[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 151 (Thursday, September 19, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H7807-H7810]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 MERCHANT MARINERS OF WORLD WAR II CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL ACT OF 2019

  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 550) to award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to 
the United States Merchant Mariners of World War II, in recognition of 
their dedicated and vital service during World War II, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 550

       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 ``Merchant Mariners of World 
     War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2019''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) 2015 marked the 70th anniversary of the Allied victory 
     in World War II and the restoration of peacetime across the 
     European and Pacific theaters.
       (2) The United States Merchant Marine (in this section 
     referred to as the ``Merchant Marine'') was integral in 
     providing the link between domestic production and the 
     fighting forces overseas, providing combat equipment, fuel, 
     food, commodities, and raw materials to troops stationed 
     abroad.
       (3) Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King acknowledged the 
     indispensability of the Merchant Marine to the victory in a 
     1945 letter stating that, without the support of the Merchant 
     Marine, ``the Navy could not have accomplished its mission''.
       (4) President, and former Supreme Commander of the Allied 
     Forces, Dwight D. Eisenhower acknowledged that ``through the 
     prompt delivery of supplies and equipment to our armed forces 
     overseas, and of cargoes representing economic and military 
     aid to friendly nations, the American Merchant Marine has 
     effectively helped to strengthen the forces of freedom 
     throughout the world''.
       (5) Military missions and war planning were contingent upon 
     the availability of resources and the Merchant Marine played 
     a

[[Page H7808]]

     vital role in this regard, ensuring the efficient and 
     reliable transoceanic transport of military equipment and 
     both military and civilian personnel.
       (6) The Merchant Marine provided for the successful 
     transport of resources and personnel despite consistent and 
     ongoing exposure to enemy combatants from both the air and 
     the sea, including from enemy bomber squadrons, submarines, 
     and mines.
       (7) The efforts of the Merchant Marine were not without 
     sacrifices as the Merchant Marine bore a higher per-capita 
     casualty rate than any other branch of the military during 
     the war.
       (8) The Merchant Marine proved to be an instrumental asset 
     on an untold number of occasions, participating in every 
     landing operation by the United States Marine Corps, from 
     Guadalcanal to Iwo Jima.
       (9) The Merchant Marine provided the bulk tonnage of 
     material necessary for the invasion of Normandy, an invasion 
     which, according to a 1944 New York Times article, ``would 
     not have been possible without the Merchant Marine''.
       (10) In assessing the performance of the Merchant Marine, 
     General Eisenhower stated, ``every man in this Allied command 
     is quick to express his admiration for the loyalty, courage, 
     and fortitude of the officers and men of the Merchant Marine. 
     We count upon their efficiency and their utter devotion to 
     duty as we do our own; they have never failed us''.
       (11) During a September 1944 speech, President Franklin D. 
     Roosevelt stated that the Merchant Marine had ``delivered the 
     goods when and where needed in every theater of operations 
     and across every ocean in the biggest, the most difficult, 
     and dangerous transportation job ever undertaken. As time 
     goes on, there will be greater public understanding of our 
     merchant fleet's record during this war.''.
       (12) The feats and accomplishments of the Merchant Marine 
     are deserving of broader public recognition.
       (13) The United States will be forever grateful and 
     indebted to these merchant mariners for their effective, 
     reliable, and courageous transport of goods and resources in 
     enemy territory throughout theaters of every variety in World 
     War II.
       (14) The goods and resources transported by the Merchant 
     Marine saved thousands of lives and enabled the Allied Powers 
     to claim victory in World War II.
       (15) The Congressional Gold Medal would be an appropriate 
     way to shed further light on the service of the merchant 
     mariners in World War II and the instrumental role they 
     played in winning that war.

     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 Congress, of a single gold medal of appropriate design to 
     the United States Merchant Mariners of World War II, in 
     recognition of their dedicated and vital service during World 
     War II.
       (b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the award 
     described in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury 
     (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) American Merchant Marine Museum.--
       (1) In general.--Following the award of the gold medal 
     under subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given to the 
     American Merchant Marine Museum, where it will be available 
     for display as appropriate and available for research.
       (2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     the American Merchant Marine Museum should make the gold 
     medal given to the Museum under paragraph (1) available for 
     display elsewhere, particularly at appropriate locations 
     associated with the United States Merchant Marine and that 
     preference should be given to locations affiliated with the 
     United States Merchant Marine.

     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 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. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

       The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
     complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall 
     be determined by reference to the latest statement titled 
     ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, 
     submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the 
     Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such 
     statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Waters) and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. 
McHenry) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on 
this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 550, the Merchant 
Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2019.
  I thank the gentleman from California, Representative Garamendi, for 
his work on this bill, which honors the courage and sacrifice of the 
civilian mariners of the Merchant Marine.
  In the early days of America's involvement in World War II, German U-
boats sank numerous vessels during the Battle of the Atlantic. While 
many think of convoys being attacked as close to Europe, the German 
Navy also took the war to the U.S. eastern seaboard.
  In March 1942 alone, 27 ships from six Allied Nations were sunk off 
U.S. shores. All told, 733 American cargo ships were lost during World 
War II.
  Despite this danger, some 215,000 civilian merchant marines served 
with courage to establish and maintain critical supply lines, ensuring 
that vital supplies, cargo, and personnel reached Allied Forces in both 
Europe and Asia.
  Though they had no military standing or government benefits, these 
civilian mariners often faced death from German U-boat assaults. These 
brave mariners paid a heavy price in service to their country, 
suffering the highest casualty rate of any branch of the U.S. Armed 
Forces during World War II.
  An estimated 9,300 mariners lost their lives and another 12,000 were 
wounded to make sure our uniformed servicemembers could keep fighting. 
Unfortunately, their sacrifices are commonly underappreciated and often 
overlooked.
  They were not even considered veterans until Congress remedied that 
disservice in 1988. Many of our histories of World War II gave them a 
passing mention or do not recognize their vital role in ensuring the 
success of the Allied forces. It is time that we give these brave 
mariners the recognition they so richly deserve.
  I thank Mr. Garamendi for introducing this bill to Congress, and I 
urge Members to vote ``yes.'' I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the bill, H.R. 550, the Merchant 
Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2019.
  For the last two Congresses, Congresswoman Susan Brooks from Indiana 
has taken this measure on. We passed it out of the House last Congress. 
It didn't make its way through the Senate.
  Madam Speaker, I commend the hard work that my colleague Mrs. Brooks 
put into legislating around this really important recognition of those 
who served and fought valiantly in their own way during World War II. 
So many lives were sacrificed by merchant mariners during World War II.
  I thank my colleague Mrs. Brooks for her work to make this day 
possible, and I thank my colleague Mr. Garamendi for his work this 
Congress to take this across the line for a really nice, bipartisan 
piece of legislation recognizing the unsung heroes of World War II.
  In World War II, merchant mariners sailed across the Atlantic. They 
traveled abroad, delivering precious cargo to support the war. In the 
moment of most severe crisis for the United Kingdom, it was our 
merchant mariners who fed the island nation of Great Britain. It was 
our merchant mariners and our foodstuffs that fed Europe post-World War 
II, as well.
  It was our merchant mariners who risked their lives in treacherous 
seas, before the concept of a convoy was invented in World War II, to 
protect the lives at stake, cargo at stake, the ships

[[Page H7809]]

at stake, and to ensure a better opportunity to make it across from the 
United States and Canada to Great Britain to save that island nation.

                              {time}  1700

  They were treacherous times, and the stakes of our actually providing 
support for the Soviet Union in the worst point of the ravages that 
they were suffering under Germany in their fight with Germany were 
substantial as well. The icy seas of the north to bring cargo in to 
save lives for our Soviet Allies during World War II were substantial, 
and there are massive numbers of stories of the lives put at risk in 
order to bring important food to save lives.
  It is merchant mariners who were--we use the word ``bravery,'' but 
when we think about somebody doing their job of hard labor to make a 
ship go that is carrying cargo, we don't think of that as bravery. It 
is fortitude, the will to keep doing something that is really 
important, even against tough odds. It shows who merchant mariners are. 
At sea today, the risks that they take in order to make our global 
economy work is real. But during World War II, it was on a knife's 
edge, and the number of lives that were lost was extraordinary.
  By one statistic, 1 out of every 26 merchant mariners was killed 
during that time period of World War II. Their ships sailed from port 
to port, and many never reached their final destination. Especially the 
German Operation Drumbeat targeted these ships in transport in a 
massive way, knowing that they were traveling mostly unarmed and 
unescorted.
  Just off the North Carolina coast, there are 80 cargo ships that were 
targeted and 1,600 lives that were lost. That is just off one portion 
of our East Coast.
  There are stories of heroic acts by these folks who were just, in 
peaceful times, doing a normal trade--an extraordinary trade, but a 
normal trade--but at war were the number one target in that early stage 
to break the will of the British and our support of them and then again 
trying to snuff off the Soviet Union from supplies, food, and weaponry.
  So this is a fantastic recognition of the important work that 
merchant mariners provided, the vital work that they provided during 
World War II, and a recognition of a trade, a craft, a skill, and the 
hard work of those folks who did make the cargo go.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Garamendi), who is chair of the Subcommittee on 
Readiness on the Armed Services Committee and a highly valued Member of 
this House.
  Mr. GARAMENDI. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Waters so very much 
for the opportunity to speak on this bill.
  I am very pleased that the House is taking up the Merchant Mariners 
of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act, H.R. 550.
  I am proud to have worked on this bipartisan legislation with my 
original cosponsors, Representative   Don Young of Alaska and 
Representative Susan Brooks, who I see is joining us here on the floor, 
finally getting this bill to the floor this session.
  This is not the first session. Five years of work have brought us to 
this point, three Congresses. Mrs. Brooks, last year, carried this, and 
we got it out of this House and then to the Senate. My hope is that the 
Senate will finally send this bill to the President's desk so it can be 
signed into law.
  Our bill would award the Congressional Gold Medal to our American 
merchant mariners who served during World War II, including those who 
made the ultimate sacrifice.
  Following the award of this medal, given to the American merchant 
mariners who served during World War II, it will be on display at the 
American Merchant Marine Museum at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 
Long Island, New York. It will be there displayed in honor of our 
Nation's merchant mariners.
  In 1944, Franklin Delano Roosevelt said that the Merchant Marines had 
``delivered the goods when and where needed in every theater of 
operations and across every ocean in the biggest, the most difficult 
and dangerous transportation job ever undertaken.''
  Indeed, the Merchant Marines suffered the highest per capita casualty 
rate of any other branch of the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II. 
As said earlier, 1 out of every 26 American casualties in World War II 
was a merchant mariner. An estimated 8,300 American mariners lost their 
lives. Another 12,000 American mariners were wounded during their 
wartime service.
  Regrettably, the merchant mariners were not granted veteran's status 
until 1988, when Congress finally came around to recognizing the need 
for this. Awarding the Congressional Gold Medal, as our bill does, 
would finally give merchant mariners from our Nation's Greatest 
Generation the honor and respect that they are owed.
  Lastly, I want to thank the more than 300 Members of this House who 
cosponsored the bill, allowing it to come to the floor for passage, and 
I also want to thank Mrs. Brooks and Mr. Young, who carried on in the 
previous Congresses.
  Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to 
the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Brooks).
  Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of H.R. 550, the Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold 
Medal Act of 2019.
  I want to thank the chairwoman and the ranking member for bringing 
this bill to the floor, but I very much want to thank the fine 
gentleman from California, Representative Garamendi, for leading the 
effort this Congress.
  Many Members of Congress have been involved in this, including one of 
our former colleagues, Representative Janice Hahn, whom I worked with 
closely several Congresses ago, and we have continued to try to bring 
this effort before the American people and before this House.
  Merchant mariners, today, are Federal Government employees who pursue 
a civil service career in the Navy while assigned aboard U.S. 
Government-owned ships that support the Navy's warfighters and 
warfighting platforms around the world. But, Madam Speaker, as you 
have already heard, often forgotten, merchant mariners are an integral 
part of our armed services today and in our Nation's history, 
especially during World War II.

  They took part in every invasion during World War II, from Normandy 
to Okinawa. They provided the greatest sealift in history, and they 
became the difference between victory and defeat.
  With an estimated 9,300 casualties, they bore a higher per capita 
casualty rate than any other branch of the military during World War 
II. Even so, they were not recognized as veterans until 1988, and they 
never received the benefits that other World War II veterans received 
under the GI Bill.
  While I was at home many years ago in Indianapolis, I met with a 
group of family members of merchant mariners and some who served 
actually during World War II. So it was because of that meeting that I 
learned so much about their service and decided to take up the mantle 
in trying to work with Representative Hahn at that time to get the 
recognition that they deserved.
  These loyal, brave men put their lives on the line for the cause of 
freedom and selflessly answered their Nation's call to duty. So now is 
the time, working in a bipartisan way, to get it across the finish 
line, to formally pay our respect to all of these deserving men and 
recognize the countless sacrifices and contributions of merchant 
mariners in our history.
  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
New York (Mr. Suozzi), who is a member of the Ways and Means Committee.
  Mr. SUOZZI. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Waters for yielding to 
me today.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 550, the 
bipartisan Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal 
Act.
  I want to express my deep gratitude to Representative   John 
Garamendi, Representative   Don Young, and Representative Susan Brooks 
for carrying this message forward.
  This act will award this body's highest honor, the Congressional Gold 
Medal, to midshipmen who fought on behalf of our country during World 
War II. This is particularly important to me because I represent the 
district that is

[[Page H7810]]

home to the Kings Point Merchant Marine Academy, and the Congressional 
Gold Medal will be housed there at that location.
  This is so wonderful that this is finally being done. I am a proud 
member of the Board of Visitors at the United States Merchant Marine 
Academy in Kings Point.
  Kings Point, I want everyone to know, is the only service academy 
whose students engage in combat during times of war. In fact, during 
World War II, over 7,000 of these students answered our Nation's call 
to duty, and 142 students gave the supreme sacrifice.
  Today, only 600 of these veterans are still alive. Ralph Crump is one 
of those veterans.
  In 1941, Mr. Crump went on his first cruise as a freshman cadet at 
the United States Merchant Marine Academy. He was quickly promoted to 
third assistant engineer.
  After his first cruise, Ralph was prepared to return to Kings Point 
to finish his schooling when his captain told him there was no 
replacement engineer and he needed to sail cargo for Russia. Over the 
next 8 months, Ralph and his convoy suffered heavy casualties in the 
Mediterranean, China, Burma, and India.
  Crump later sailed ships taking exiled U.S. diplomats back to Asia, 
returning with prisoners of war liberated from a Japanese camp near 
Shanghai.
  Ralph finally graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy a year 
later, in 1946. Today, there is a Ralph Crump wing in the National 
World War II Museum in New Orleans named in his honor.
  This is just one example of so many merchant mariners who did so much 
during this time, but I especially want to point out the students who 
served during wartime from the Merchant Marine Academy.
  Brave men and women like Ralph at the Merchant Marine Academy in 
Kings Point, as well as the mariners who served across the country, 
deserve this highest recognition. It is not too late. It is time we 
recognize their sacrifice and award them the much-deserved 
Congressional Gold Medal.
  Madam Speaker, I applaud my colleagues again for their leadership, 
and I ask the whole House to support our brave merchant mariners.
  Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Green), who chairs the Financial Services Subcommittee on 
Oversight and Investigations.
  Mr. GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairwoman, and I 
thank the ranking member as well.
  Madam Speaker, we are truly the land of the free because we are the 
home of the brave. Unfortunately, not all of the brave have been 
treated the same when they have returned home from war. Such is the 
case with the Merchant Marines. These merchant mariners came home, but 
they didn't come home to the parades that others came home to. Many of 
them didn't return the same way they left, and many didn't return at 
all.
  I stand here today because I am so proud of the work that these 
Members of Congress have done to celebrate and appreciate the lives of 
the merchant mariners. Yes, it is true that they did not become actual 
veterans until 1988. Yes, it is true that they didn't receive all of 
the GI Bill benefits that some others received. But it is also true 
that, though it may be late, they will be properly recognized.
  I am so honored to announce that Congressman Garamendi, Congresswoman 
Brooks, and Congressman Young have done a good thing, a just thing, and 
a righteous thing.
  I would add one additional thing. There is a bill that is currently 
pending, H.R. 154. This bill would accord $25,000 to each of these 
mariners who are alive. It is the right thing and the just thing, and 
we ought to do it as well.
  But today, let's celebrate what has been accomplished. Let's have 
this Congressional Gold Medal presented, and let's make sure that if we 
see a merchant mariner, we give them the love that they richly deserve 
as well. They are truly persons who have made us the land of the free 
because they are members of the home of the brave.

  Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume 
to close.
  Madam Speaker, on a personal note, on my team on the House Financial 
Services Committee and when I was chief deputy whip of the House, I had 
somebody work with me on my team named Phil Poe of Maryland.
  Phil, out of college, was inspired by the stories of World War II 
merchant mariners and inspired by a family member, as well, to get 
licensed as a merchant mariner. He spent a little time as a merchant 
mariner and then paid his way through graduate school as a merchant 
mariner.
  So I want to commend his willingness to serve, but I also want to 
note that, for the Record, these stories of World War II merchant 
mariners are having an impact generations later.
  That inspirational story of the risks that they were willing to take, 
plus the family connection and inspiration he heard from those stories, 
have made a major difference for him. That work ethic that he developed 
and learned on that ship really steeled him to do better in graduate 
school, and by the time he came to the Hill, it was all easy compared 
to what he had been through.

                              {time}  1715

  So these stories we hear from long ago of merchant mariners and their 
sacrifice still have an impact today, and I am glad we have a 
Congressional Gold Medal and legislative recognition around the 
sacrifices that merchant mariners made during World War II.
  Madam Speaker, I urge adoption, and yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  I, too, join in thanking Representatives Garamendi, Brooks, and Young 
in bringing this bill to the floor of the House of Representatives and 
working for its passage.
  I would just say a word about the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Garamendi), whom I have known for many, many years. We served in the 
California legislature together, and, of course, I am not surprised 
that he took time out to recognize those who have not been given credit 
for their work and what they have done in support of our country. This 
is typical of Mr. Garamendi and the way that he has conducted himself 
throughout his entire career.
  I also thank those Members who have come to the floor today to join 
in this very special recognition. This is a bipartisan bill that honors 
those who answered our Nation's call to duty, regardless of the danger 
and without expectation of accolades. Now it is time that we give these 
courageous mariners the recognition they have more than earned.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
important piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 550, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________