United States Army Rangers Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act

Summary: United States Army Rangers Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to arrange for the award of a single gold medal to the U.S. Army Ranger veterans of World War II in recognition of their dedicated wartime service.   Following its award, the gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution where it shall be available for display and research. 

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 18, 1943, the Battalion penetrated enemy lines and 
        captured the position Djebel el Auk in a nighttime attack, 
        taking more than 200 prisoners. Two days later, the battalion 
        was attacked by the 10th Panzer division of the German Afrika 
        Korps and, despite heavy losses, continued to defend its 
        position. The following day, the 1st Battalion counterattacked 
        to clear high ground overlooking the positions held by the 
        Armed Forces. 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 2 
        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 and 4th Ranger 
        Battalions landed at Maori with the mission of seizing the high 
        ground and protecting the flank of the remainder of the main 
        landing by the United States. Enemy forces in the area were 
        estimated to outnumber the Rangers by approximately 8 to 1. 
        Despite these odds, the Rangers took the position and held off 
        7 enemy counterattacks.
            (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--
                    (A) overcame underwater 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 seized high 
        ground blocking the main German supply route in the sector. 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 Institute.--
            (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 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, Unites 
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.