1.Congress makes the following
findings:
(1)On January 19, 1942, 6 weeks after the
December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Navy, the United
States Army discharged all Japanese-Americans in the Reserve Officers Training
Corps and changed their draft status to 4C
—the status of
enemy alien
which is ineligible for the draft.
(2)On January 23,
1942, Japanese-Americans in the military on the mainland were segregated out of
their units.
(3)Further, on May 3,
1942, General John L. DeWitt issued Civilian Exclusion Order No. 346, ordering
all people of Japanese ancestry, whether citizens or noncitizens, to report to
assembly centers, where they would live until being moved to permanent
relocation centers.
(4)On June 5, 1942,
1,432 predominantly Nisei (second generation Americans of Japanese ancestry)
members of the Hawaii Provisional Infantry Battalion were shipped from the
Hawaiian Islands to Oakland, CA, where the 100th Infantry Battalion was
activated on June 12, 1942, and then shipped to train at Camp McCoy,
Wisconsin.
(5)The excellent training record of the 100th
Infantry Battalion and petitions from prominent civilian and military personnel
helped convince President Roosevelt and the War Department to re-open military
service to Nisei volunteers who were incorporated into the 442nd Regimental
Combat Team after it was activated in February of 1943.
(6)In that same month, the 100th Infantry
Battalion was transferred to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, where it continued to
train and even though the battalion was ready to deploy shortly thereafter, the
battalion was refused by General Eisenhower, due to concerns over the loyalty
and patriotism of the Nisei.
(7)The 442nd
Regimental Combat Team later trained with the 100th Infantry Battalion at Camp
Shelby in May of 1943.
(8)Eventually, the
100th Infantry Battalion was deployed to the Mediterranean and entered combat
in Italy on September 26, 1943.
(9)Due to their
bravery and valor, members of the Battalion were honored with 6 awards of the
Distinguished Service Cross in the first 8 weeks of combat.
(10)The 100th
Battalion fought at Cassino, Italy in January, 1944, and later accompanied the
34th Infantry Division to Anzio, Italy.
(11)The 442nd Regimental Combat Team arrived in
Civitavecchia, Italy on June 7, 1944, and on June 15 of the following week, the
100th Infantry Battalion was formally made an integral part of the 442nd
Regimental Combat Team, and fought for the last 11 months of the war with
distinction in Italy, southern France, and Germany.
(12)The battalion was
awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for its actions in battle on June 26–27,
1944.
(13)The 442nd
Regimental became the most decorated unit in United States military history for
its size and length of service.
(14)The 100th Battalion and the 442nd
Regimental Combat Team, received 7 Presidential Unit Citations, 21 Medals of
Honor, 29 Distinguished Service Crosses, 560 Silver Stars, 4,000 Bronze Stars,
22 Legion of Merit Medals, 15 Soldier's Medals, and over 4,000 Purple Hearts,
among numerous additional distinctions.
(15)The United States
remains forever indebted to the bravery, valor, and dedication to country these
men faced while fighting a 2-fronted battle of discrimination at home and
fascism abroad.
(16)Their commitment
and sacrifice demonstrates a highly uncommon and commendable sense of
patriotism and honor.
2.
(a)The Speaker of the
House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make
appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of the Congress, of a single
gold medal of appropriate design to the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd
Regimental Combat Team, United States Army, collectively, in recognition of
their dedicated service during World War II.
(b)For the purposes of
the award referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury
(hereafter in this Act referred to as the Secretary
) shall
strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be
determined by the Secretary.
(c)
(1)Following the award
of the gold medal in honor of the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd
Regimental Combat Team, United States Army, under subsection (a), the gold
medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where it will be displayed
as appropriate and made available for research.
(2)It is the sense of the Congress that the
Smithsonian Institution should make the gold medal received under paragraph (1)
available for display elsewhere, particularly at other appropriate locations
associated with the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat
Team, United States Army.
3.Under such regulations
as the Secretary may prescribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in
bronze of the gold medal struck under section 2, at a price sufficient to cover
the costs of the medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery,
and overhead expenses.
4.Medals struck pursuant
to this Act are national medals for purposes of
chapter 51 of title 31,
United States Code.
5.Authorization of
appropriations; proceeds of sale
(a)Authorization of
AppropriationsThere is
authorized to be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund,
an amount not to exceed $30,000 to pay for the cost of the medal authorized
under section 2.
(b)Amounts received from
the sale of duplicate bronze medals under section 3 shall be deposited in the
United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
Passed the House of
Representatives May 14, 2009.
Lorraine C. Miller,
Clerk.