering combat in late fall 1944, the
24
761st lived up to their motto, ‘‘Come Out Fighting’’,
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•HR 1022 IH
enduring 183 days of combat without being pulled
1
from the line.
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(6) The 761st played a crucial role in numerous
3
battles including the Battle of the Bulge and helped
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break out the encircled American paratroopers in the
5
town of Bastogne.
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(7) During their time in combat, the 761st in-
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flicted 130,000 casualties on the Germans while en-
8
during a casualty rate of almost 50 percent with the
9
loss of 71 tanks.
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(8) As the spearhead for several of Patton’s
11
moves toward Germany, they were the first Amer-
12
ican unit to break through the Siegfried Line and
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they were one of the first American units to link up
14
with the Russian Army at the Enns River at Steyr,
15
Austria.
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(9) Sadly, like other Black soldiers in World
17
War II, members of the 761st did not receive the
18
recognition that was due them upon returning home,
19
and instead faced prejudice at home after the war.
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(10) The accomplishments of the 761st were
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largely unrecognized until 1978 when, over three
22
decades after the war, the battalion finally received
23
a Presidential Unit Citation.
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•HR 1022 IH
(11) The citation acknowledges ‘‘the extraor-
1
dinary gallantry, courage, professionalism, and high
2
esprit de corps displayed in the accomplishment of
3
unusually difficult and hazardous operations in the
4
European Theater of Operations’’.
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(12) In addition to that citation, individual
6
members of the 761st had earned the following: 1
7
Medal of Honor, 11 Silver Stars, and approximately
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300 Purple Hearts.
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(13) The United States is eternally grateful to
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the soldiers of the 761st Tank Battalion for their
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crucial role in the success of Allied forces in Europe
12
and for helping ensure freedom around the globe.
13
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
14
(a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of
15
the House of Representatives and the President pro tem-
16
pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements
17
for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold
18
medal of appropriate design to the 761st Tank Battalion,
19
collectively, in recognition of their crucial role in the suc-
20
cess of Allied forces in Europe and for the example they
21
set as the first Black soldiers to go to war as part of an
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American armored unit.
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(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes of the
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presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary
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•HR 1022 IH
of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the
1
‘‘Secretary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable em-
2
blems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the
3
Secretary.
4
(c) NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HIS-
5
TORY AND CULTURE.—
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the
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gold medal under subsection (a), the gold medal
8
shall be given to the National Museum of African
9
American History and Culture, where the medal
10
shall be available for display as appropriate and
11
available for research.
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(2) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.—It is the sense
13
of Congress that the National Museum of African
14
American History and Culture should make the gold
15
medal received under paragraph (1) available for
16
display elsewhere, particularly at appropriate loca-
17
tions associated with the 761st Tank Battalion.
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SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
19
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in
20
bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 3, at
21
a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor,
22
materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses.
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•HR 1022 IH
SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.
1
(a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—The medals struck pursu-
2
ant to this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter
3
51 of title 31, United States Code.
4
(b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of section
5
5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck
6
under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items.
7
SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF
8
SALE.
9
(a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is
10
authorized to be charged against the United States Mint
11
Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec-
12
essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck under
13
this Act.
14
(b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the
15
sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section
16
4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public
17
Enterprise Fund.
18
Æ
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