IC 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1050 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 17, 2018 

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 

AN ACT 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the 

Chinese-American Veterans of World War II, in recognition of their dedicated 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Chinese-American 

3 World War II Veteran Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds that— 

6 (1) Chinese Americans served the United States 

7 in every conflict since the Civil War, and distin8 guished themselves in World War II, serving in 

9 every theater of war and every branch of service, 

10 earning citations for their heroism and honorable 

11 service, including the Medal of Honor; 

12 (2) Chinese nationals and Chinese Americans 

13 faced institutional discrimination in the United 

14 States since before World War II, limiting the size 

15 of their population and their ability to build thriving 

16 communities in the United States; 

17 (3) the Act entitled ‘‘An Act to execute certain 

18 treaty stipulations relating to Chinese’’, approved 

19 May 6, 1882 (commonly known as the ‘‘Chinese Ex20 clusion Act of 1882’’) (22 Stat. 58, chapter 126), 

21 was the first Federal law that broadly restricted im22 migration and a specific nationality, making it illegal 

23 for Chinese laborers to immigrate to the United 

24 States and limiting the Chinese population in the 

25 United States for over 60 years; 


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1 (4) major court decisions such as the decisions 

2 in Lum v. Rice, 275 U.S. 78 (1927), and People v. 

3 Hall, 4 Cal. 399 (1854), found ‘‘yellow’’ races to be 

4 equal to African Americans with regard to ‘‘separate 

5 but equal’’ school facilities, and prohibited Chinese 

6 Americans, along with ‘‘Black, mulatto, or Indian’’ 

7 persons, from testifying against White men; 

8 (5) Chinese Americans were harassed, beaten, 

9 and murdered because of their ethnicity, including 

10 the Chinese Massacre of 1871, where 17 Chinese im11 migrants in Los Angeles, California, were tortured 

12 and murdered, the Rock Springs Massacre of 1885 

13 where White rioters killed 28 Chinese miners and 

14 burned 75 of their homes in Rock Springs, Wyo15 ming, and the Hells Canyon Massacre of 1887 where 

16 34 Chinese gold miners were ambushed and mur17 dered in Hells Canyon, Oregon; 

18 (6) there were only 78,000 Chinese Americans 

19 living on the United States mainland, with 29,000 

20 living in Hawaii, at the start of World War II as re21 sult of Federal and State legislation and judicial de22 cisions; 

23 (7) despite the anti-Chinese discrimination at 

24 the time, as many as 20,000 Chinese Americans 

25 served in the Armed Forces during World War II, 


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1 of whom, approximately 40 percent were not United 

2 States citizens due to the laws that denied citizen3 ship to persons of Chinese descent; 

4 (8) Chinese Americans, although small in num5 bers, made important contributions to the World 

6 War II effort; 

7 (9) of the total Chinese Americans serving, ap8 proximately 25 percent served in the United States 

9 Army Air Force, with some sent to the China10 Burma-India Theater with the 14th Air Service 

11 Group; 

12 (10) the remainder of Chinese Americans who 

13 served in World War II served in all branches of the 

14 Armed Forces in all 4 theaters of war; 

15 (11) the first all Chinese-American group was 

16 the 14th Air Service Group in the China-Burma17 India Theater which enabled extensive and effective 

18 operations against the Japanese military in China; 

19 (12) Chinese Americans are widely acknowl20 edged for their role in the 14th Air Force, widely 

21 known as the Flying Tigers; 

22 (13) Chinese Americans assigned to the China23 Burma-India Theater made transoceanic journeys 

24 through hostile territories and were subject to enemy 

25 attack while at sea and in the air; 


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1 (14) in the Pacific Theater, Chinese Americans 

2 were in ground, air, and ocean combat and support 

3 roles throughout the Pacific including New Guinea, 

4 Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, 

5 Philippines, Mariana Islands, and Aleutian Islands; 

6 (15) throughout the Pacific and China-Burma7 India theaters, Chinese Americans performed vital 

8 functions in translating, coordinating Nationalist 

9 Chinese and United States combat operations, serv10 icing and repairing aircraft and armaments, training 

11 Nationalist Chinese troops and sailors, delivering 

12 medical care, providing signal and communication 

13 support, gathering and analyzing intelligence, par14 ticipating in ground and air combat, and securing 

15 and delivering supplies; 

16 (16) Chinese Americans also served in combat 

17 and support roles in the European and African thea18 ters, serving in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, the Nor19 mandy D–Day invasion, which liberated Western 

20 Europe, and the Battle of the Bulge, occupying 

21 Western Germany while helping to liberate Central 

22 Europe; 

23 (17) Chinese Americans flew bomber missions, 

24 served in infantry units and combat ships in the 

25 Battle of the Atlantic, including aboard Merchant 


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1 Marines convoys vulnerable to submarine and air at2 tacks; 

3 (18) many Chinese-American women served in 

4 the Women’s Army Corps, the Army Air Forces, and 

5 the United States Naval Reserve Women’s Reserve, 

6 and some became pilots, air traffic controllers, flight 

7 trainers, weather forecasters, occupational thera8 pists, and nurses; 

9 (19) Captain Francis B. Wai is the only Chi10 nese American who served in World War II to have 

11 been awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest mili12 tary award given by the United States 

13 (20) Chinese Americans also earned Combat In14 fantry Badges, Purple Hearts, Bronze Stars, Silver 

15 Stars, Distinguished Service Cross, and Distin16 guished Flying Cross; 

17 (21) units of the Armed Forces with Chinese 

18 Americans were also awarded unit citations for valor 

19 and bravery; 

20 (22) the United States remains forever indebted 

21 to the bravery, valor, and dedication that the Chi22 nese-American Veterans of World War II displayed; 

23 and 

24 (23) the commitment and sacrifice of Chinese 

25 Americans demonstrates a highly uncommon and 


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1 commendable sense of patriotism and honor in the 

2 face of discrimination. 

3 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

4 In this Act— 

5 (1) the term ‘‘Chinese-American Veterans of 

6 World II’’ includes individuals of Chinese ancestry 

7 who served— 

8 (A) honorably at any time during the pe9 riod December 7, 1941, and ending December 

10 31, 1946; and 

11 (B) in an active duty status under the 

12 command of the Armed Forces; and 

13 (2) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 

14 of the Treasury. 

15 SEC. 4. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

16 (a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The President Pro Tem17 pore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Rep18 resentatives shall make appropriate arrangements for the 

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

20 appropriate design to the Chinese-American Veterans of 

21 World War II, in recognition of their dedicated service 

22 during World War II. 

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

24 award referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary shall 


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

2 inscriptions to be determined by the Secretary. 

3 (c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE.— 

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

5 gold medal in honor of the Chinese-American Vet6 erans of World War II, the gold medal shall be given 

7 to the Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be 

8 available for display as appropriate and made avail9 able for research. 

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

11 Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should 

12 make the gold medal received under paragraph (1) 

13 available for display elsewhere, particularly at other 

14 locations associated with the Chinese-American Vet15 erans of World II or with World War II. 

16 (d) DUPLICATE MEDALS.—Under regulations that 

17 the Secretary may promulgate, the Secretary may strike 

18 and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck 

19 under this Act, at a price sufficient to cover the cost of 

20 the medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machin21 ery, and overhead expenses. 

22 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDAL. 

23 (a) NATIONAL MEDAL.—The gold medal struck 

24 under this Act shall be a national medal for the purposes 

25 of chapter 51 of title 31, Unites States Code. 


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1 (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purpose of section 

2 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck 

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

Passed the Senate September 12, 2018. 

Attest: JULIE E. ADAMS, 

Secretary. 


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