[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 44 (Thursday, March 5, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1609-S1610]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 1524. Mr. McCONNELL (for Ms. Ernst) proposed an amendment to the
bill S. 1757, to award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the
United States Army Rangers Veterans of World War II in recognition of
their extraordinary 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 ``United States Army Rangers
Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act--
(1) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the
Treasury; and
(2) the term ``United States Army Rangers Veteran of World
War II'' means any individual who--
(A) served in the Armed Forces--
(i) honorably;
(ii) in an active duty status; and
(iii) at any time during the period beginning on June 19,
1942, and ending on September 2, 1945; and
(B) was assigned to a Ranger Battalion of the Army at any
time during the period described in subparagraph (A)(iii).
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) In World War II, the Army formed 6 Ranger Battalions
and 1 provisional battalion. All members of the Ranger
Battalions were volunteers. The initial concept of Ranger
units drew from the British method of using highly trained
``commando'' units and the military tradition of the United
States of utilizing light infantry for scouting and raiding
operations.
(2) The Ranger Battalions of World War II consisted of--
(A) the 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion, which was activated
on June 19, 1942, in Northern Ireland;
(B) the 2d Ranger Infantry Battalion, which was activated
on April 1, 1943, at Camp Forrest, Tennessee;
(C) the 3d Ranger Infantry Battalion, which was--
(i) activated as provisional on May 21, 1943, in North
Africa; and
(ii) constituted on July 21, 1943, and concurrently
consolidated with the provisional unit described in clause
(i);
(D) the 4th Ranger Infantry Battalion, which was--
(i) activated as provisional on May 29, 1943, in North
Africa; and
(ii) constituted on July 21, 1943, and concurrently
consolidated with the provisional unit described in clause
(i);
(E) the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion, which was activated
on September 1, 1943, at Camp Forrest, Tennessee;
(F) the 6th Ranger Infantry Battalion, which was--
(i) originally activated on January 20, 1941, at Fort
Lewis, Washington, as the 98th Field Artillery Battalion; and
(ii) converted and redesignated on September 26, 1944, as
the 6th Ranger Infantry Battalion; and
(G) the 29th Ranger Infantry Battalion, a provisional Army
National Guard unit that was--
(i) activated on December 20, 1942, at Tidworth Barracks,
England; and
(ii) disbanded on October 18, 1943.
(3) The first combat operations of Army Rangers occurred on
August 19, 1942, when 50 Rangers took part in the British-
Canadian raid on the French coastal town of Dieppe.
(4) The 1st Ranger Battalion, under the leadership of Major
William O. Darby, was used in full strength during the
landings at Arsew, Algeria, during the North African
campaign. Due to the success of the Rangers in several
difficult battles, particularly at El Guettar in March and
April of 1943, 2 additional Ranger Battalions were organized
in North Africa.
(5) During the North African campaign, the 1st Ranger
Battalion was awarded battle honors for its actions in
Tunisia. On March 20, 1943, the Battalion penetrated enemy
lines and captured the position Djebel el Ank in a nighttime
attack, taking more than 200 prisoners. Three days later, the
battalion was attacked by the 10th Panzer division of the
German Afrika Korps and, despite heavy losses, defended its
position and inflicted considerable losses on the enemy. This
engagement constituted what General Omar Bradley labeled
``the first solid, indisputable defeat we inflicted on the
German army in the war''. These actions demonstrated the
ability of the Rangers to fight in difficult terrain and the
courage to endure despite being outnumbered and exposed to
heavy enemy fire.
(6) The 29th provisional Ranger Battalion was formed from
volunteers drawn from the 29th Infantry Division stationed in
England in the fall of 1942. The Battalion was activated on
December 20, 1942, and accompanied British commandos on 3
small-scale raids in Norway. Nineteen members of the 29th
Ranger Battalion conducted a raid on a German radar site in
France on the night of September 3, 1943. After that raid,
the 29th Ranger Battalion was disbanded because new Ranger
units, the 2d and 5th Battalions, were being formed.
(7) During the summer and fall of 1943, the 1st, 3d, and
4th Ranger Battalions were heavily involved in the campaign
in Sicily and the landings in Italy. The 1st and 4th Ranger
Battalions conducted a night amphibious landing in Sicily and
secured the landing beaches for the main force. The 3d
Battalion landed separately at Licata, Sicily, and was able
to silence gun positions on an 82-foot cliff overlooking the
invasion beaches.
(8) During the invasion of Italy, the 1st, 3d, and 4th
Ranger Battalions landed at Maiori with the mission of
seizing the high ground and protecting the flank of the
remainder of the main landing by the United States. Despite
suffering from low ammunition and inadequate provisions and
water, the Rangers fended off numerous enemy counterattacks
against the mountain passes and via radio directed naval
gunfire on the enemy forces approaching the beaches below.
(9) After the invasion of Italy, Rangers continued to be
used, often in night attacks, to seize key terrain ahead of
the advancing Allied forces. At the Anzio beachhead, the
majority of the 1st, 3d, and 4th Ranger Battalions sustained
heavy casualties after being cut off behind German lines. The
Rangers had planned to infiltrate German positions under the
cover of darkness and make a dawn attack on a critical road
junction but were pinned down by enemy tanks and an elite
German paratrooper unit. After 12 hours of desperate fighting
and a failed relief attempt, the majority of the Ranger force
was killed, wounded, or captured. Only 6 Rangers from the 1st
and 3d Battalions, out of more than 767 men, returned to
friendly lines. The 4th Battalion, which had been in reserve,
also suffered 60 killed and 120 wounded out of 550 men. These
3 battalions were inactivated and the survivors were
transferred to other units.
(10) In the United States, and later in Scotland, the 2d
and 5th Ranger Battalions were formed to undertake operations
in Western Europe. Those Battalions were engaged on D-Day,
assaulting German positions at the Pointe du Hoc coastal
battery, and remained in combat through September of 1944.
Specifically, Rangers in the 2d Battalion, under the command
of Lieutenant Colonel James E. Rudder--
[[Page S1610]]
(A) overcame mines, machine gun fire, and enemy artillery
while scaling the 100-foot high cliffs at Pointe du Hoc;
(B) held against intense German efforts to retake the
position; and
(C) after reaching the top of the cliffs, moved inland
roughly 1 mile and sustained heavy casualties while searching
for, and ultimately destroying, a German heavy artillery
battery.
(11) During June, July, and August of 1944, the 2d and 5th
Ranger Battalions were engaged in the campaign in Brest,
which included close-range fighting in hedgerows and numerous
villages. Later, in operations in Western Germany, the
Battalions were frequently used to attack in darkness and
gain vital positions to pave the way for the main Army
attacks.
(12) During the final drive into Germany in late February
and early March 1945, the 5th Ranger Battalion was cited for
battle honors for outstanding performance. Under the cover of
darkness the unit drove into German lines and secured the
objective area blocking the main German supply route. The
Germans attacked the position of the Rangers from both sides,
resulting in heavy Ranger casualties during 5 days of
fighting. As a result of the actions of the Rangers, the main
Army attack was able to overcome German defenses more easily,
occupy the vital city of Trier, and reach the Rhine River.
(13) The 6th Ranger Battalion operated in the Pacific. In
the most notable exploit of the 6th Ranger Battalion, in
January and February of 1945, the Battalion formed the
nucleus of a rescue force that liberated more than 500 Allied
prisoners, including prisoners from the United States, from
the Cabanatuan prisoner of war camp in the Philippines. With
the help of local Filipino guerillas, the Rangers, led by
Lieutenant Colonel Henry A. Mucci, demonstrated extraordinary
heroism by infiltrating Japanese-held territory to reach the
prisoners of war and prevent them from being killed by the
Japanese. After a 25-mile march at night through the jungle,
the unit killed all Japanese sentries with no loss of life of
the prisoners of war. The unit successfully returned to
American lines having lost only 2 soldiers killed and having
another 2 wounded.
(14) The 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion--
(A) participated in the campaigns of--
(i) Algeria-French Morocco (with arrowhead);
(ii) Tunisia;
(iii) Sicily (with arrowhead);
(iv) Naples-Foggia (with arrowhead);
(v) Anzio (with arrowhead); and
(vi) Rome-Arno; and
(B) for its contributions, received--
(i) the Presidential Unit Citation (Army) and streamer
embroidered with ``EL GUETTAR''; and
(ii) the Presidential Unit Citation (Army) and streamer
embroidered with ``SALERNO''.
(15) The 2d Ranger Infantry Battalion--
(A) participated in the campaigns of--
(i) Normandy (with arrowhead);
(ii) Northern France;
(iii) Rhineland;
(iv) Ardennes-Alsace; and
(v) Central Europe; and
(B) for its contributions, received--
(i) the Presidential Unit Citation (Army) and streamer
embroidered with ``POINTE DU HOE''; and
(ii) the French Croix de Guerre with Silver-Gilt Star,
World War II, and streamer embroidered with ``POINTE DU
HOE''.
(16) The 3d Ranger Infantry Battalion--
(A) participated in the campaigns of--
(i) Sicily (with arrowhead);
(ii) Naples-Foggia (with arrowhead);
(iii) Anzio (with arrowhead); and
(iv) Rome-Arno; and
(B) for its contributions, received the Presidential Unit
Citation (Army) and streamer embroidered with ``SALERNO''.
(17) The 4th Ranger Infantry Battalion--
(A) participated in the campaigns of--
(i) Sicily (with arrowhead);
(ii) Naples-Foggia (with arrowhead);
(iii) Anzio (with arrowhead); and
(iv) Rome-Arno; and
(B) for its contributions, received the Presidential Unit
Citation (Army) and streamer embroidered with ``SALERNO''.
(18) The 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion--
(A) participated in the campaigns of--
(i) Normandy (with arrowhead);
(ii) Northern France;
(iii) Rhineland;
(iv) Ardennes-Alsace; and
(v) Central Europe; and
(B) for its contributions, received--
(i) the Presidential Unit Citation (Army) and streamer
embroidered with ``NORMANDY BEACHHEAD'';
(ii) the Presidential Unit Citation (Army) and streamer
embroidered with ``SAAR RIVER AREA''; and
(iii) the French Croix de Guerre with Silver-Gilt Star,
World War II, and streamer embroidered with ``NORMANDY''.
(19) The 6th Ranger Infantry Battalion--
(A) participated in the campaigns of--
(i) New Guinea;
(ii) Leyte (with arrowhead); and
(iii) Luzon; and
(B) for its contributions, received--
(i) the Presidential Unit Citation (Army) and streamer
embroidered with ``CABU, LUZON''; and
(ii) the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation and streamer
embroidered with ``17 OCTOBER 1944 TO 4 JULY 1945''.
(20) The United States will be forever indebted to the
United States Army Rangers Veterans of World War II, whose
bravery and sacrifice in combat contributed greatly to the
military success of the United States and the allies of the
United States.
SEC. 4. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) Award 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 to the
United States Army Rangers Veterans of World War II, in
recognition of their dedicated service during World War II.
(b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the award
described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall strike the
gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions,
to be determined by the Secretary.
(c) Smithsonian Institution.--
(1) In general.--Following the award of the gold medal in
honor of the United States Army Rangers Veterans of World War
II, the gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian
Institution, where the medal shall be--
(A) available for display, as appropriate; and
(B) made available for research.
(2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the Smithsonian Institution should make the gold medal
received under paragraph (1) available for display elsewhere,
particularly at other locations associated with--
(A) the United States Army Rangers Veterans of World War
II; or
(B) World War II.
(d) Duplicate Medals.--Under regulations that the Secretary
may prescribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates
in bronze of the gold medal struck under this section, at a
price sufficient to cover the cost of the medals, including
the cost of labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and
overhead expenses.
SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDAL.
(a) National Medal.--The gold medal struck under section 4
shall be a national medal for the purposes of chapter 51 of
title 31, United States Code.
(b) Numismatic Items.--For the purposes of section 5134 of
title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under section
4 shall be considered to be numismatic items.
______