II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1050 

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. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 4, 2017 

Ms. DUCKWORTH (for herself and Mr. COCHRAN) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

A BILL 

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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

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

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 

8 (1) Chinese Americans served the United States 

9 in every conflict since the Civil War, and distinVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:33 May 10, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1050.IS S1050

sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 1050 IS

1 guished themselves in World War II, serving in 

2 every theater of battle and every branch of service, 

3 earning citations for their heroism and honorable 

4 service, including the Congressional Medal of Honor; 

5 (2) Chinese nationals and Chinese Americans 

6 faced institutional discrimination in the United 

7 States since before World War II, limiting the size 

8 of their population and their ability to build thriving 

9 communities in the United States; 

10 (3) the Act of May 5, 1892 (27 Stat. 25, chap11 ter 60) (commonly known as the ‘‘Geary Act’’ or the 

12 ‘‘Chinese Exclusion Act’’), was the first Federal law 

13 that broadly restricted immigration and a specific 

14 nationality, making it illegal for Chinese laborers to 

15 immigrate to the United States and limiting the Chi16 nese population in the United States for over 60 

17 years; 

18 (4) major court decisions such as the decisions 

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

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

21 equal to African Americans with regard to ‘‘separate 

22 but equal’’ school facilities, and prohibited Chinese 

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

24 persons, from testifying against White men; 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 1050 IS

1 (5) Chinese Americans were harassed, beaten, 

2 and murdered because of their ethnicity, including 

3 the Chinese Massacre of 1871, where 17 Chinese im4 migrants in Los Angeles, California, were tortured 

5 and murdered, the Rock Spring Massacre of 1885 

6 where White rioters killed 28 Chinese miners and 

7 burned 75 of their homes in Rock Springs, Wyo8 ming, and the Hells Canyon Massacre of 1887 where 

9 34 Chinese gold miners were ambushed and mur10 dered in Hells Canyon, Oregon; 

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

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

13 living in Hawaii, at the start of World War II as re14 sult of Federal and State legislation and judicial de15 cisions; 

16 (7) despite the anti-Chinese discrimination at 

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

18 served in the Armed Forces during World War II, 

19 of whom, approximately 40 percent were not United 

20 States citizens due to the laws that denied citizen21 ship to persons of Chinese descent; 

22 (8) Chinese Americans, although small in num23 bers, made important contributions to the World 

24 War II effort; 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 1050 IS

1 (9) of the total Chinese Americans serving, ap2 proximately 25 percent served in the United States 

3 Army Air Force, with some sent to the China4 Burma-India Theater with the 14th Air Service 

5 Group; 

6 (10) the remainder of Chinese Americans who 

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

8 Armed Forces in all 4 theaters of war; 

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

10 the 14th Air Service Group, 859th Signal Corps in 

11 the China-Burma-India Theater which enabled ex12 tensive and effective operations against the Japanese 

13 military in China; 

14 (12) Chinese Americans are widely acknowl15 edged for their role in the 14th Air Force, 23rd 

16 Fighter Group, widely known as the Flying Tigers; 

17 (13) the Flying Tigers eventually established 

18 United States air superiority in China and supported 

19 cargo flights from India to China over ‘‘The Hump’’; 

20 (14) Chinese Americans assigned to the China21 Burma-India Theater made transoceanic journeys 

22 through hostile territories and were subject to enemy 

23 attack while at sea and in the air; 

24 (15) in the Pacific Theater, Chinese Americans 

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


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 1050 IS

1 roles throughout the Pacific including New Guinea, 

2 Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, 

3 Philippines, Mariana Islands, and Aleutian Islands; 

4 (16) throughout the Pacific and China-Burma5 India theaters, Chinese Americans performed vital 

6 functions in translating, coordinating National Chi7 nese and United States combat operations, servicing 

8 and repairing aircraft and armaments, training Na9 tional Chinese troops and sailors, delivering medical 

10 care, providing signal and communication support, 

11 gathering and analyzing intelligence, participating in 

12 ground and air combat, and securing and delivering 

13 supplies; 

14 (17) Chinese Americans also served in combat 

15 and support roles in the European and African thea16 ters, serving in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, the Nor17 mandy D–Day invasion, which liberated Western 

18 Europe, and the Battle of the Bulge, occupying 

19 Western Germany while helping to liberate Central 

20 Europe; 

21 (18) Chinese Americans flew bomber missions, 

22 served in infantry units and combat ships in the 

23 Battle of the Atlantic, including aboard Merchant 

24 Marines convoys vulnerable to submarine and air at25 tacks; 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 1050 IS

1 (19) Chinese-American women left traditional 

2 domestic duties for patriotic service, serving as 

3 translators who interpreted Japanese documents 

4 containing military plans; 

5 (20) many Chinese-American women served in 

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

7 the United States Naval Reserve Women’s Reserve, 

8 and some became pilots, air traffic controllers, flight 

9 trainers, weather forecasters, occupational thera10 pists, and nurses; 

11 (21) Captain Francis B. Wai is the only Chi12 nese American who served in World War II to have 

13 been awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor, the 

14 highest military award given by the United States 

15 (22) Captain Wai was posthumously awarded 

16 the Distinguished Service Medal in 1944, which was 

17 upgraded in 2000 to a Congressional Medal of 

18 Honor; 

19 (23) Chinese Americans also earned Combat In20 fantry Badges, Purple Hearts, Bronze Stars, Silver 

21 Stars, Distinguished Service Medals, and Distin22 guished Flying Medals; 

23 (24) units of the Armed Forces with Chinese 

24 Americans were also awarded unit citations for valor 

25 and bravery; 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 1050 IS

1 (25) the United States remains forever indebted 

2 to the bravery, valor, and dedication that the Chi3 nese-American Veterans of World War II displayed; 

4 and 

5 (26) the commitment and sacrifice of Chinese 

6 Americans demonstrates a highly uncommon and 

7 commendable sense of patriotism and honor in the 

8 face of discrimination. 

9 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

10 In this Act— 

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

12 World II’’ includes individuals of Chinese ancestry 

13 who served— 

14 (A) honorably at any time during the pe15 riod December 7, 1941, and ending December 

16 31, 1946; and 

17 (B) in an active duty status under the 

18 command of the Armed Forces; and 

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

20 of the Treasury. 

21 SEC. 4. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

22 (a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The President Pro Tem23 pore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Rep24 resentatives shall make appropriate arrangements for the 

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


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
8 

•S 1050 IS

1 appropriate design to the Chinese-American Veterans of 

2 World War II, in recognition of their dedicated service 

3 during World War II. 

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

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

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

7 inscriptions to be determined by the Secretary. 

8 (c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE.— 

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

10 gold medal in honor of the Chinese-American Vet11 erans of World War II, the gold medal shall be given 

12 to the Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be 

13 available for display as appropriate and made avail14 able for research. 

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

16 Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should 

17 make the gold medal received under paragraph (1) 

18 available for display elsewhere, particularly at other 

19 locations associated with the Chinese-American Vet20 erans of World II or with World War II. 

21 (d) DUPLICATE MEDALS.—Under regulations that 

22 the Secretary may promulgate, the Secretary may strike 

23 and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck 

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


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
9 

•S 1050 IS

1 the medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machin2 ery, and overhead expenses. 

3 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDAL. 

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

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

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

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

8 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck 

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

Æ 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS