I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8653 

To award a Congressional gold medal to Major Thomas D. Howie, in recognition of his bravery and outstanding service during the Battle of Normandy. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 7, 2024 

Mr. DUNCAN (for himself, Mr. TIMMONS, Ms. MACE, Mr. FRY, Mr. WILSON

of South Carolina, Mr. NORMAN, and Mr. CLYBURN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 

A BILL 

To award a Congressional gold medal to Major Thomas 

D. Howie, in recognition of his bravery and outstanding 

service during the Battle of Normandy. 

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 ‘‘Major Thomas D. 

5 Howie Congressional Gold Medal’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Major Thomas D. Howie was born on April 

9 12, 1908, in Abbeville, South Carolina, and went on 


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1 to both a storied academic and athletic career at 

2 The Citadel as class president, a star football half3 back and captain of the baseball team. 

4 (2) Major Howie answered his nations call to 

5 service by accepting a commission as a Second Lieu6 tenant in the Officers Reserve Corps in the Virginia 

7 National Guard upon graduation from The Citadel. 

8 (3) Major Howie was commissioned into the 

9 U.S. Army Reserve and later transferred to the Vir10 ginia National Guard’s 116th Infantry Regiment in 

11 Staunton, Virginia. 

12 (4) Major Thomas Howie valiantly served his 

13 country during the Battle of Normandy, dem14 onstrating exceptional courage, devotion to duty, and 

15 skill in battle after landing on Omaha Beach on 

16 June 6th, 1944. 

17 (5) Major Howie commanded 3rd Battalion, 

18 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division on 

19 July 13th, 1944, and shortly thereafter was tasked 

20 with rescuing the encircled 2nd Battalion, 116th In21 fantry Regiment. 

22 (6) Major Howie was instructed by his com23 manding officer to take St. Lo on July 17th 1944, 

24 he decided to leave the battered 2nd Battalion be25 hind to recuperate and proceed with only the 3rd 


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1 Battalion. When questioned on this, he was over2 heard saying ‘‘See you in St. Lo’’ to Major General 

3 Charles Gerhardt, words which would serve as inspi4 ration for his men in the coming battle. 

5 (7) While giving his company commanders in6 structions for the attack, the unit came under fire 

7 from German mortars, and Major Howie was killed, 

8 a sacrifice for which he was posthumously awarded 

9 a Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, French 

10 Legion of Honor, French Fourragere, and Combat 

11 Infantry Badge. 

12 (8) Major Howie’s men strapped his body to a 

13 stretcher, draped him with an American flag, and 

14 placed him on the hood of a Jeep so that he could 

15 be the first American to enter St. Lo. He was laid 

16 in the rubble of the St. Croix Cathedral, where fel17 low soldiers and French civilians paid their respects. 

18 From then on, he was known as ‘‘The Major of St. 

19 Lo’’. 

20 (9) Major Howie’s leadership and unwavering 

21 commitment to his soldiers inspired bravery and de22 termination among his troops, ultimately leading to 

23 the successful capture of St. Lo, a crucial strategic 

24 objective that directly led to Operation Cobra and 


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1 the Allied Liberation France, Belgium, and the 

2 Netherlands from Nazi Tyranny. 

3 (10) Though his command of the 116th Infan4 try Regiment was short-lived, Major Howie em5 bodied the extraordinary courage and valor that de6 fined American soldiers during the Battle of Nor7 mandy. His sacrifice echoes through the halls of his8 tory to inspire Americans to this day. 

9 (11) The character of Major Howie was used as 

10 inspiration for the role of Captain John Miller, por11 trayed by Tom Hanks in the movie ‘‘Saving Private 

12 Ryan’’. This brought attention to his remarkable 

13 leadership and sacrifice, thereby furthering public 

14 recognition of his valor. 

15 (12) Major Howie’s legacy extends beyond the 

16 silver screen. Monuments and markers commemo17 rating his valor and leadership stand in Abbeville, 

18 Greenwood, and Charleston, South Carolina; Staun19 ton, Virginia; Shelby, North Carolina; and Saint-Lo, 

20 Normandy, France. In 2003, South Carolina further 

21 honored him with a posthumous induction into the 

22 South Carolina Hall of Fame. 

23 (13) Major Howie’s sacrifice and exemplary 

24 service symbolize the highest ideals of patriotism, in25 tegrity, and dedication to duty. 


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1 (14) Major Thomas D. Howie’s legacy con2 tinues to inspire future generations to uphold the 

3 seven army values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless 

4 service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. 

5 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

6 (a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of the 

7 House of Representatives and the President pro tempore 

8 of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the 

9 posthumous award, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal 

10 of appropriate design to Major Thomas D. Howie, in rec11 ognition of his bravery and outstanding service during the 

12 Battle of Normandy. 

13 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purpose of the 

14 award referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the 

15 Treasury (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall 

16 strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and 

17 inscriptions to be determined by the Secretary. 

18 (c) PRESENTATION.—The gold medal referred to in 

19 subsection (a) shall be presented to— 

20 (1) the nephew of Thomas Howie, Tom Howie; 

21 or 

22 (2) if Tom Howie is unavailable, the next of kin 

23 of Thomas Howie. 

24 (d) AWARD OF MEDAL.—Following the presentation 

25 described in subsection (c), the gold medal shall be given 


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1 to The Citadel Museum, where it shall be displayed as ap2 propriate and made available for research. 

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 such medals, including 

7 labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead ex8 penses. 

9 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

10 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—The medals struck under 

11 this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 

12 of title 31, United States Code. 

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

14 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals 

15 struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic 

16 items. 

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

18 SALE. 

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

20 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 

21 Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec22 essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck pursuant 

23 to this Act. 

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

25 from the sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under 


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1 section 4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint 

2 Public Enterprise Fund. 

Æ 


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