[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2441 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2441

To award a Congressional gold medal, collectively, to the 1st American 
Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force, also known as the AVG Flying 
         Tigers, in recognition of their service to the nation.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 19, 2015

    Mr. Graves of Missouri introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the 
  Committee on House Administration, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To award a Congressional gold medal, collectively, to the 1st American 
Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force, also known as the AVG Flying 
         Tigers, in recognition of their service to the nation.

    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 ``AVG Flying Tigers Congressional Gold 
Medal Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) In April 1937, Claire L. Chennault, a retired Army Air 
        Corps Captain was working as a military advisor to Chinese 
        General Chiang Kai-shek during the Sino-Japanese War.
            (2) After President Roosevelt approved of Chennault's 
        request for a special air unit, Chennault spent the winter of 
        1940-41 overseeing the purchase of P-40 fighters and the 
        recruitment of pilots and ground crew that would constitute the 
        1st American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force, also 
        known as the AVG Flying Tigers.
            (3) Of these pilots, 60 came from the Navy and Marine 
        Corps, and 40 from the Army, and they were discharged from the 
        armed services to be trained and instructed for the mission.
            (4) By 1942, after being organized and in part directed out 
        of the White House, the AVG Flying Tigers had effectively been 
        brought into the U.S. Army chain of command.
            (5) The AVG Flying Tigers successfully kept the port of 
        Rangoon and the Burma Road open for a crucial stretch of time 
        to allow Allied forces to reinforce the Pacific theater, which 
        was dominated by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force.
            (6) The AVG Flying Tigers' kill ratio was far superior to 
        that of Allied air groups in the Pacific theater.
            (7) The AVG Flying Tigers' success is remarkable 
        considering they were far outnumbered by Japanese fighters in 
        almost all their engagements.
            (8) During their service, 33 AVG Flying Tigers pilots and 
        three ground crew received the Order of the Cloud and Banner.
            (9) Many AVG Flying Tigers pilots received the Chinese Air 
        Force Medal.
            (10) Each AVG Flying Tigers ace and double ace was awarded 
        the Five Star or Ten Star Wing Medal.
            (11) President Franklin D. Roosevelt stated that the AVG 
        Flying Tigers' ``outstanding gallantry and conspicuous daring . 
        . . is a source of tremendous pride throughout the whole of 
        America''.
            (12) The AVG Flying Tigers were disbanded on July 4, 1942.

SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

    (a) Award Authorized.--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 1st American Volunteer Group of the 
Chinese Air Force, also known as the AVG Flying Tigers, collectively in 
recognition of their service to the nation.
    (b) Design and Striking.--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) Smithsonian Institution.--
            (1) In general.--Following the award of the gold medal in 
        honor of the AVG Flying Tigers 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) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of 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 
        AVG Flying Tigers.

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    Under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, the 
Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal 
struck under section 3, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the 
medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and 
overhead expenses.

SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.

    (a) National Medals.--Medals struck pursuant to this Act are 
national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States 
Code.
    (b) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of section 5134 of title 31, 
United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be 
considered to be numismatic items.
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