I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION 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. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 24, 2020 

Mr. GARAMENDI introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Financial Services 

A BILL 

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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

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

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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

2 victory in World War II. 

3 (2) The United States Merchant Marine (in 

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

5 was integral in providing the link between domestic 

6 production and the fighting forces overseas, pro7 viding combat equipment, fuel, food, commodities, 

8 and raw materials to troops stationed abroad. 

9 (3) Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King acknowledged 

10 the indispensability of the Merchant Marine to the 

11 victory in a 1945 letter stating that, without the 

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

13 not have accomplished its mission’’. 

14 (4) President, and former Supreme Commander 

15 of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, Dwight D. Ei16 senhower acknowledged that ‘‘through the prompt 

17 delivery of supplies and equipment to our armed 

18 forces overseas, and of cargoes representing eco19 nomic and military aid to friendly nations, the 

20 American Merchant Marine has effectively helped to 

21 strengthen the forces of freedom throughout the 

22 world’’. 

23 (5) Military missions and war planning were 

24 contingent upon the availability of resources and the 

25 Merchant Marine played a vital role in this regard, 


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1 ensuring the efficient and reliable transoceanic 

2 transport of military equipment and both military 

3 and civilian personnel. 

4 (6) The Merchant Marine provided for the suc5 cessful transport of resources and personnel despite 

6 consistent and ongoing exposure to enemy combat7 ants from both the air and the sea, including from 

8 enemy bomber squadrons, submarines, and naval 

9 mines. 

10 (7) The efforts of the Merchant Marine were 

11 not without sacrifices as the Merchant Marine likely 

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

13 the military branches during the war. 

14 (8) The Merchant Marine proved to be an in15 strumental asset on an untold number of occasions, 

16 participating in every landing operation by the 

17 United States Marine Corps, from Guadalcanal to 

18 Okinawa. 

19 (9) The Merchant Marine provided the bulk 

20 tonnage of material necessary for the invasion of 

21 Normandy, an invasion which, according to a 1944 

22 New York Times article, ‘‘would not have been pos23 sible without the Merchant Marine’’. 

24 (10) In assessing the performance of the Mer25 chant Marine, General Eisenhower stated, ‘‘every 


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1 man in this Allied command is quick to express his 

2 admiration for the loyalty, courage, and fortitude of 

3 the officers and men of the Merchant Marine. We 

4 count upon their efficiency and their utter devotion 

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

6 us’’. 

7 (11) During a September 1944 speech, Presi8 dent Franklin D. Roosevelt stated that the Merchant 

9 Marine had ‘‘delivered the goods when and where 

10 needed in every theater of operations and across 

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

12 dangerous transportation job ever undertaken. As 

13 time goes on, there will be greater public under14 standing of our merchant fleet’s record during this 

15 war’’. 

16 (12) The feats and accomplishments of the 

17 Merchant Marine are deserving of broader public 

18 recognition. 

19 (13) The United States will be forever grateful 

20 and indebted to these merchant mariners for their 

21 effective, reliable, and courageous transport of goods 

22 and resources in enemy territory throughout thea23 ters of every variety in World War II. 

24 (14) The goods and resources transported by 

25 the Merchant Marine saved thousands of lives and 


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1 enabled the Allied Powers to claim victory in World 

2 War II. 

3 (15) The Congressional Gold Medal would be 

4 an appropriate way to shed further light on the serv5 ice of the merchant mariners in World War II and 

6 the instrumental role they played in winning that 

7 war. 

8 (16) Many students of the Merchant Marine 

9 Academy lost their lives as they sailed through 

10 enemy-controlled waters or unloaded cargo in over11 seas combat areas, and, as a result, the United 

12 States Merchant Marine Academy is the only insti13 tution among the 5 Federal academies to be author14 ized to carry a battle standard as part of its color 

15 guard. 

16 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

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

18 House of Representatives and the President pro tempore 

19 of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the 

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

21 appropriate design to the United States merchant mari22 ners of World War II, in recognition of their dedicated 

23 and vital service during World War II. 

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

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


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

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

3 inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. 

4 (c) AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE MUSEUM.— 

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

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

7 shall be given to the American Merchant Marine 

8 Museum, where it will be available for display as ap9 propriate and available for research. 

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

11 Congress that the American Merchant Marine Mu12 seum should make the gold medal given to the Mu13 seum under paragraph (1) available for display else14 where, particularly at appropriate locations associ15 ated with the United States Merchant Marine and 

16 that preference should be given to locations affiliated 

17 with the United States Merchant Marine. 

18 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

19 Under such regulations as the Secretary may pre20 scribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

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

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

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


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1 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

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

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

4 31, United States Code. 

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

6 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck 

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

Æ 


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