[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 17 (Monday, January 27, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H547-H549]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MERCHANT MARINERS OF WORLD WAR II CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL ACT OF 2020
Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 5671) 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.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5671
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 2020''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) 2020 marked the 75th 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 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.
[[Page H548]]
(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.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Guam (Mr. San Nicolas) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Guam.
General Leave
Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may 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
gentleman from Guam?
There was no objection.
Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise in strong support of H.R. 5671, the Merchant Mariners of World
War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2020.
I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. 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 being 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 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 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, and many of our histories of World
War II give them a passing mention or do not recognize their vital role
in ensuring the success of the Allied forces.
Now, on the 75th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II,
let us give these brave mariners the recognition they so richly
deserve.
I thank Mr. Garamendi for introducing this bill this Congress, and I
urge Members to vote ``yes.''
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 5671, the Merchant Mariners of World War II
Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2020.
Madam Speaker, it is fair to say that, when we look back on the many
victories of World War II, unfortunately, too often, our Merchant
Marine, our merchant mariners are overlooked. It is this exact reason
why this Congress has come together to pass this bill to honor these
brave sailors and their legacy.
During wartime, merchant mariners became an auxiliary to the Navy;
and, as such, civilian volunteers traded intercoastal bulk cargo routes
for dangerous near-coastal and transatlantic shipping, hauling vital
war cargo for our Allies.
It is in this exact scenario that 250,000 merchant mariners found
themselves when World War II broke out. Many of these brave men
perished at sea. In fact, Madam Speaker, 1 in 26 never made it home.
Madam Speaker, the merchant mariners who survived World War II were
finally awarded veteran status in 1988. And if you walk down The Mall
here in the Nation's Capital, you will find the World War II Memorial,
and you will find the seal of the merchant mariners--which reads, ``In
Peace and War''--honoring those lost during World War II.
The importance of the merchant mariners was not lost on our former
Chief Executives. President Eisenhower, when he was the General of the
Army, stated:
When final victory is ours, there is no organization that
shared its credit more deservedly than the Merchant Marine.
President Franklin Roosevelt similarly stated:
The men of our American Merchant Marine have pushed through
despite the perils of the submarine, the dive bomber, the
surface raider. They have returned voluntarily to their jobs
at sea again and again, because they know, they realized
their lifeline to the battlefront would be broken if they did
not carry out their mission, that vital, vital part of the
global war.
Indeed, America as ally, as arsenal of democracy, as manufacturer of
the critical war material necessary to win in Europe and win across the
Atlantic would be lost were it not for the merchant mariners.
These men deserve the recognition of this gold medal. Of the 250,000
World War II merchant mariners who were part of that global struggle,
fewer than 2,000 merchant mariner veterans are believed to still be
alive today. It is imperative that we commemorate their service, their
sacrifice, their leadership, their integral role in the victory of the
Atlantic and the Pacific.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman
from New York (Mr. Suozzi).
Mr. SUOZZI. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5671, the
Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act,
introduced by Representative Garamendi. This act will award a
Congressional Gold Medal, an extremely high honor, to the merchant
mariners who served our country during World War II.
This legislation is particularly timely, as the Board of Visitors of
the United States Merchant Marine Academy, of which I am a member, is
meeting on campus next week in Kings Point, Long Island, in my
district.
The United States Merchant Marine Academy is the only service academy
whose students engage in combat during times of war. In fact, over
7,000 of these students answered our Nation's call to duty. Six hundred
are still alive today, but 142 of them did not make it back from World
War II.
Edwin J. O'Hara was one of those students. In 1942, Edwin O'Hara was
just another 19-year-old cadet and signed on aboard the newly delivered
Liberty ship SS Stephen Hopkins in San Francisco, California.
On one foggy, hazy night aboard the ship, a German raider appeared
out of the mist and began firing at close range. Bullets rained down on
the crew, wounding the armed guard commander and taking him out of
action. O'Hara, just a student, who was nearby, rushed forward to take
his place, firing the shells left until being mortally wounded by enemy
fire.
Only 19 of the 60 men aboard O'Hara's ship made it to the lifeboat
that night. O'Hara was not one of them. For his brave sacrifice, Edwin
O'Hara was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.
Brave men and women like O'Hara at the Merchant Marine Academy in
[[Page H549]]
Kings Point, as well as the mariners who served across the country,
deserve the highest recognition.
Sadly, many of these midshipmen did not even receive veteran status
until 1988. But it is not too late. It is time we recognized their
sacrifice and award them this much-deserved Congressional Gold Medal.
I applaud my colleagues, all of them, for supporting this and
Congressman John Garamendi, especially, for his leadership, and I ask
my colleagues to support our brave merchant mariners.
Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and let
me say in closing what a pleasure it is to work with my friend from
Guam on this bill to recognize our merchant mariners.
I thank my friend from New York (Mr. Suozzi) who has the privilege
every day of representing the Merchant Marine Academy on Long Island.
Let's come together as a Congress and support this important effort
to recognize those who gave so much to save the world and make the
world safe for democracy. We couldn't have done it without our merchant
marines and their bravery across the seas.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my
time.
I am pleased that this bipartisan bill honors those who answered this
Nation's call to duty, regardless of the danger and without expectation
of accolades.
This bill incorporates relevant technical changes introduced by the
Senate and includes the additional recognition of the students of the
Merchant Marine Academy who lost their lives in service to their
country. 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 support of 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
gentleman from Guam (Mr. San Nicolas) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 5671.
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.
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