IIA

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. J. RES. 51

Authorizing special awards to veterans of service as United States Navy

Armed Guards during World War I or World War II.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

SEPTEMBER 6, 2000

Mrs. MURRAY introduced the following joint resolution; which was read twice

and referred to the Committee on Armed Services

JOINT RESOLUTION

Authorizing special awards to veterans of service as United

States Navy Armed Guards during World War I or

World War II.

Whereas the naval officers, gunners, radiomen, medics, and

radarmen in the crews of the American cargo ships of

World War II comprised the United States Navy Armed

Guard for those ships;

Whereas the various United States Navy Armed Guard detachments comprised the United States Navy Armed

Guard Special Force, which grew during World War II

to a force of 144,970 personnel by the end of that war;

Whereas of the 6,236 merchant ships (including the 2,710 famous Liberty Ships) on which the United States Navy

Armed Guards served during World War I, 720 ships (in-
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cluding 216 Liberty Ships) were sunk, and many more

were damaged by enemy action;

Whereas of the members of the United States Navy Armed

Guard Special Force serving during World War II, approximately 1,810 died and many more were wounded in

the service of their country, a casualty rate that grimly

rivals the casualty rate of any other defined force of the

Armed Forces during World War II;

Whereas on April 4, 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt

issued a proclamation, ‘‘with each Commander in Chief

to follow doing the same’’, designating May 22, 1945, as

National Maritime Day in honor of those who sailed the

oceans and seas transporting supplies of every sort to

peaceful nations and war-torn nations of the world;

Whereas the United States Navy Armed Guards sailed the

oceans and seas on merchant ships to protect important

cargo from capture or destruction by the enemy, many

times while under heavy fire, and many times staying on

their ships to continue to fight, as they were given orders

to do, by firing their guns even until the decks of their

ships were awash and sinking beneath the ocean waves;

Whereas great nations of the world that now are free because, at least in part, of the sacrifices of the United

States Navy Armed Guards, and many of those nations

have awarded special medals in recognition of the heroic

actions of the members of the United States Navy Armed

Guard Special Force;

Whereas the United States Government has failed to follow

the lead of those great nations in recognizing the former

members of the United States Navy Armed Guard Spe-
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cial Force with a special medal that honors them as the

American heroes that they are;

Whereas the United States Government has recognized the

military character of the service of the United States

Navy Armed Guards by awarding each of them at least

one of the three World War II campaign medals for service in the American Theater, the Asiatic-Pacific Theater,

and the Europe-Africa-Middle-East Theater;

Whereas the mariners who served as the United States Navy

Armed Guards for United States cargo ships during

World War I were equally dedicated, intrepid, and heroic,

and are equally deserving of recognition with a special

medal; and

Whereas the United States has not heretofore adequately recognized the heroism and sacrifices of the members of the

United States Navy Armed Guard Special Force during

either World War I or World War II: Now, therefore, be

it

1 Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives

2 of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. AWARDS FOR MEMBERS OF THE UNITED

4 STATES NAVY ARMED GUARD.

5 The President is authorized and urged to award—

6 (1) to each person who served at sea as a mem7 ber of the United States Navy Armed Guard Special

8 Force during World War I or World War II a spe9 cial medal of a design appropriate for recognizing

10 service to the United States as a United States

11 Navy Armed Guard as being service in a special
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1 force of the United States Navy, together with ac2 companying ribbons and appurtenances and a Presi3 dential Unit Citation; and

4 (2) to each person who served exclusively on

5 shore duty as a member of the United States Navy

6 Armed Guard Special Force during World War I or

7 World War II a special pin or badge of a design ap8 propriate for recognizing service in the United

9 States Navy Armed Guards Special Force as service

10 in a military organization of the United States

11 Navy.

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