[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 633 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 633

    To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Everett Alvarez, Jr., in 
            recognition of his service to the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 2, 2023

Mr. Padilla (for himself and Ms. Lummis) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, 
                           and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Everett Alvarez, Jr., in 
            recognition of his service to the United States.

    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 ``Everett Alvarez, Jr. Congressional 
Gold Medal Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Commander Everett Alvarez, Jr. (referred to in this 
        section as ``CDR Alvarez''), served with distinction in the 
        Vietnam War and made historic sacrifices for the United States 
        as--
                    (A) the first United States pilot to be shot down 
                and captured during the Vietnam War; and
                    (B) the second-longest-held prisoner of war in the 
                history of the United States, surviving more than 8\1/
                2\ years in captivity.
            (2) CDR Alvarez was born in Salinas, California, in 1937 
        and was the grandchild of Mexican immigrants.
            (3) CDR Alvarez attended Salinas Union High School and 
        Hartnell College and received a bachelor of science degree from 
        Santa Clara University.
            (4) In 1960, CDR Alvarez joined the Navy and was 
        commissioned as Ensign.
            (5) After receiving his commission, CDR Alvarez attended 
        flight training at the Naval Air Training Command in Pensacola, 
        Florida.
            (6) In June 1961, CDR Alvarez was transferred to the Naval 
        Auxiliary Air Station in Kingsville, Texas, where he trained 
        until December 1961.
            (7) CDR Alvarez was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade in 
        April 1962.
            (8) In June 1962, CDR Alvarez joined Attack Squadron 144, 
        nicknamed the ``Roadrunners'', which was deployed to the Gulf 
        of Tonkin before the United States entered the Vietnam War in 
        August 1964.
            (9) On August 5, 1964, while flying Operation Pierce Arrow 
        from the USS Constellation near the Vietnam-China border, CDR 
        Alvarez's A-4 Skyhawk was shot down, and he was captured by a 
        Vietnamese fishing vessel.
            (10) Upon capture, CDR Alvarez was taken to the Hoa Lo 
        Prison in Hanoi, known to many former prisoners as the ``Hanoi 
        Hilton''.
            (11) CDR Alvarez spent his first 13 months, 8 days, and 5 
        hours in isolation.
            (12) While at Hoa Lo, CDR Alvarez was repeatedly beaten and 
        tortured, was fed inedible meals, and suffered malnourishment.
            (13) In September 1965, CDR Alvarez was moved to the 
        ``Briarpatch'', a prison camp west of Hanoi that had no 
        electricity or running water.
            (14) Despite torture and interrogation, CDR Alvarez 
        remained loyal to the United States and assisted other American 
        prisoners of war.
            (15) CDR Alvarez, through his own actions, encouraged and 
        inspired fellow prisoners of war to ``return with honor'', 
        which meant keeping their integrity in the face of torture and 
        not cooperating with or divulging information to the enemy, so 
        that they could return home having remained loyal to the United 
        States.
            (16) At great risk, CDR Alvarez helped spread the means of 
        communication among fellow prisoners of war, including the tap 
        code and the mute hand code, to keep up spirits and stay 
        organized.
            (17) On July 6, 1966, CDR Alvarez and 51 other American 
        prisoners of war were forced to march in the ``Hanoi Parade'' 
        where he was abused and attacked by mobs.
            (18) CDR Alvarez was released on February 12, 1973, after 
        spending 3,113 days, or 8 years and 6 months, in captivity.
            (19) Following his release and hospitalization, CDR Alvarez 
        resumed his service in the Navy, returning to Naval Air Station 
        Kingsville for refresher flight training.
            (20) CDR Alvarez--
                    (A) attended the Naval Postgraduate School in 
                Monterey, California, and received a master's degree in 
                operations research and systems analysis in 1976; and
                    (B) was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame of 
                the Naval Postgraduate School on March 27, 2015.
            (21) CDR Alvarez served in Program Management at the Naval 
        Air Systems command in Washington, DC, from October 1976 until 
        his retirement.
            (22) CDR Alvarez retired from the Navy on June 30, 1980, 
        after a 20-year career in the Navy.
            (23) In April 1981, President Ronald Reagan appointed CDR 
        Alvarez as Deputy Director of the Peace Corps, where he served 
        until 1982.
            (24) In July 1982, President Reagan nominated CDR Alvarez 
        to be Deputy Administrator of the Veterans Administration, now 
        known as the Department of Veterans Affairs, where he served 
        until 1986.
            (25) CDR Alvarez earned his juris doctor from the George 
        Washington University Law School in 1983 and has been admitted 
        to the District of Columbia bar.
            (26) In February 1987, President Reagan appointed CDR 
        Alvarez to the Board of Regents of the Uniformed Services 
        University of the Health Sciences, where he served for nearly 
        21 years.
            (27) For his service, CDR Alvarez was awarded the Silver 
        Star Medal, 2 Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, 
        2 Bronze Star Medals, 2 Purple Hearts, and the Prisoner of War 
        Medal.
            (28) On September 18, 2012, the United States Navy Memorial 
        awarded CDR Alvarez the ``Lone Sailor Award''.
            (29) The people of the United States honor the sacrifices 
        of CDR Alvarez and his service to the United States.

SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

    (a) Presentation Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of 
Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make 
appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, 
of a gold medal of appropriate design to Everett Alvarez, Jr., in 
recognition of his service to the United States.
    (b) Design and Striking.--
            (1) In general.--For purposes of the presentation referred 
        to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (referred 
        to in this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall strike a gold medal 
        with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be 
        determined by the Secretary.
            (2) Image and inscription.--The gold medal struck under 
        paragraph (1) shall bear an image of, and the inscription of 
        the name of, Everett Alvarez, Jr.

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    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 under 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.

SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.

    (a) 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.
    (b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of duplicate 
bronze medals authorized under section 4 shall be deposited into the 
United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
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