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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1097 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.1097

                     One Hundred Eighteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America

                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

         Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
         the third day of January, two thousand and twenty-four

                                 An Act

 
    To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Everett Alvarez, Jr., in 
                recognition of his service to the Nation.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
    This Act may be cited as the ``Everett Alvarez, Jr. Congressional 
Gold Medal Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
    Congress finds the following:
        (1) Commander (CDR) Everett Alvarez, Jr., served with 
    distinction in the Vietnam war and made historic sacrifices for the 
    United States as the first United States pilot to be shot down and 
    captured during the Vietnam war and the second-longest prisoner of 
    war in United States history, surviving over eight and half years 
    in captivity.
        (2) CDR Alvarez was born in Salinas, California, in 1937, and 
    was the grandchild of Mexican immigrants.
        (3) CDR Alvarez attended Salinas Union High School and Hartnell 
    College and received a bachelor of science degree from Santa Clara 
    University.
        (4) In 1960, CDR Alvarez joined the United States Navy and was 
    commissioned as Ensign.
        (5) After receiving his commission, CDR Alvarez attended flight 
    training at the Naval Air Basic Training Command in Pensacola, 
    Florida.
        (6) In June 1961, CDR Alvarez was transferred to the Naval 
    Auxiliary Air Station in Kingsville, Texas, where he trained until 
    December 1961.
        (7) CDR Alvarez was promoted to Lieutenant (junior grade) in 
    April 1962.
        (8) In June 1962, CDR Alvarez joined Attack Squadron 144, 
    nicknamed the ``Roadrunners'', which was deployed to the Gulf of 
    Tonkin prior to the United States entrance in the Vietnam war in 
    August 1964.
        (9) On August 5, 1964, while flying Operation Pierce Arrow from 
    the USS Constellation near the Vietnam-China border, CDR Alvarez's 
    A-4 Skyhawk was shot down and he was captured by a Vietnamese 
    fishing vessel.
        (10) Upon capture, CDR Alvarez was taken to the Hoa Lo Prison 
    in Hanoi, known to many former prisoners as the ``Hanoi Hilton''.
        (11) CDR Alvarez spent his first thirteen months, eight days, 
    and five hours in isolation.
        (12) While at Hoa Lo, CDR Alvarez was repeatedly beaten and 
    tortured and was fed inedible meals and suffered malnourishment.
        (13) In September 1965, CDR Alvarez was moved to the 
    ``Briarpatch'', a prison camp west of Hanoi, with no electricity or 
    running water.
        (14) Despite torture and interrogation, CDR Alvarez remained 
    loyal to the United States and assisted other American prisoners of 
    war.
        (15) CDR Alvarez, with his own actions, encouraged and inspired 
    fellow prisoners of war to ``Return with Honor'', which meant 
    keeping their integrity in the face of torture and not cooperating 
    with or divulging information to the enemy, so they could return 
    home having remained loyal to the United States.
        (16) At great risk, CDR Alvarez helped spread the means of 
    communication, including the tap code and the mute hand code, to 
    keep up spirits and stay organized.
        (17) On July 6, 1966, CDR Alvarez and 51 other American 
    prisoners of war were forced to march in the ``Hanoi Parade'' where 
    he was abused and attacked by mobs.
        (18) CDR Alvarez was released February 12, 1973, after spending 
    3,113 days in captivity, or eight years and six months.
        (19) Following his release and hospitalization, CDR Alvarez 
    resumed his Naval service, returning to Naval Air Station 
    Kingsville for refresher flight training.
        (20) CDR Alvarez attended the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 
    Monterey, California, and received a master's degree in Operations 
    Research and Systems Analysis in 1976.
        (21) CDR Alvarez was inducted into the U.S. Naval Postgraduate 
    School's Alumni Hall of Fame on March 27, 2015.
        (22) CDR Alvarez served in Program Management at the Naval Air 
    Systems command in Washington, DC, from October 1976 until his 
    retirement.
        (23) CDR Alvarez retired from the Navy on June 30, 1980, 
    completing a 20-year Naval career.
        (24) In 1983, CDR Alvarez earned his juris doctor from the 
    George Washington School of Law and has been admitted to the 
    District of Columbia bar.
        (25) In April 1981, President Ronald Reagan appointed CDR 
    Alvarez as Deputy Director of the Peace Corps, where he served 
    until 1982.
        (26) In July 1982, President Reagan nominated CDR Alvarez to be 
    Deputy Administrator of the Veterans Administration, now known as 
    the Department of Veterans Affairs, serving until 1986.
        (27) In February 1987, President Reagan appointed CDR Alvarez 
    to the Board of Regents of the Uniformed Services University of the 
    Health Sciences, where he served for nearly 21 years.
        (28) For his service, CDR Alvarez was awarded the Silver Star 
    Medal, two Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, two 
    Bronze Star Medals, two Purple Hearts, and the Prisoner of War 
    Medal.
        (29) On September 18, 2012, the United States Navy Memorial 
    awarded CDR Alvarez the ``Lone Sailor Award''.
        (30) The people of the United States honor the sacrifices of 
    CDR Alvarez and his service to our Nation.
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
    (a) Presentation Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of 
Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make 
appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, 
of a gold medal of appropriate design to Everett Alvarez, Jr., in 
recognition of his service to the Nation.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation referred 
to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (referred to in 
this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall strike a gold medal with suitable 
emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. 
The design shall bear an image of, and inscription of the name of, 
Everett Alvarez, Jr.
SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
    The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold 
medal struck under section 3, at a price sufficient to cover the costs 
of the medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and 
overhead expenses.
SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.
    (a) National Medals.--Medals struck under this Act are national 
medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
    (b) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of section 5134 of title 31, 
United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be 
considered to be numismatic items.
SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.
    (a) Authority To Use Fund Amounts.--There is authorized to be 
charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund such 
amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the medals struck 
under this Act.
    (b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of duplicate 
bronze medals authorized under section 4 shall be deposited into the 
United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.
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