I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1709 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal to all United States nationals who 

voluntarily joined the Canadian and British armed forces and their 

supporting entities during World War II, in recognition of their dedicated 

service. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 9, 2021 

Mr. RYAN (for himself and Mr. COHEN) 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 a Congressional Gold Medal to all United States 

nationals who voluntarily joined the Canadian and British armed forces and their supporting entities during 

World War II, in recognition of their dedicated service. 

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 ‘‘American Patriots of 

5 WWII through Service with the Canadian and British 

6 Armed Forces Gold Medal Act of 2021’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) Americans from across the country served 

4 in defense of democracy and freedom during World 

5 War II (WWII) by volunteering for service with the 

6 Canadian and British militaries and other associated 

7 organizations that were fighting Nazi and Fascist 

8 aggression. Many United States citizens perceived 

9 the importance of this war and the severe impact 

10 Nazism and Fascism could have on the American 

11 way of life. Therefore, prior to the United States 

12 entry into the conflict and indeed throughout WWII 

13 these patriots independently crossed the border into 

14 Canada and entered Canadian and British armed 

15 forces recruiting offices or sought out representa16 tives based in major United States municipalities 

17 and elsewhere. 

18 (2) When the ‘‘United Kingdom of Great Brit19 ain and Northern Ireland’’ and the ‘‘British Com20 monwealth of Nations’’ were drawn into WWII after 

21 Germany invaded Poland in 1939, the Canadian and 

22 British air forces made a concerted effort to recruit 

23 Americans. 

24 (3) It is documented that thousands of Ameri25 cans joined the Canadian and British armed forces, 

26 a large percentage joining the Royal Canadian Air 


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1 Force (RCAF) alone. In a 1942 film Air Marshal 

2 William Avery ‘‘Billy’’ Bishop, an organizer and pro3 moter of the British Commonwealth Air Training 

4 Plan (BCATP) and Director of the Royal Canadian 

5 Air Force, recognized the ‘‘gallant lads from the 

6 United States who have come up here to help and 

7 serve with us’’. Notably, many Americans were also 

8 recruited and processed through Canada before 

9 being assigned to or detached for the purpose of 

10 Royal Air Force (RAF) service. 

11 (4) General of the Army, Army of the United 

12 States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, the former Supreme 

13 Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary 

14 Force, referenced, in a speech on January 10, 1946, 

15 the ‘‘some twelve thousand American citizens’’ who 

16 crossed into Canada with the goal of entering the 

17 Canadian armed forces. Although the precise num18 bers of Americans who were in Canadian and British 

19 service are unknown, media accounts published by 

20 Allied journalists during the conflict nonetheless de21 tail their legacies of volunteerism, personal sacrifice, 

22 and bravery. 

23 (5) Americans also joined the Canadian Avia24 tion Bureau, and the Home Guard, Air Transport 

25 Auxiliary (ATA), and Royal Air Force Ferry ComVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:29 May 01, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1709.IH H1709

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1 mand/Transport Command in Britain. The existence 

2 of these ancillaries enabled patriotic citizens, who 

3 were, at least initially, unable to join a branch of the 

4 United States military due to gender, age, race, 

5 health, the lack of sufficient college education, or 

6 other reasons, to support the war effort. Those who 

7 contributed via these alternative concerns were no 

8 less essential to attaining victory. 

9 (6) The infusion of Americans into Canada 

10 helped to reduce shortages of civilian and military 

11 pilots in the BCATP, and President Franklin Roo12 sevelt paid tribute to both Canada and the program 

13 in a wartime letter to Canadian Prime Minister Wil14 liam Lyon Mackenzie King. Within the correspond15 ence President Roosevelt used the phrase ‘‘the Aero16 drome of Democracy’’. 

17 (7) As members of the Canadian and British 

18 militaries, the American volunteers served in many 

19 capacities. Extant military rolls and individual serv20 ice records document, and thereby testify to, their 

21 contributions. 

22 (8) A sizable number of Americans lost their 

23 lives or were wounded while serving in the RCAF 

24 and RAF. The Canadian Army, British Army, Royal 

25 Canadian Navy, and Royal Navy also incurred 


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1 American personnel casualties. Those who perished 

2 and the survivors demonstrated the exceptional cour3 age that has been repeatedly displayed in the de4 fense of freedom throughout American history. 

5 (9) A unique and highly publicized group of 

6 Americans, who were members of the RCAF and 

7 RAF, were posted to the famous RAF Eagle Squad8 rons and thereby showcased the important roles 

9 American volunteers were undertaking. British 

10 Prime Minister Winston Churchill, whose mother 

11 was American, played an important role in originally 

12 promoting the concept of the Eagle Squadrons to 

13 the Air Ministry. 

14 (10) The early successes of female ferry air15 crews paved the way for the formation in the United 

16 States of the Women Airforce Service Pilots 

17 (WASP) in 1943. The exceptional legacy of the 

18 Women Airforce Service Pilots, ATA, etc., provided 

19 essential support and paved the way for future gen20 erations of military women. 

21 (11) A substantial portion of the Americans 

22 serving in Canadian and British aerial forces trans23 ferred to the United States Army Air Forces be24 tween 1942 and 1944, while others elected to enter 

25 other branches of the United States Military. 


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1 (12) The practical experience these veterans of 

2 Canadian and British service possessed provided the 

3 inexperienced American Forces with an immediate 

4 degree of competence and effectiveness. More than a 

5 few became accomplished combat pilots, the Amer6 ican Fighter Aces Association possessing many of 

7 them within the organization’s core membership. 

8 (13) The bravery and foresight displayed by the 

9 Americans who enlisted in the Canadian and British 

10 armed forces represent a largely unrecognized story 

11 of valor, and their initiatives are worthy of official 

12 recognition. 

13 (14) The United States Nationals who volun14 teered for service with military-associated Canadian 

15 and British ancillary entities are to be equally recog16 nized for their volunteerism, contributions, and sac17 rifices. 

18 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

19 (a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The President pro tem20 pore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Rep21 resentatives shall make appropriate arrangements for the 

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

23 appropriate design to all United States nationals who vol24 untarily joined the Canadian and British armed forces and 


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1 their supporting entities during World War II, in recogni2 tion of their dedicated service. 

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

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

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

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

7 inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. 

8 (c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.— 

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

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

11 shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where 

12 it will be available for display as appropriate and 

13 made available for research. 

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

15 Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should 

16 make the gold medal received under paragraph (1) 

17 available for display elsewhere. 

18 (d) DUPLICATE MEDALS.—Under regulations that 

19 the Secretary may promulgate, the Secretary may strike 

20 and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck 

21 under this Act, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of 

22 the medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machin23 ery, and overhead expenses. 


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1 SEC. 4. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

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

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

4 31, United States Code. 

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

6 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck 

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

Æ 


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