Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2019

II 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 133 To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the United States merchant mariners of World War II, in recognition of their dedicated and vital service during World War II. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JANUARY 15, 2019 Ms. MURKOWSKI (for herself, Mr. KING, Mr. SULLIVAN, Ms. CANTWELL, and Mr. WHITEHOUSE) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs A BILL To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the United States merchant mariners of World War II, in recognition of their dedicated and vital service during World War II. 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 ‘‘Merchant Mariners 4 of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2019’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress finds the following: 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:20 Jan 23, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S133.IS S133 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •S 133 IS (1) 2015 marked the 70th anniversary of the 1 Allied victory in World War II and the restoration 2 of peacetime across the European and Pacific thea- 3 ters. 4 (2) The United States Merchant Marine (in 5 this section referred to as the ‘‘Merchant Marine’’) 6 was integral in providing the link between domestic 7 production and the fighting forces overseas, pro- 8 viding combat equipment, fuel, food, commodities, 9 and raw materials to troops stationed abroad. 10 (3) Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King acknowledged 11 the indispensability of the Merchant Marine to the 12 victory in a 1945 letter stating that, without the 13 support of the Merchant Marine, ‘‘the Navy could 14 not have accomplished its mission’’. 15 (4) President, and former Supreme Commander 16 of the Allied Forces, Dwight D. Eisenhower ac- 17 knowledged that ‘‘through the prompt delivery of 18 supplies and equipment to our armed forces over- 19 seas, and of cargoes representing economic and mili- 20 tary aid to friendly nations, the American Merchant 21 Marine has effectively helped to strengthen the 22 forces of freedom throughout the world’’. 23 (5) Military missions and war planning were 24 contingent upon the availability of resources and the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:20 Jan 23, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S133.IS S133 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •S 133 IS Merchant Marine played a vital role in this regard, 1 ensuring the efficient and reliable transoceanic 2 transport of military equipment and both military 3 and civilian personnel. 4 (6) The Merchant Marine provided for the suc- 5 cessful transport of resources and personnel despite 6 consistent and ongoing exposure to enemy combat- 7 ants from both the air and the sea, including from 8 enemy bomber squadrons, submarines, and mines. 9 (7) The efforts of the Merchant Marine were 10 not without sacrifices as the Merchant Marine bore 11 a higher per-capita casualty rate than any other 12 branch of the military during the war. 13 (8) The Merchant Marine proved to be an in- 14 strumental asset on an untold number of occasions, 15 participating in every landing operation by the 16 United States Marine Corps, from Guadalcanal to 17 Iwo Jima. 18 (9) The Merchant Marine provided the bulk 19 tonnage of material necessary for the invasion of 20 Normandy, an invasion which, according to a 1944 21 New York Times article, ‘‘would not have been pos- 22 sible without the Merchant Marine’’. 23 (10) In assessing the performance of the Mer- 24 chant Marine, General Eisenhower stated, ‘‘every 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:20 Jan 23, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S133.IS S133 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •S 133 IS man in this Allied command is quick to express his 1 admiration for the loyalty, courage, and fortitude of 2 the officers and men of the Merchant Marine. We 3 count upon their efficiency and their utter devotion 4 to duty as we do our own; they have never failed 5 us’’. 6 (11) During a September 1944 speech, Presi- 7 dent Franklin D. Roosevelt stated that the Merchant 8 Marine had ‘‘delivered the goods when and where 9 needed in every theater of operations and across 10 every ocean in the biggest, the most difficult, and 11 dangerous transportation job ever undertaken. As 12 time goes on, there will be greater public under- 13 standing of our merchant fleet’s record during this 14 war.’’. 15 (12) The feats and accomplishments of the 16 Merchant Marine are deserving of broader public 17 recognition. 18 (13) The United States will be forever grateful 19 and indebted to these merchant mariners for their 20 effective, reliable, and courageous transport of goods 21 and resources in enemy territory throughout thea- 22 ters of every variety in World War II. 23 (14) The goods and resources transported by 24 the Merchant Marine saved thousands of lives and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:20 Jan 23, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S133.IS S133 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •S 133 IS enabled the Allied Powers to claim victory in World 1 War II. 2 (15) The Congressional Gold Medal would be 3 an appropriate way to shed further light on the serv- 4 ice of the merchant mariners in World War II and 5 the instrumental role they played in winning that 6 war. 7 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 8 (a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of the 9 House of Representatives and the President pro tempore 10 of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the 11 award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal of 12 appropriate design to the United States merchant mari- 13 ners of World War II, in recognition of their dedicated 14 and vital service during World War II. 15 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes of the 16 award described in subsection (a), the Secretary of the 17 Treasury (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall 18 strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and 19 inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. 20 (c) AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE MUSEUM.— 21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the 22 gold medal under subsection (a), the gold medal 23 shall be given to the American Merchant Marine 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:20 Jan 23, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S133.IS S133 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 •S 133 IS Museum, where it will be available for display as ap- 1 propriate and available for research. 2 (2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 3 Congress that the American Merchant Marine Mu- 4 seum should make the gold medal given to the Mu- 5 seum under paragraph (1) available for display else- 6 where, particularly at appropriate locations associ- 7 ated with the United States Merchant Marine and 8 that preference should be given to locations affiliated 9 with the United States Merchant Marine. 10 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 11 Under such regulations as the Secretary may pre- 12 scribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 13 bronze of the gold medal struck under section 3, at a price 14 sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, including labor, 15 materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 16 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 17 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—Medals struck under this 18 Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 19 31, United States Code. 20 (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of section 21 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck 22 under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. 23 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:20 Jan 23, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S133.IS S133 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS