I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8008 

To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to the Golden Thirteen, 

in recognition of their contributions to the Nation. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 15, 2024 

Ms. NORTON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on House 

Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to the 

Golden Thirteen, in recognition of their contributions 

to the Nation. 

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 ‘‘Golden Thirteen Con5 gressional Gold Medal Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) In January 1944, there were no Black offi2 cers in the United States Navy. That month, 16 

3 Black enlisted men were assembled at the Recruit 

4 Training Center in Great Lakes, Illinois, for officer 

5 training. 

6 (2) These men were expected to complete the 

7 training in 8 weeks, while the normal officer training 

8 course was 16 weeks. 

9 (3) These men supported each other, including 

10 by placing blankets over their windows and studying 

11 as a group by flashlight at night. Each man brought 

12 to the group his own expertise to help the others. 

13 (4) When the course was over, all 16 men 

14 passed their exams, leading some to claim that they 

15 had cheated. The men were forced to retake certain 

16 exams and scored even higher. 

17 (5) The average grade for these men on the 

18 exams was a 3.89 out of a 4.00, the highest average 

19 of any class in Navy history at that time. 

20 (6) Despite all 16 men having passed the 

21 course, on February 24, 1944, the Navy commis22 sioned only 12 of them, and a 13th was made a 

23 chief warrant officer. Because the Navy had as24 sumed a 25-percent attrition rate, only 12 officer 

25 commissions were anticipated. As the class had a 


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1 100-percent passage rate, the other three men were 

2 returned to the enlisted corps, with no reason given. 

3 (7) During their careers, these men oversaw all4 Black units or the training of Black recruits. One 

5 would go on to make his career in the Navy after 

6 World War II, and the rest would return to civilian 

7 life. 

8 (8) In the 1970s, Captain Edward Secrest, a 

9 former instructor, gave the group the name ‘‘Golden 

10 Thirteen’’. 

11 (9) In 1982, these men were formally recog12 nized with a first-ever reunion at sea aboard the 

13 USS KIDD–993. 

14 (10) The members of the Golden Thirteen were 

15 Jesse Walter Arbor; Phillip G. Barnes; Samuel Ed16 ward Barnes; Dalton Louis Baugh, Sr.; George Clin17 ton Cooper; Reginald Ernest Goodwin; James Ed18 ward Hair; Charles Byrd Lear; Graham Edward 

19 Martin; Dennis Denmark Nelson; John Walter 

20 Reagan; Frank Ellis Sublett, Jr.; and William Syl21 vester White. The three members who passed their 

22 exams but not given a commission were Augustus 

23 Alves; J.B. Pinkney; and Lewis ‘‘Mummy’’ Williams. 


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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, on behalf of the Con6 gress, of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemo7 ration to the Golden Thirteen, in recognition of their con8 tributions to the Nation. 

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

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

11 of the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Sec12 retary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, 

13 devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec14 retary. 

15 (c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.— 

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

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

18 shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where 

19 it shall be available for display as appropriate and 

20 made available for research. 

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

22 Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should 

23 make the gold medal received under paragraph (1) 

24 available for display elsewhere, particularly at other 

25 appropriate locations associated with the Golden 

26 Thirteen. 


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1 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

2 The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

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

4 sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, mate5 rials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 

6 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

7 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—Medals struck pursuant to 

8 this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 

9 of title 31, United States Code. 

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

11 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals 

12 struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic 

13 items. 

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

15 SALE. 

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

17 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 

18 Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec19 essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck pursuant 

20 to this Act. 

21 (b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—The amounts received 

22 from the sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under 

23 section 4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint 

24 Public Enterprise Fund. 

Æ 


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