118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 1097 

AN ACT 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Everett Alvarez, 

Jr., in recognition of his service to the Nation. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
2 

HR 1097 EH

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Everett Alvarez, Jr. 

3 Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2023’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) Commander (CDR) Everett Alvarez, Jr., 

7 served with distinction in the Vietnam war and made 

8 historic sacrifices for the United States as the first 

9 United States pilot to be shot down and captured 

10 during the Vietnam war and the second-longest pris11 oner of war in United States history, surviving over 

12 eight and half years in captivity. 

13 (2) CDR Alvarez was born in Salinas, Cali14 fornia, in 1937, and was the grandchild of Mexican 

15 immigrants. 

16 (3) CDR Alvarez attended Salinas Union High 

17 School and Hartnell College and received a bachelor 

18 of science degree from Santa Clara University. 

19 (4) In 1960, CDR Alvarez joined the United 

20 States Navy and was commissioned as Ensign. 

21 (5) After receiving his commission, CDR Alva22 rez attended flight training at the Naval Air Basic 

23 Training Command in Pensacola, Florida. 

24 (6) In June 1961, CDR Alvarez was trans25 ferred to the Naval Auxiliary Air Station in 
3 

HR 1097 EH

1 Kingsville, Texas, where he trained until December 

2 1961. 

3 (7) CDR Alvarez was promoted to Lieutenant 

4 (junior grade) in April 1962. 

5 (8) In June 1962, CDR Alvarez joined Attack 

6 Squadron 144, nicknamed the ‘‘Roadrunners’’, 

7 which was deployed to the Gulf of Tonkin prior to 

8 the United States entrance in the Vietnam war in 

9 August 1964. 

10 (9) On August 5, 1964, while flying Operation 

11 Pierce Arrow from the USS Constellation near the 

12 Vietnam-China border, CDR Alvarez’s A–4 Skyhawk 

13 was shot down and he was captured by a Vietnamese 

14 fishing vessel. 

15 (10) Upon capture, CDR Alvarez was taken to 

16 the Ho`a Lo` Prison in Hanoi, known to many former 

17 prisoners as the ‘‘Hanoi Hilton’’. 

18 (11) CDR Alvarez spent his first thirteen 

19 months, eight days, and five hours in isolation. 

20 (12) While at Ho`a Lo`, CDR Alvarez was re21 peatedly beaten and tortured and was fed inedible 

22 meals and suffered malnourishment. 

23 (13) In September 1965, CDR Alvarez was 

24 moved to the ‘‘Briarpatch’’, a prison camp west of 

25 Hanoi, with no electricity or running water. 
4 

HR 1097 EH

1 (14) Despite torture and interrogation, CDR 

2 Alvarez remained loyal to the United States and as3 sisted other American prisoners of war. 

4 (15) CDR Alvarez, with his own actions, en5 couraged and inspired fellow prisoners of war to 

6 ‘‘Return with Honor’’, which meant keeping their in7 tegrity in the face of torture and not cooperating 

8 with or divulging information to the enemy, so they 

9 could return home having remained loyal to the 

10 United States. 

11 (16) At great risk, CDR Alvarez helped spread 

12 the means of communication, including the tap code 

13 and the mute hand code, to keep up spirits and stay 

14 organized. 

15 (17) On July 6, 1966, CDR Alvarez and 51 

16 other American prisoners of war were forced to 

17 march in the ‘‘Hanoi Parade’’ where he was abused 

18 and attacked by mobs. 

19 (18) CDR Alvarez was released February 12, 

20 1973, after spending 3,113 days in captivity, or 

21 eight years and six months. 

22 (19) Following his release and hospitalization, 

23 CDR Alvarez resumed his Naval service, returning 

24 to Naval Air Station Kingsville for refresher flight 

25 training. 
5 

HR 1097 EH

1 (20) CDR Alvarez attended the U.S. Naval 

2 Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and re3 ceived a master’s degree in Operations Research and 

4 Systems Analysis in 1976. 

5 (21) CDR Alvarez was inducted into the U.S. 

6 Naval Postgraduate School’s Alumni Hall of Fame 

7 on March 27, 2015. 

8 (22) CDR Alvarez served in Program Manage9 ment at the Naval Air Systems command in Wash10 ington, DC, from October 1976 until his retirement. 

11 (23) CDR Alvarez retired from the Navy on 

12 June 30, 1980, completing a 20-year Naval career. 

13 (24) In 1983, CDR Alvarez earned his juris 

14 doctor from the George Washington School of Law 

15 and has been admitted to the District of Columbia 

16 bar. 

17 (25) In April 1981, President Ronald Reagan 

18 appointed CDR Alvarez as Deputy Director of the 

19 Peace Corps, where he served until 1982. 

20 (26) In July 1982, President Reagan nomi21 nated CDR Alvarez to be Deputy Administrator of 

22 the Veterans Administration, now known as the De23 partment of Veterans Affairs, serving until 1986. 

24 (27) In February 1987, President Reagan ap25 pointed CDR Alvarez to the Board of Regents of the 
6 

HR 1097 EH

1 Uniformed Services University of the Health 

2 Sciences, where he served for nearly 21 years. 

3 (28) For his service, CDR Alvarez was awarded 

4 the Silver Star Medal, two Legions of Merit, the 

5 Distinguished Flying Cross, two Bronze Star Med6 als, two Purple Hearts, and the Prisoner of War 

7 Medal. 

8 (29) On September 18, 2012, the United States 

9 Navy Memorial awarded CDR Alvarez the ‘‘Lone 

10 Sailor Award’’. 

11 (30) The people of the United States honor the 

12 sacrifices of CDR Alvarez and his service to our Na13 tion. 

14 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

15 (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of 

16 the House of Representatives and the President pro tem17 pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements 

18 for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold 

19 medal of appropriate design to Everett Alvarez, Jr., in rec20 ognition of his service to the Nation. 

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

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

23 of the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Sec24 retary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, 

25 devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec-
7 

HR 1097 EH

1 retary. The design shall bear an image of, and inscription 

2 of the name of, Everett Alvarez, Jr. 

3 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

4 The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

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

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

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

8 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

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

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

11 31, United States Code. 

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

13 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck 

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

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

16 SALE. 

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

18 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 

19 Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec20 essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck under 

21 this Act. 

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

23 sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 
8 

HR 1097 EH

1 4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public 

2 Enterprise Fund. 

Passed the House of Representatives May 21, 2024. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 1097 

AN ACT 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Everett 

Nation. Alvarez, Jr., in recognition of his service to the