American Patriots of WWII through Service with the Canadian and British Armed Forces Gold Medal Act of 2021

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1709 To award a Congressional Gold Medal to all United States nationals who voluntarily joined the Canadian and British armed forces and their supporting entities during World War II, in recognition of their dedicated service. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 9, 2021 Mr. RYAN (for himself and Mr. COHEN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi- sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To award a Congressional Gold Medal to all United States nationals who voluntarily joined the Canadian and Brit- ish armed forces and their supporting entities during World War II, in recognition of their dedicated service. 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 ‘‘American Patriots of 4 WWII through Service with the Canadian and British 5 Armed Forces Gold Medal Act of 2021’’. 6 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:29 May 01, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1709.IH H1709 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 1709 IH SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 1 Congress finds the following: 2 (1) Americans from across the country served 3 in defense of democracy and freedom during World 4 War II (WWII) by volunteering for service with the 5 Canadian and British militaries and other associated 6 organizations that were fighting Nazi and Fascist 7 aggression. Many United States citizens perceived 8 the importance of this war and the severe impact 9 Nazism and Fascism could have on the American 10 way of life. Therefore, prior to the United States 11 entry into the conflict and indeed throughout WWII 12 these patriots independently crossed the border into 13 Canada and entered Canadian and British armed 14 forces recruiting offices or sought out representa- 15 tives based in major United States municipalities 16 and elsewhere. 17 (2) When the ‘‘United Kingdom of Great Brit- 18 ain and Northern Ireland’’ and the ‘‘British Com- 19 monwealth of Nations’’ were drawn into WWII after 20 Germany invaded Poland in 1939, the Canadian and 21 British air forces made a concerted effort to recruit 22 Americans. 23 (3) It is documented that thousands of Ameri- 24 cans joined the Canadian and British armed forces, 25 a large percentage joining the Royal Canadian Air 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:29 May 01, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1709.IH H1709 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 1709 IH Force (RCAF) alone. In a 1942 film Air Marshal 1 William Avery ‘‘Billy’’ Bishop, an organizer and pro- 2 moter of the British Commonwealth Air Training 3 Plan (BCATP) and Director of the Royal Canadian 4 Air Force, recognized the ‘‘gallant lads from the 5 United States who have come up here to help and 6 serve with us’’. Notably, many Americans were also 7 recruited and processed through Canada before 8 being assigned to or detached for the purpose of 9 Royal Air Force (RAF) service. 10 (4) General of the Army, Army of the United 11 States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, the former Supreme 12 Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary 13 Force, referenced, in a speech on January 10, 1946, 14 the ‘‘some twelve thousand American citizens’’ who 15 crossed into Canada with the goal of entering the 16 Canadian armed forces. Although the precise num- 17 bers of Americans who were in Canadian and British 18 service are unknown, media accounts published by 19 Allied journalists during the conflict nonetheless de- 20 tail their legacies of volunteerism, personal sacrifice, 21 and bravery. 22 (5) Americans also joined the Canadian Avia- 23 tion Bureau, and the Home Guard, Air Transport 24 Auxiliary (ATA), and Royal Air Force Ferry Com- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:29 May 01, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1709.IH H1709 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 1709 IH mand/Transport Command in Britain. The existence 1 of these ancillaries enabled patriotic citizens, who 2 were, at least initially, unable to join a branch of the 3 United States military due to gender, age, race, 4 health, the lack of sufficient college education, or 5 other reasons, to support the war effort. Those who 6 contributed via these alternative concerns were no 7 less essential to attaining victory. 8 (6) The infusion of Americans into Canada 9 helped to reduce shortages of civilian and military 10 pilots in the BCATP, and President Franklin Roo- 11 sevelt paid tribute to both Canada and the program 12 in a wartime letter to Canadian Prime Minister Wil- 13 liam Lyon Mackenzie King. Within the correspond- 14 ence President Roosevelt used the phrase ‘‘the Aero- 15 drome of Democracy’’. 16 (7) As members of the Canadian and British 17 militaries, the American volunteers served in many 18 capacities. Extant military rolls and individual serv- 19 ice records document, and thereby testify to, their 20 contributions. 21 (8) A sizable number of Americans lost their 22 lives or were wounded while serving in the RCAF 23 and RAF. The Canadian Army, British Army, Royal 24 Canadian Navy, and Royal Navy also incurred 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:29 May 01, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1709.IH H1709 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 1709 IH American personnel casualties. Those who perished 1 and the survivors demonstrated the exceptional cour- 2 age that has been repeatedly displayed in the de- 3 fense of freedom throughout American history. 4 (9) A unique and highly publicized group of 5 Americans, who were members of the RCAF and 6 RAF, were posted to the famous RAF Eagle Squad- 7 rons and thereby showcased the important roles 8 American volunteers were undertaking. British 9 Prime Minister Winston Churchill, whose mother 10 was American, played an important role in originally 11 promoting the concept of the Eagle Squadrons to 12 the Air Ministry. 13 (10) The early successes of female ferry air- 14 crews paved the way for the formation in the United 15 States of the Women Airforce Service Pilots 16 (WASP) in 1943. The exceptional legacy of the 17 Women Airforce Service Pilots, ATA, etc., provided 18 essential support and paved the way for future gen- 19 erations of military women. 20 (11) A substantial portion of the Americans 21 serving in Canadian and British aerial forces trans- 22 ferred to the United States Army Air Forces be- 23 tween 1942 and 1944, while others elected to enter 24 other branches of the United States Military. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:29 May 01, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1709.IH H1709 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 1709 IH (12) The practical experience these veterans of 1 Canadian and British service possessed provided the 2 inexperienced American Forces with an immediate 3 degree of competence and effectiveness. More than a 4 few became accomplished combat pilots, the Amer- 5 ican Fighter Aces Association possessing many of 6 them within the organization’s core membership. 7 (13) The bravery and foresight displayed by the 8 Americans who enlisted in the Canadian and British 9 armed forces represent a largely unrecognized story 10 of valor, and their initiatives are worthy of official 11 recognition. 12 (14) The United States Nationals who volun- 13 teered for service with military-associated Canadian 14 and British ancillary entities are to be equally recog- 15 nized for their volunteerism, contributions, and sac- 16 rifices. 17 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 18 (a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The President pro tem- 19 pore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Rep- 20 resentatives shall make appropriate arrangements for the 21 award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal of 22 appropriate design to all United States nationals who vol- 23 untarily joined the Canadian and British armed forces and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:29 May 01, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1709.IH H1709 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 1709 IH their supporting entities during World War II, in recogni- 1 tion of their dedicated service. 2 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes of the 3 award referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the 4 Treasury (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall 5 strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and 6 inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. 7 (c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.— 8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the 9 gold medal under subsection (a), the gold medal 10 shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where 11 it will be available for display as appropriate and 12 made available for research. 13 (2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 14 Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should 15 make the gold medal received under paragraph (1) 16 available for display elsewhere. 17 (d) DUPLICATE MEDALS.—Under regulations that 18 the Secretary may promulgate, the Secretary may strike 19 and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck 20 under this Act, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of 21 the medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machin- 22 ery, and overhead expenses. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:29 May 01, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1709.IH H1709 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 1709 IH SEC. 4. STATUS OF MEDALS. 1 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—Medals struck under this 2 Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 3 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 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:29 May 01, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H1709.IH H1709 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS