[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6095 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6095

To authorize the Secretaries of the military departments to provide an 
 exception to the standards for awarding the Purple Heart for veterans 
of World War II whose service records are incomplete because of damage 
                        to the permanent record.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 10, 2012

  Mr. Deutch introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the Secretaries of the military departments to provide an 
 exception to the standards for awarding the Purple Heart for veterans 
of World War II whose service records are incomplete because of damage 
                        to the permanent record.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Morris Soskil Path to the Purple 
Heart Act''.

SEC. 2. AWARD OF PURPLE HEART FOR VETERANS OF WORLD WAR II WHOSE 
              SERVICE RECORDS ARE INCOMPLETE BECAUSE OF DAMAGE TO THE 
              PERMANENT RECORD.

    (a) Authority To Consider Unofficial Sources of Information.--In 
the case of an individual who served during World War II as a member of 
the Armed Forces and whose service records are incomplete because of 
damage to the permanent record while in the possession of the 
Department of Defense, the Secretary of the military department who 
exercised jurisdiction over the individual may provide an exception to 
the standards for awarding the Purple Heart and consider unofficial 
sources of information, including eyewitness statements whether dating 
from the time of the incident or afterward, to determine whether the 
individual is eligible for the award of the Purple Heart as a member of 
the Armed Forces who was killed or wounded in action as the result of 
an act of the enemy of the United States.
    (b) Recommendation Based on Review.--Based upon the review under 
subsection (a) of the service records and other information of an 
individual described in such subsection, if the Secretary of the 
military department concerned determines that the award of the Purple 
Heart to that individual is warranted, the Secretary shall award the 
Purple Heart to the individual.
    (c) Posthumous Award.--The Purple Heart may be awarded posthumously 
to an individual under subsection (b).
    (d) World War II Defined.--In this section, the term ``World War 
II'' has the meaning given that term in section 1126(d) of title 10, 
United States Code.
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