[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 206 (Thursday, December 19, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7219-S7220]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 1273. Mr. McCONNELL (for Ms. Murkowski (for herself and Mr. Cruz))
proposed an amendment to 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 follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
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) 2019 marked the 74th anniversary of Allied victory in
World War II.
(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
Expeditionary 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 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 naval mines.
(7) The efforts of the Merchant Marine were not without
sacrifices as the Merchant Marine likely bore a higher per-
capita casualty rate than any of the military branches during
the war.
(8) The Merchant Marine proved to be an instrumental asset
on an untold number of
[[Page S7220]]
occasions, participating in every landing operation by the
United States Marine Corps, from Guadalcanal to Okinawa.
(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.
(16) Many students of the Merchant Marine Academy lost
their lives as they sailed through enemy-controlled waters or
unloaded cargo in overseas combat areas, and, as a result,
the United States Merchant Marine Academy is the only
institution among the 5 Federal academies to be authorized to
carry a battle standard as part of its color guard.
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.
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