[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 74 (Tuesday, June 14, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 14, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                           WORLD WAR II COINS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Margolies-Mezvinsky). Under the 
Speaker's announced policy of February 11, 1994, and June 10, 1994, the 
gentlewoman from Ohio [Ms. Kaptur], is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, just a few days ago the world was focused 
on the coast of Northern Europe as we watched the reenactment of 
ceremonies that honored those who fought in our Nation's defense with 
several other allied nations and preserved the freedoms that we enjoy 
today as citizens of the United States.
  Here in Washington, the World War II Memorial that has been 
authorized by Congress will be built here and will give us a timeless 
remembrance of that allied victory.
  This memorial is intended to be built with proceeds obtained from the 
sale of three World War II commemorative coins that have been minted by 
our U.S. Mint and are on sale through the Mint through June 30 of this 
year.
  The coins' designs were selected through a national competition, and 
all five winning artists are veterans of our Armed Forces, including 
two who served our country during World War II.
  Each coin symbolizes an important story of the allied victory. The 
gold $5 coin depicts an American serviceman with his rifle raised, 
celebrating victory, with the reverse featuring a V for victory and 
then with that spelled out in Morse Code. The gold coin, which can be 
purchased separately, is the most expensive.
  The silver dollar coin, which is my favorite and probably I think 
costs around $11 if it is purchased individually, commemorates the 
Battle of Normandy, which we watched celebrated last week, and it 
features an American soldier advancing on the Normandy Beach, with a 
quote from General Eisenhower on the reverse side, along with the 
Atlantic Campaign button. And it reads, ``I have full confidence in 
your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle. We will accept 
nothing less than full victory.''
  This is simply a beautiful coin, and on the front of the coin it has 
the entire World War II commemorative period that we are honoring in 
our country, 1991 through 1995, and it also has for a lot of our D-day 
veterans that are interested, the date June 6, 1944. That is emblazoned 
across the top of the coin.

  The third coin is a clad half dollar coin, and it depicts the various 
branches of the service, all five of them, and on the front it has the 
individual branches. You can see the various members of the Armed 
Forces here that have their own uniforms on, and it has a V for victory 
in the background.
  Again, it commemorates the 1991 through 1995 period, and it says ``In 
God we trust.'' Then the back of the coin, and this is of particular 
interest to our Pacific war veterans who may have felt that the country 
had not noticed that they participated in World War II, but of course 
those commemorative ceremonies will be held over the next year, the 
back of the coin indicates the Pacific Campaign, and it portrays an 
American soldier moving up on one of the islands in the Pacific with 
landing craft, a ship, and a fighter plane appearing in the background.
  One of my own uncles fought in that campaign, and this is a beautiful 
coin, and certainly affordable to any family in America.
  So I would encourage all Americans to do something of value, to 
remember the Americans who served overseas and on the home front and 
preserved the freedoms that we enjoy here today that give us the right 
to speak out here in the well of this Chamber on many topics of 
interest to the American people.
  The Mint will be selling these coins, again, through June 30 of this 
year, and for further information, citizens can just call the U.S. Mint 
here in Washington. It has an 800 toll free number, 1-800-533-8888. 
That is 1-800-533-8888. You can obtain additional information. These 
are only on sale through the end of the month. All proceeds from the 
sale of these coins will go to fund a World War II Memorial here in our 
Nation's Capital.
  Under the legislation we passed, some of those funds have already 
been taken over to Europe because these coins have been sold over the 
past year, and they have gone to build a peace garden in Normandy in 
back of the Museum of Peace in Caen, which is very close to the Utah 
Beach and Omaha Beach areas where we saw the President of our country 
and many Members of Congress and thousands of American's veterans 
travel a week ago.
  So for those Americans who have already purchased their commemorative 
coins, that peace garden has been built. It is already being visited by 
thousands and thousands of people from around the world, and we are 
just waiting for the day when the World War II Memorial can be built 
here in our Nation's capital along the Mall.

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