[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1872 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
S.1872
One Hundred Seventeenth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,
the third day of January, two thousand and twenty two
An Act
To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the United States
Army Rangers Veterans of World War II in recognition of their
extraordinary service during World War II.
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 ``United States Army Rangers Veterans
of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act--
(1) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the Treasury;
and
(2) the term ``United States Army Rangers Veteran of World War
II'' means any individual who--
(A) served in the Armed Forces--
(i) honorably;
(ii) in an active duty status; and
(iii) at any time during the period beginning on June
19, 1942, and ending on September 2, 1945; and
(B) was assigned to a Ranger Battalion of the Army at any
time during the period described in subparagraph (A)(iii).
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) In World War II, the Army formed 6 Ranger Battalions and 1
provisional battalion. All members of the Ranger Battalions were
volunteers. The initial concept of Ranger units drew from the
British method of using highly trained ``commando'' units and the
military tradition of the United States of utilizing light infantry
for scouting and raiding operations.
(2) The Ranger Battalions of World War II consisted of--
(A) the 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion, which was activated
on June 19, 1942, in Northern Ireland;
(B) the 2d Ranger Infantry Battalion, which was activated
on April 1, 1943, at Camp Forrest, Tennessee;
(C) the 3d Ranger Infantry Battalion, which was--
(i) activated as provisional on May 21, 1943, in North
Africa; and
(ii) constituted on July 21, 1943, and concurrently
consolidated with the provisional unit described in clause
(i);
(D) the 4th Ranger Infantry Battalion, which was--
(i) activated as provisional on May 29, 1943, in North
Africa; and
(ii) constituted on July 21, 1943, and concurrently
consolidated with the provisional unit described in clause
(i);
(E) the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion, which was activated
on September 1, 1943, at Camp Forrest, Tennessee;
(F) the 6th Ranger Infantry Battalion, which was--
(i) originally activated on January 20, 1941, at Fort
Lewis, Washington, as the 98th Field Artillery Battalion;
and
(ii) converted and redesignated on September 26, 1944,
as the 6th Ranger Infantry Battalion; and
(G) the 29th Ranger Infantry Battalion, a provisional Army
National Guard unit that was--
(i) activated on December 20, 1942, at Tidworth
Barracks, England; and
(ii) disbanded on October 18, 1943.
(3) The first combat operations of Army Rangers occurred on
August 19, 1942, when 50 Rangers took part in the British-Canadian
raid on the French coastal town of Dieppe.
(4) The 1st Ranger Battalion, under the leadership of Major
William O. Darby, was used in full strength during the landings at
Arsew, Algeria, during the North African campaign. Due to the
success of the Rangers in several difficult battles, particularly
at El Guettar in March and April of 1943, 2 additional Ranger
Battalions were organized in North Africa.
(5) During the North African campaign, the 1st Ranger Battalion
was awarded battle honors for its actions in Tunisia. On March 20,
1943, the Battalion penetrated enemy lines and captured the
position Djebel el Ank in a nighttime attack, taking more than 200
prisoners. Two days later, the battalion was attacked by the 10th
Panzer division of the German Afrika Korps and, despite heavy
losses, continued to defend its position. The following day, the
1st Battalion counterattacked to clear high ground overlooking the
positions held by the Armed Forces. These actions demonstrated the
ability of the Rangers to fight in difficult terrain and the
courage to endure despite being outnumbered and exposed to heavy
enemy fire.
(6) The 29th provisional Ranger Battalion was formed from
volunteers drawn from the 29th Infantry Division stationed in
England in the fall of 1942. The Battalion was activated on
December 20, 1942, and accompanied British commandos on 3 small-
scale raids in Norway. Nineteen members of the 29th Ranger
Battalion conducted a raid on a German radar site in France on the
night of September 3, 1943. After that raid, the 29th Ranger
Battalion was disbanded because new Ranger units, the 2d and 5th
Battalions, were being formed.
(7) During the summer and fall of 1943, the 1st, 3d, and 4th
Ranger Battalions were heavily involved in the campaign in Sicily
and the landings in Italy. The 1st and 4th Ranger Battalions
conducted a night amphibious landing in Sicily and secured the
landing beaches for the main force. The 3d Battalion landed
separately at Licata, Sicily, and was able to silence gun positions
on an 82-foot cliff overlooking the invasion beaches.
(8) During the invasion of Italy, the 1st and 4th Ranger
Battalions landed at Maiori with the mission of seizing the high
ground and protecting the flank of the remainder of the main
landing by the United States. Enemy forces in the area were
estimated to outnumber the Rangers by approximately 8 to 1. Despite
these odds, the Rangers took the position and held off 7 enemy
counterattacks.
(9) After the invasion of Italy, Rangers continued to be used,
often in night attacks, to seize key terrain ahead of the advancing
Allied forces. At the Anzio beachhead, the majority of the 1st, 3d,
and 4th Ranger Battalions sustained heavy casualties after being
cut off behind German lines. The Rangers had planned to infiltrate
German positions under the cover of darkness and make a dawn attack
on a critical road junction but were pinned down by enemy tanks and
an elite German paratrooper unit. After 12 hours of desperate
fighting and a failed relief attempt, the majority of the Ranger
force was killed, wounded, or captured. Only 6 Rangers from the 1st
and 3d Battalions, out of more than 767 men, returned to friendly
lines. The 4th Battalion, which had been in reserve, also suffered
60 killed and 120 wounded out of 550 men. These 3 battalions were
inactivated and the survivors were transferred to other units.
(10) In the United States, and later in Scotland, the 2d and
5th Ranger Battalions were formed to undertake operations in
Western Europe. Those Battalions were engaged on D-Day, assaulting
German positions at the Pointe du Hoc coastal battery, and remained
in combat through September of 1944. Specifically, Rangers in the
2d Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James E.
Rudder--
(A) overcame mines, machine gun fire, and enemy artillery
while scaling the 100-foot high cliffs at Pointe du Hoc;
(B) held against intense German efforts to retake the
position; and
(C) after reaching the top of the cliffs, moved inland
roughly 1 mile and sustained heavy casualties while searching
for, and ultimately destroying, a German heavy artillery
battery.
(11) During June, July, and August of 1944, the 2d and 5th
Ranger Battalions were engaged in the campaign in Brest, which
included close-range fighting in hedgerows and numerous villages.
Later, in operations in Western Germany, the Battalions were
frequently used to attack in darkness and gain vital positions to
pave the way for the main Army attacks.
(12) During the final drive into Germany in late February and
early March 1945, the 5th Ranger Battalion was cited for battle
honors for outstanding performance. Under the cover of darkness,
the unit drove into German lines and blocked the main German supply
route in the sector. The Germans attacked the position of the
Rangers from both sides, resulting in heavy Ranger casualties
during 5 days of fighting. As a result of the actions of the
Rangers, the main Army attack was able to overcome German defenses
more easily, occupy the vital city of Trier, and reach the Rhine
River.
(13) The 6th Ranger Battalion operated in the Pacific. In the
most notable exploit of the 6th Ranger Battalion, in January and
February of 1945, the Battalion formed the nucleus of a rescue
force that liberated more than 500 Allied prisoners, including
prisoners from the United States, from the Cabanatuan prisoner of
war camp in the Philippines. With the help of local Filipino
guerillas, the Rangers, led by Lieutenant Colonel Henry A. Mucci,
demonstrated extraordinary heroism by infiltrating Japanese-held
territory to reach the prisoners of war and prevent them from being
killed by the Japanese. After a 25-mile march at night through the
jungle, the unit killed all Japanese sentries with no loss of life
of the prisoners of war. The unit successfully returned to American
lines having lost only 2 soldiers killed and having another 2
wounded.
(14) The 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion--
(A) participated in the campaigns of--
(i) Algeria-French Morocco (with arrowhead);
(ii) Tunisia;
(iii) Sicily (with arrowhead);
(iv) Naples-Foggia (with arrowhead);
(v) Anzio (with arrowhead); and
(vi) Rome-Arno; and
(B) for its contributions, received--
(i) the Presidential Unit Citation (Army) and streamer
embroidered with ``EL GUETTAR''; and
(ii) the Presidential Unit Citation (Army) and streamer
embroidered with ``SALERNO''.
(15) The 2d Ranger Infantry Battalion--
(A) participated in the campaigns of--
(i) Normandy (with arrowhead);
(ii) Northern France;
(iii) Rhineland;
(iv) Ardennes-Alsace; and
(v) Central Europe; and
(B) for its contributions, received--
(i) the Presidential Unit Citation (Army) and streamer
embroidered with ``POINTE DU HOE''; and
(ii) the French Croix de Guerre with Silver-Gilt Star,
World War II, and streamer embroidered with ``POINTE DU
HOE''.
(16) The 3d Ranger Infantry Battalion--
(A) participated in the campaigns of--
(i) Sicily (with arrowhead);
(ii) Naples-Foggia (with arrowhead);
(iii) Anzio (with arrowhead); and
(iv) Rome-Arno; and
(B) for its contributions, received the Presidential Unit
Citation (Army) and streamer embroidered with ``SALERNO''.
(17) The 4th Ranger Infantry Battalion--
(A) participated in the campaigns of--
(i) Sicily (with arrowhead);
(ii) Naples-Foggia (with arrowhead);
(iii) Anzio (with arrowhead); and
(iv) Rome-Arno; and
(B) for its contributions, received the Presidential Unit
Citation (Army) and streamer embroidered with ``SALERNO''.
(18) The 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion--
(A) participated in the campaigns of--
(i) Normandy (with arrowhead);
(ii) Northern France;
(iii) Rhineland;
(iv) Ardennes-Alsace; and
(v) Central Europe; and
(B) for its contributions, received--
(i) the Presidential Unit Citation (Army) and streamer
embroidered with ``NORMANDY BEACHHEAD'';
(ii) the Presidential Unit Citation (Army) and streamer
embroidered with ``SAAR RIVER AREA''; and
(iii) the French Croix de Guerre with Silver-Gilt Star,
World War II, and streamer embroidered with ``NORMANDY''.
(19) The 6th Ranger Infantry Battalion--
(A) participated in the campaigns of--
(i) New Guinea;
(ii) Leyte (with arrowhead); and
(iii) Luzon; and
(B) for its contributions, received--
(i) the Presidential Unit Citation (Army) and streamer
embroidered with ``CEBU, LUZON''; and
(ii) the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation and
streamer embroidered with ``17 OCTOBER 1944 TO 4 JULY
1945''.
(20) The United States will be forever indebted to the United
States Army Rangers Veterans of World War II, whose bravery and
sacrifice in combat contributed greatly to the military success of
the United States and the allies of the United States.
SEC. 4. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) Award Authorized.--The President pro tempore of the Senate and
the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall make appropriate
arrangements for the award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold
medal of appropriate design to the United States Army Rangers Veterans
of World War II, in recognition of their dedicated service during World
War II.
(b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the award described
in subsection (a), 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 United States Army Rangers Veterans of World War II, the
gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where the
medal shall be--
(A) available for display, as appropriate; and
(B) 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 locations associated with--
(A) the United States Army Rangers Veterans of World War
II; or
(B) World War II.
(d) Duplicate Medals.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates
in bronze of the gold medal struck under this section, at a price
sufficient to cover the cost of the medals, including the cost of
labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses.
(2) Proceeds of sales.--The amounts received from the sale of
duplicate medals under paragraph (1) shall be deposited in the
United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
(e) Authority to Use Fund Amounts.--There is authorized to be
charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund such
amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the medals struck
under this Act.
SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDAL.
(a) National Medal.--The gold medal struck under section 4 shall be
a national medal for the purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United
States Code.
(b) Numismatic Items.--For the purposes of section 5134 of title
31, United States Code, all medals struck under section 4 shall be
considered to be numismatic items.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.