[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 75 (Monday, May 19, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H4453-H4456]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AWARDING CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL TO WORLD WAR II MEMBERS OF THE CIVIL
AIR PATROL
Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules
and pass the bill (S. 309) to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the
World War II members of the Civil Air Patrol.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 309
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The unpaid volunteer members of the Civil Air Patrol
(hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``CAP'') during
World War II provided extraordinary humanitarian, combat, and
national services during a critical time of need for the
Nation.
(2) During the war, CAP members used their own aircraft to
perform a myriad of essential tasks for the military and the
Nation within the United States, including attacks on enemy
submarines off the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the
United States.
(3) This extraordinary national service set the stage for
the post-war CAP to become a valuable nonprofit, public
service organization chartered by Congress and designated the
Auxiliary of the United States Air Force that provides
essential emergency, operational, and public services to
communities, States, the Federal Government, and the
military.
(4) The CAP was established on December 1, 1941, initially
as a part of the Office of Civil Defense, by air-minded
citizens one week before the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii, out of the desire of civil airmen of the country to
be mobilized with their equipment in the common defense of
the Nation.
(5) Within days of the start of the war, the German Navy
started a massive submarine offensive, known as Operation
Drumbeat, off the east coast of the United States against oil
tankers and other critical shipping that threatened the
overall war effort.
(6) Neither the Navy nor the Army had enough aircraft,
ships, or other resources to adequately patrol and protect
the shipping along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of
the United States, and many ships were torpedoed and sunk,
often within sight of civilians on shore, including 52
tankers sunk between January and March 1942.
(7) At that time General George Marshall remarked that
``[t]he losses by submarines off our Atlantic seaboard and in
the Caribbean now threaten our entire war effort''.
(8) From the beginning CAP leaders urged the military to
use its services to patrol coastal waters but met with great
resistance because of the nonmilitary status of CAP civilian
pilots.
(9) Finally, in response to the ever-increasing submarine
attacks, the Tanker Committee of the Petroleum Industry War
Council urged the Navy Department and the War Department to
consider the use of the CAP to help patrol the sea lanes off
the coasts of the United States.
(10) While the Navy initially rejected this suggestion, the
Army decided it had merit, and the Civil Air Patrol Coastal
Patrol began in March 1942.
(11) Oil companies and other organizations provided funds
to help pay for some CAP operations, including vitally needed
shore radios that were used to monitor patrol missions.
(12) By late March 1942, the Navy also began to use the
services of the CAP.
(13) Starting with 3 bases located in Delaware, Florida,
and New Jersey, CAP aircrews (ranging in age from 18 to over
80) immediately started to spot enemy submarines as well as
lifeboats, bodies, and wreckage.
(14) Within 15 minutes of starting his patrol on the first
Coastal Patrol flight, a pilot had sighted a torpedoed tanker
and was coordinating rescue operations.
(15) Eventually 21 bases, ranging from Bar Harbor, Maine,
to Brownsville, Texas, were set up for the CAP to patrol the
Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, with
40,000 volunteers eventually participating.
(16) The CAP used a wide range of civilian-owned aircraft,
mainly light-weight, single-engine aircraft manufactured by
Cessna, Beech, Waco, Fairchild, Stinson, Piper, Taylorcraft,
and Sikorsky, among others, as well as some twin engine
aircraft, such as the Grumman Widgeon.
(17) Most of these aircraft were painted in their civilian
prewar colors (red, yellow, or blue, for example) and carried
special markings (a blue circle with a white triangle) to
identify them as CAP aircraft.
(18) Patrols were conducted up to 100 miles off shore,
generally with 2 aircraft flying together, in aircraft often
equipped with only a compass for navigation and a single
radio for communication.
(19) Due to the critical nature of the situation, CAP
operations were conducted in bad weather as well as good,
often when the military was unable to fly, and in all
seasons, including the winter, when ditching an aircraft in
cold water would likely mean certain death to the aircrew.
(20) Personal emergency equipment was often lacking,
particularly during early patrols where inner tubes and kapok
duck hunter vests were carried as flotation devices, since
ocean worthy wet suits, life vests, and life rafts were
unavailable.
(21) The initial purpose of the Coastal Patrol was to spot
submarines, report their position to the military, and force
them to dive
[[Page H4454]]
below the surface, which limited their operating speed and
maneuverability and reduced their ability to detect and
attack shipping, because attacks against shipping were
conducted while the submarines were surfaced.
(22) It immediately became apparent that there were
opportunities for CAP pilots to attack submarines, such as
when a Florida CAP aircrew came across a surfaced submarine
that quickly stranded itself on a sand bar. However, the
aircrew could not get any assistance from armed military
aircraft before the submarine freed itself.
(23) Finally, after several instances when the military
could not respond in a timely manner, a decision was made by
the military to arm CAP aircraft with 50- and 100-pound
bombs, and to arm some larger twin-engine aircraft with 325-
pound depth charges.
(24) The arming of CAP aircraft dramatically changed the
mission for these civilian aircrews and resulted in more than
57 attacks on enemy submarines.
(25) While CAP volunteers received $8 a day flight
reimbursement for costs incurred, their patrols were
accomplished at a great economic cost to many CAP members
who--
(A) used their own aircraft and other equipment in defense
of the Nation;
(B) paid for much of their own aircraft maintenance and
hangar use; and
(C) often lived in the beginning in primitive conditions
along the coast, including old barns and chicken coops
converted for sleeping.
(26) More importantly, the CAP Coastal Patrol service came
at the high cost of 26 fatalities, 7 serious injuries, and 90
aircraft lost.
(27) At the conclusion of the 18-month Coastal Patrol, the
heroic CAP aircrews would be credited with--
(A) 2 submarines possibly damaged or destroyed;
(B) 57 submarines attacked;
(C) 82 bombs dropped against submarines;
(D) 173 radio reports of submarine positions (with a number
of credited assists for kills made by military units);
(E) 17 floating mines reported;
(F) 36 dead bodies reported;
(G) 91 vessels in distress reported;
(H) 363 survivors in distress reported;
(I) 836 irregularities noted;
(J) 1,036 special investigations at sea or along the coast;
(K) 5,684 convoy missions as aerial escorts for Navy ships;
(L) 86,685 total missions flown;
(M) 244,600 total flight hours logged; and
(N) more than 24,000,000 total miles flown.
(28) It is believed that at least one high-level German
Navy Officer credited CAP as one reason that submarine
attacks moved away from the United States when he concluded
that ``[i]t was because of those damned little red and yellow
planes!''.
(29) The CAP was dismissed from coastal missions with
little thanks in August 1943 when the Navy took over the
mission completely and ordered CAP to stand down.
(30) While the Coastal Patrol was ongoing, CAP was also
establishing itself as a vital wartime service to the
military, States, and communities nationwide by performing a
wide range of missions including, among others--
(A) border patrol;
(B) forest and fire patrols;
(C) military courier flights for mail, repair and
replacement parts, and urgent military deliveries;
(D) emergency transportation of military personnel;
(E) target towing (with live ammunition being fired at the
targets and seven lives being lost) and searchlight tracking
training missions;
(F) missing aircraft and personnel searches;
(G) air and ground search and rescue for missing aircraft
and personnel;
(H) radar and aircraft warning system training flights;
(I) aerial inspections of camouflaged military and civilian
facilities;
(J) aerial inspections of city and town blackout
conditions;
(K) simulated bombing attacks on cities and facilities to
test air defenses and early warning;
(L) aerial searches for scrap metal materials;
(M) river and lake patrols, including aerial surveys for
ice in the Great Lakes;
(N) support of war bond drives;
(O) management and guard duties at hundreds of airports;
(P) support for State and local emergencies such as natural
and manmade disasters;
(Q) predator control;
(R) rescue of livestock during floods and blizzards;
(S) recruiting for the Army Air Force;
(T) initial flight screening and orientation flights for
potential military recruits;
(U) mercy missions, including the airlift of plasma to
central blood banks;
(V) nationwide emergency communications services; and
(W) a cadet youth program which provided aviation and
military training for tens of thousands.
(31) The CAP flew more than 500,000 hours on these
additional missions, including--
(A) 20,500 missions involving target towing (with live
ammunition) and gun/searchlight tracking which resulted in 7
deaths, 5 serious injuries, and the loss of 25 aircraft;
(B) a courier service involving 3 major Air Force Commands
over a 2-year period carrying more than 3,500,000 pounds of
vital cargo and 543 passengers;
(C) southern border patrol flying more than 30,000 hours
and reporting 7,000 unusual sightings including a vehicle
(that was apprehended) with 2 enemy agents attempting to
enter the country;
(D) a week in February 1945 during which CAP units rescued
seven missing Army and Navy pilots; and
(E) a State in which the CAP flew 790 hours on forest fire
patrol missions and reported 576 fires to authorities during
a single year.
(32) On April 29, 1943, the CAP was transferred to the Army
Air Forces, thus beginning its long association with the
United States Air Force.
(33) Hundreds of CAP-trained women pilots joined military
women's units including the Women's Air Force Service Pilots
(WASP) program.
(34) Many members of the WASP program joined or rejoined
the CAP during the post-war period because it provided women
opportunities to fly and continue to serve the Nation that
were severely lacking elsewhere.
(35) Due to the exceptional emphasis on safety, unit and
pilot training and discipline, and the organization of the
CAP, by the end of the war a total of only 64 CAP members had
died in service and only 150 aircraft had been lost
(including its Coastal Patrol losses from early in the war).
(36) It is estimated that up to 100,000 civilians
(including youth in its cadet program) participated in the
CAP in a wide range of staff and operational positions, and
that CAP aircrews flew a total of approximately 750,000 hours
during the war, most of which were in their personal aircraft
and often at risk to their lives.
(37) After the war, at a CAP dinner for Congress, a quorum
of both Houses attended with the Speaker of the House of
Representatives and the President thanking CAP for its
service.
(38) While air medals were issued for some of those
participating in the Coastal Patrol, little other recognition
was forthcoming for the myriad of services CAP volunteers
provided during the war.
(39) Despite some misguided efforts to end the CAP at the
end of the war, the organization had proved its capabilities
to the Nation and strengthened its ties with the Air Force
and Congress.
(40) In 1946, Congress chartered the CAP as a nonprofit,
public service organization and in 1948 made the CAP an
Auxiliary of the United States Air Force.
(41) Today, the CAP conducts many of the same missions it
performed during World War II, including a vital role in
homeland security.
(42) The CAP's wartime service was highly unusual and
extraordinary, due to the unpaid civilian status of its
members, the use of privately owned aircraft and personal
funds by many of its members, the myriad of humanitarian and
national missions flown for the Nation, and the fact that for
18 months, during a time of great need for the United States,
the CAP flew combat-related missions in support of military
operations off the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts.
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) Award.--
(1) 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 in
honor of the World War II members of the Civil Air Patrol
collectively, in recognition of the military service and
exemplary record of the Civil Air Patrol during World War II.
(2) Design and striking.--For the purposes of the award
referred to in paragraph (1), the Secretary of the Treasury
shall strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, devices,
and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.
(3) Smithsonian institution.--
(A) In general.--Following the award of the gold medal
referred to in paragraph (1) in honor of all of its World War
II members of the Civil Air Patrol, the gold medal shall be
given to the Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be
displayed as appropriate and made available for research.
(B) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the Smithsonian Institution should make the gold medal
received under this paragraph available for display
elsewhere, particularly at other locations associated with
the Civil Air Patrol.
(b) 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 this Act,
at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals,
including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and
overhead expenses, and amounts received from the sale of such
duplicates shall be deposited in the United States Mint
Public Enterprise Fund.
(c) National Medals.--Medals struck pursuant to this Act
are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31,
United States Code.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Huizenga) and the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Heck)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.
General Leave
Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
[[Page H4455]]
all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend
their remarks and submit extraneous materials for the Record on S. 309,
currently under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Michigan?
There was no objection.
Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
I rise today in support of S. 309, a bill to award a Congressional
Gold Medal to the World War II members of the Civil Air Patrol,
introduced by the gentleman from Iowa, Mr. Harkin.
This bill authorizes the minting and award of a single gold medal in
honor of their outstanding and largely unrecognized work. The medal
would be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where it would be
available for display or loan, as appropriate.
The unpaid volunteer members of the Civil Air Patrol during World War
II provided extraordinary humanitarian and combat services during a
critical time of need for the Nation.
The CAP, as it was known, was established initially as a part of the
Office of Civil Defense, by American citizens, on December 1 of 1941--
one week short of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor--out of the
desire of civil airmen and the country to be mobilized with their
personal equipment in the defense of the country.
During the war, CAP members used their own aircraft to perform a
myriad of essential tasks for the military and the country as a whole
within the United States, including for attacks on enemy submarines off
the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States.
From the beginning, CAP leaders urged the military to use its
services to patrol coastal waters, but it was met with great resistance
because of the nonmilitary status of CAP civilian pilots.
Finally, in response to the ever-increasing submarine attacks, the
Tanker Committee of the Petroleum Industry War Council urged the Navy
Department and the War Department to consider the use of the CAP to
help patrol the sea lanes off the coasts of the United States.
While the Navy initially rejected this suggestion, the Army decided
it had merit, and the Civil Air Patrol's coastal patrol began in March
of 1942. Eventually, 21 bases, ranging from Bar Harbor, Maine, to
Brownsville, Texas, were set up for the CAP to patrol the Atlantic and
gulf coasts, with 40,000 volunteers eventually participating.
Their initial purpose was to spot submarines, report their positions
to the military, and force them to dive below the service, which
limited their operating speed and maneuverability and reduced their
ability to detect and attack shipping, because their attacks against
unguarded merchant shipping were conducted while the submarines were
surfaced.
Immediately, it became apparent that there were opportunities for
these CAP pilots to attack the submarines, such as in Florida, when
they came across a submarine which had stranded itself on a sandbar.
Finally, after several instances when the military could not respond
in a timely manner, the decision was made by the military to arm the
CAP aircraft with 50- and 100-pound bombs and to arm some larger twin-
engine aircraft with 325-pound depth charges.
The arming of the CAP aircraft dramatically changed the mission for
these civilian aircrews, and it resulted in more than 57 attacks on
enemy submarines.
At the conclusion of the 18-month coastal patrol, the heroic CAP
aircrews would be credited with the following: two submarines damaged
or destroyed; 57 submarines attacked; 82 bombs dropped against those
submarines; 173 radio reports of submarine positions, with a number of
credited assists for kills made by military units; 86,685 total
missions flown; and over 244,000 total flight hours and 24 million
miles flown.
This extraordinary national service set the stage for the postwar CAP
to become a valuable nonprofit, public service organization, chartered
by Congress and designated the auxiliary of the United States Air Force
that provides essential emergency, operational, and public services to
communities, States, the Federal Government, and the military.
Mr. Speaker, this honor is richly deserved. Senator Harkin has
pursued this effort for several Congresses, and this bill passed the
other body exactly a year ago, with 81 cosponsors. The House version,
introduced by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul), has 353
cosponsors, so I ask for the immediate approval of this bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HECK of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from the 28th Congressional District of Texas
(Mr. Cuellar), my friend.
Mr. CUELLAR. Thank you for yielding to me.
I certainly want to thank my friend, Mike McCaul, as both of us have
been working with Senator Harkin on this, and it is a very important
bill.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the contributions of the World War II
members of the Civil Air Patrol, CAP. Today, we are considering S. 309,
a bill to award CAP members a Congressional Gold Medal in honor of
their service to our Nation during World War II.
The Civil Air Patrol was comprised of more than 150,000 volunteers
who banded together on December 1, 1941, to create a volunteer air
patrol to defend our country.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, it became clear that the
establishment of the air patrol was invaluable to the United States,
and they were assigned to the War Department under the jurisdiction of
the Army Air Corps.
During World War II, the CAP logged more than 750,000 flying hours.
The CAP aircrews flew in their own personal planes--and I emphasize in
their own personal aircraft--in coastal patrols, performing
reconnaissance and search and rescue missions.
During this time, the CAP reported on 173 submarines sighted,
summoned assistance for 91 ships and 363 survivors of submarine attacks
in distress, and sank two enemy submarines. These CAP volunteer
aircrews risked their lives to protect our freedoms, and 64 members of
the Civil Air Patrol died while in service during World War II.
On July 1, 1946, in recognition of their service, President Harry
Truman signed Public Law 476, incorporating the Civil Air Patrol as a
benevolent, nonprofit organization.
Two years later, on May 26, Congress passed Public Law 557,
permanently establishing the Civil Air Patrol as the auxiliary of the
United States Air Force.
Today, the Civil Air Patrol's primary missions include aerospace
education, cadet programs, and emergency services. CAP volunteers
continue to serve our Nation through disaster relief, search and
rescue, humanitarian assistance, Air Force support, and counterdrug
missions.
Mr. Speaker, I am honored to have had this time to recognize the
Civil Air Patrol for their contributions and their service to our
country during World War II.
Again, Congressman Michael McCaul and I urge our colleagues to
support S. 309. This Congressional Gold Medal recognition is long
overdue, and it is well-deserved. I thank you for your consideration.
Mr. HECK of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my
time.
Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman McCaul for
his work on this bill.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, one week from today, Americans all across
this country will celebrate Memorial Day to pay tribute to the brave
men and women of our armed forces who died defending our freedom. I
will join in honoring our fallen and I will especially remember people
like my father, James Addington McCaul, a World War II veteran who
served as a Bombardier on a B-17 known as the Flying Fortresses.
Airmen like my father have been glorified in movies and are the
subject of countless books and stories familiar to the American people.
Yet one group of Americans critical to the war fighting effort has long
been overlooked: the World War II members of the Civil Air Patrol (or
``CAP''). Today this House will finally bestow upon them the
recognition they deserve for their valiant efforts to save Americans
and protect our coastlines-a service they still provide in defense of
our homeland. The bill before us, S. 309, which passed the Senate
unanimously, will award a Congressional Gold Medal to the World War II
members of the Civil Air Patrol, the highest civilian honor. I am proud
to be the sponsor of H.R. 755, the House companion bill, which is
cosponsored
[[Page H4456]]
by more than 350 members of the House of Representatives from all fifty
states.
CAP's World War II story is unique and not well known across the
nation. It is also reflective of the volunteer spirit that has been a
hallmark of the nation since its founding days.
The Civil Air Patrol was officially established on December 1, 1941
just one week before the attack on Pearl Harbor. During World War II
these unpaid volunteers provided extraordinary humanitarian and combat
services during a critical time of need for the nation. CAP members
used their own aircraft to perform a myriad of essential tasks
including attacks on enemy submarines off the Atlantic coast and along
the Gulf of Mexico.
The success of the coastal patrol service spawned other missions on
behalf of the war effort. These included nighttime tracking missions
for searchlights. Along the Rio Grande, CAP aircraft flew 30,000 hours
to prevent illegal border crossings and report unusual activities.
CAP's courier service carried over 3.5 million pounds of cargo, flying
more than 20,000 miles daily. Its search and rescue service helped
locate lost military aircraft in isolated mountains and forested
terrain. Fire patrols, disaster relief, medevac, and observation
flights to check the effectiveness of blackouts, were but a handful of
the other operations completed by CAP.
During the war, over 200,000 Americans served in CAP. Notably, the
Civil Air Patrol served as a pioneering opportunity for the nation's
women to serve the nation in uniform. Countless women received flight
training, representing a catalyst for increasing female participation
in civil aviation. By war's end CAP volunteers had flown more than
750,000 hours with a total loss of 65 members and 150 aircraft.
Postwar, CAP became a valuable nonprofit, public service organization
chartered by Congress. Today it is the auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force,
charged with providing essential emergency, operational and public
services to communities nationwide and the military.
More than seventy years after CAP's founding, I am proud that
Congress is taking this step to recognize the invaluable service CAP
provided to the nation during World War II. I especially want to
recognize Senator Tom Harkin from Iowa, the sponsor of the bill before
us, who has been a tireless champion for the Civil Air Patrol. Senator
Harkin has been a member of CAP for 30 years and is a commander of the
Congressional Squadron.
I urge my colleagues to support S. 309 and join me in honoring the
Civil Air Patrol.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Huizenga) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, S. 309.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________