IIB 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5671 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 28, 2020 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

Urban Affairs 

AN ACT 

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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Merchant Mariners 

3 of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2020’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) 2020 marked the 75th anniversary of Allied 

7 victory in World War II. 

8 (2) The United States Merchant Marine (in 

9 this section referred to as the ‘‘Merchant Marine’’) 

10 was integral in providing the link between domestic 

11 production and the fighting forces overseas, pro12 viding combat equipment, fuel, food, commodities, 

13 and raw materials to troops stationed abroad. 

14 (3) Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King acknowledged 

15 the indispensability of the Merchant Marine to the 

16 victory in a 1945 letter stating that, without the 

17 support of the Merchant Marine, ‘‘the Navy could 

18 not have accomplished its mission’’. 

19 (4) President, and former Supreme Commander 

20 of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, Dwight D. Ei21 senhower acknowledged that ‘‘through the prompt 

22 delivery of supplies and equipment to our armed 

23 forces overseas, and of cargoes representing eco24 nomic and military aid to friendly nations, the 

25 American Merchant Marine has effectively helped to 


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1 strengthen the forces of freedom throughout the 

2 world’’. 

3 (5) Military missions and war planning were 

4 contingent upon the availability of resources and the 

5 Merchant Marine played a vital role in this regard, 

6 ensuring the efficient and reliable transoceanic 

7 transport of military equipment and both military 

8 and civilian personnel. 

9 (6) The Merchant Marine provided for the suc10 cessful transport of resources and personnel despite 

11 consistent and ongoing exposure to enemy combat12 ants from both the air and the sea, including from 

13 enemy bomber squadrons, submarines, and naval 

14 mines. 

15 (7) The efforts of the Merchant Marine were 

16 not without sacrifices as the Merchant Marine likely 

17 bore a higher per-capita casualty rate than any of 

18 the military branches during the war. 

19 (8) The Merchant Marine proved to be an in20 strumental asset on an untold number of occasions, 

21 participating in every landing operation by the 

22 United States Marine Corps, from Guadalcanal to 

23 Okinawa. 

24 (9) The Merchant Marine provided the bulk 

25 tonnage of material necessary for the invasion of 


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1 Normandy, an invasion which, according to a 1944 

2 New York Times article, ‘‘would not have been pos3 sible without the Merchant Marine’’. 

4 (10) In assessing the performance of the Mer5 chant Marine, General Eisenhower stated, ‘‘every 

6 man in this Allied command is quick to express his 

7 admiration for the loyalty, courage, and fortitude of 

8 the officers and men of the Merchant Marine. We 

9 count upon their efficiency and their utter devotion 

10 to duty as we do our own; they have never failed 

11 us’’. 

12 (11) During a September 1944 speech, Presi13 dent Franklin D. Roosevelt stated that the Merchant 

14 Marine had ‘‘delivered the goods when and where 

15 needed in every theater of operations and across 

16 every ocean in the biggest, the most difficult, and 

17 dangerous transportation job ever undertaken. As 

18 time goes on, there will be greater public under19 standing of our merchant fleet’s record during this 

20 war’’. 

21 (12) The feats and accomplishments of the 

22 Merchant Marine are deserving of broader public 

23 recognition. 

24 (13) The United States will be forever grateful 

25 and indebted to these merchant mariners for their 


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1 effective, reliable, and courageous transport of goods 

2 and resources in enemy territory throughout thea3 ters of every variety in World War II. 

4 (14) The goods and resources transported by 

5 the Merchant Marine saved thousands of lives and 

6 enabled the Allied Powers to claim victory in World 

7 War II. 

8 (15) The Congressional Gold Medal would be 

9 an appropriate way to shed further light on the serv10 ice of the merchant mariners in World War II and 

11 the instrumental role they played in winning that 

12 war. 

13 (16) Many students of the Merchant Marine 

14 Academy lost their lives as they sailed through 

15 enemy-controlled waters or unloaded cargo in over16 seas combat areas, and, as a result, the United 

17 States Merchant Marine Academy is the only insti18 tution among the five Federal academies to be au19 thorized to carry a battle standard as part of its 

20 color guard. 

21 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

22 (a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of the 

23 House of Representatives and the President pro tempore 

24 of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the 

25 award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal of 


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1 appropriate design to the United States merchant mari2 ners of World War II, in recognition of their dedicated 

3 and vital service during World War II. 

4 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes of the 

5 award described in subsection (a), the Secretary of the 

6 Treasury (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall 

7 strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and 

8 inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. 

9 (c) AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE MUSEUM.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the 

11 gold medal under subsection (a), the gold medal 

12 shall be given to the American Merchant Marine 

13 Museum, where it will be available for display as ap14 propriate and available for research. 

15 (2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 

16 Congress that the American Merchant Marine Mu17 seum should make the gold medal given to the Mu18 seum under paragraph (1) available for display else19 where, particularly at appropriate locations associ20 ated with the United States Merchant Marine and 

21 that preference should be given to locations affiliated 

22 with the United States Merchant Marine. 

23 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

24 Under such regulations as the Secretary may pre25 scribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 


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1 bronze of the gold medal struck under section 3, at a price 

2 sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, including labor, 

3 materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 

4 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

5 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—Medals struck under this 

6 Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 

7 31, United States Code. 

8 (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of section 

9 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck 

10 under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. 

Passed the House of Representatives January 27, 

2020. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


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