1.Congress makes the following
findings:
(1)During World War II, servicemembers of the
United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard messman and steward branches
were men of African-American or Asian-Pacific Island descent.
(2)The corresponding
branches operated under racially discriminatory policies by limiting nearly all
of its minority recruits to duty in these branches, providing food and valet
services.
(3)The messmen and
steward branch servicemembers were targeted for disparagement as servants,
menials, and boys.
(4)Many volunteers of
African-American and Asian-Pacific Islander descent entered the United States
Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard with extraordinary talents and training
from civilian life and acquired considerable leadership experience and
practical seamanship qualifications after enlisting, but were denied requests
for transfer to other units.
(5)The messman and steward branch
servicemembers shared in all the hardships and hazards of combat duty on the
high seas as integral members of their ship’s companies, serving in practically
every Navy and Coast Guard combatant ship-type, and in virtually every sea
battle from before the Nation’s entry into World War II until its
finish.
(6)The messmen and
steward branch servicemembers faithfully and heroically performed their
secondary role at their battle stations and made vital contributions that were
all too often misunderstood or unappreciated.
(7)No fewer than
1,172 Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard messman and steward branch
servicemembers were killed in action or died of wounds during World War
II.
(8)The messman and steward branch
servicemembers served honorably and exhibited heroism, sacrifice, commitment,
and patriotism all while experiencing discrimination by their peers and
superiors.
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 in honor of the steward and messman branches
of the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard that served during
World War II, collectively, in recognition of their personal sacrifice and
service to their country.
(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 steward and messman branches of the United
States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard that served during World War II
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 steward and messman branches of the United States Navy,
Marine Corps, and Coast Guard that served during World War II.
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 medals 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.