I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 10002 

To award the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to Edinburg, Texas 

war hero Lance Corporal Dustin Sekula, in recognition of his heroic life. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 18, 2024 

Ms. DE LA CRUZ introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Financial Services 

A BILL 

To award the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to 

Edinburg, Texas war hero Lance Corporal Dustin 

Sekula, in recognition of his heroic life. 

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 ‘‘Lance Corporal Dustin 

5 Sekula Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds that: 

8 (1) Dustin Sekula was born on June 8, 1985, 

9 in Edinburg, Texas, and graduated from Edinburg 

10 North High School in 2003. 


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1 (2) Dustin was a kind, loyal, and loving son 

2 and brother. 

3 (3) Dustin was skilled at ranching and loved 

4 roping steers. He used his high school lunch period 

5 to practice roping on a fake steer. 

6 (4) Dustin turned down an agriculture college 

7 scholarship to join the Marines and serve his coun8 try at the age of 17. 

9 (5) At 18, an infantry mortarman of the 2nd 

10 Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Divi11 sion, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Dustin died 

12 due to injuries sustained from enemy fire in Al 

13 Anbar Province, Iraq, on April 1, 2004. 

14 (6) More than 1,000 people filled Trinity Wor15 ship Center for his funeral service. 

16 (7) Dustin is buried in Palm Valley Memorial 

17 Gardens in Pharr, Texas. 

18 (8) The Dustin Sekula Memorial Library 

19 (DMSML) located in Edinburg, Texas, is named 

20 after Marine Lance Corporal Dustin Michael Sekula. 

21 (9) He was the first Edinburg native to be 

22 killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

23 (10) He is not forgotten. 


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1 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

2 (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of 

3 the House of Representatives and the President pro tem4 pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements 

5 for the posthumous presentation, to the family of Lance 

6 Corporal Dustin Sekula on behalf of the Congress, of a 

7 gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration of 

8 Lance Corporal Dustin Sekula, Edinburg, Texas war hero, 

9 in recognition of his heroic life. 

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

11 presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 

12 of the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Sec13 retary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, 

14 devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec15 retary. 

16 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

17 The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

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

19 sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, mate20 rials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 

21 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

22 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—The medals struck under 

23 this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 

24 of title 31, United States Code. 

25 (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections 

26 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals 


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1 struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic 

2 items. 

3 SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF 

4 SALE. 

5 (a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is 

6 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 

7 Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec8 essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck under 

9 this Act. 

10 (b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the 

11 sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 

12 4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public 

13 Enterprise Fund. 

Æ 


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