I 112th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5928 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 7, 2012 Mr. Young of Alaska introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources A BILL To designate a peak in the State of Alaska as Mount Chosin Few.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the The Mount Chosin Few Act.

2.

Findings

Congress finds that— (1)from June 25, 1950, to July 27, 1953, the Korean War was fought between the Korean People’s Army of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea Army with the United States and Allies backing the Republic of Korea; (2)the invasion of Korea marked the first military action of the Cold War; (3)at the end of the invasion, approximately 5,000,000 soldiers and civilians lost their lives; (4)the Chosin Reservoir is a manmade lake that lies in the northern region of Korea and contains the only road that leads to Hungnam port; (5)in late November 1950, the Allied forces sent 20,000 soldiers, primarily from the First Marine Division, over the Taebek Mountains to capture the northern end of the Korean Peninsula; (6)on November 27, 1950, at the Chosin Reservoir, Korea, the Marines of the First Marine Division, along with elements of the Third and Seventh Infantry Divisions, were surprised and quickly surrounded by an overwhelming Chinese force, which outnumbered the Allied forces by a ratio of 10 to 1; (7)the fighting that ensued at the Chosin Reservoir was among the most brutal in modern times due, in part, to temperatures that were less than zero degrees Farenheit and wind speeds of up to 50 miles per hour; (8)due to the brutal winter conditions at the Chosin Reservoir, many soldiers in the Allied forces froze to death and almost all of the Allied soldiers suffered from severe frostbite; (9)although the Chinese troops managed to surround and outnumber the Chosin Few, the Allied forces broke out of the encirclement, carrying dead and wounded soldiers of the Allied forces, trying to reach the Hungnam port; (10)the Allied soldiers trekked 70 miles in the brutal weather while inflicting further losses on the Chinese Army, killing about 30,000 Chinese soldiers; (11)on December 11, 1950, the last of the Allied forces miraculously managed to make it to the Hungnam port, where they would later be evacuated; (12)overall, approximately 3,000 soldiers in the Allied forces died in the battle and approximately 13,000 were wounded; (13)17 of the Allied soldiers who fought at the Chosin Reservoir received the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest honor the Nation can bestow upon a soldier; (14)more than 70 Navy Crosses were awarded to Allied soldiers who fought at the Chosin Reservoir; and (15)the designation of an unnamed peak in the Chugach National Forest in the State of Alaska in honor of the soldiers who fought courageously in the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean war would be a fitting tribute to the sacrifices the Chosin Few made for their country.

3.

Designation of Mount Chosin Few in the State of Alaska

(a)

Designation

Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the unnamed peak located at latitude 60°49’47” N and longitude 145°08’01” W in the Alaska Chugach National Forest in the State of Alaska shall be known and designated as Mount Chosin Few. (b)

References

Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the peak referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a reference to Mount Chosin Few.