[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 8430-8433]
[From the U.S. 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

[[Page 8431]]

     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 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

[[Page 8432]]

     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 
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

[[Page 8433]]

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 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.

                          ____________________