II 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 2992 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 1, 2016 

Received 

AN ACT 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the 

U.S. Merchant Marine of World War II, in recognition 

of their dedicated and vital 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 ‘‘Merchant Marine of 

3 World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 The Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the Al7 lied victory in World War II and the restoration of 

8 peacetime across the European and Pacific theaters. 

9 (2) The United States Merchant Marine was in10 tegral in providing the link between domestic pro11 duction and the fighting forces overseas, providing 

12 combat equipment, fuel, food, commodities, and raw 

13 materials to troops stationed overseas. 

14 (3) Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King acknowledged 

15 the indispensability of the Merchant Marine to the 

16 victory in a 1945 letter stating that without their 

17 support, ‘‘the Navy could not have accomplished its 

18 mission’’. 

19 (4) President and former Supreme Commander 

20 of the Allied Forces, Dwight D. Eisenhower, ac21 knowledged that ‘‘through the prompt delivery of 

22 supplies and equipment to our armed forces over23 seas, and of cargoes representing economic and mili24 tary aid to friendly nations, the American Merchant 

25 Marine has effectively helped to strengthen the 

26 forces of freedom throughout the world’’. 


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1 (5) Military missions and war planning were 

2 contingent upon the availability of resources and 

3 that the United States Merchant Marine played a 

4 vital role in this regard, ensuring the efficient and 

5 reliable transoceanic transport of military equipment 

6 as well as both military and civilian personnel. 

7 (6) The United States Merchant Marine pro8 vided for the successful transport of resources and 

9 personnel despite consistent and ongoing exposure to 

10 enemy combatants from both the air and the sea, 

11 such as enemy bomber squadrons, submarines, and 

12 mines. 

13 (7) The efforts of the United States Merchant 

14 Marine were not without sacrifices as they bore a 

15 higher per capita casualty rate than any other 

16 branch of the military during the war. 

17 (8) The United States Merchant Marine proved 

18 to be an instrumental asset on untold occasions, par19 ticipating in every landing operation by the United 

20 States Marine Corps from Guadalcanal to Iwo Jima 

21 as well as providing, for instance, the bulk tonnage 

22 of material necessary for the invasion of Normandy 

23 which ‘‘would not have been possible without the 

24 Merchant Marine’’, as a 1944 New York Times arti25 cle observed. 


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1 (9) In also assessing their performance, General 

2 Dwight D. Eisenhower stated, ‘‘every man in this 

3 Allied command is quick to express his admiration 

4 for the loyalty, courage, and fortitude of the officers 

5 and men of the Merchant Marine. We count upon 

6 their efficiency and their utter devotion to duty as 

7 we do our own; they have never failed us’’. 

8 (10) During a September 1944 speech, Presi9 dent Franklin D. Roosevelt stated, the Merchant 

10 Marine has ‘‘delivered the goods when and where 

11 needed in every theater of operations and across 

12 every ocean in the biggest, the most difficult, and 

13 dangerous transportation job ever undertaken. As 

14 time goes on, there will be greater public under15 standing of our merchant fleet’s record during this 

16 war.’’. 

17 (11) The feats and accomplishments of the 

18 Merchant Marine are deserving of broader public 

19 recognition. 

20 (12) The United States will be forever grateful 

21 and indebted to the U.S. Merchant Marine for their 

22 effective, reliable, and courageous transport of goods 

23 and resources in enemy territory throughout thea24 ters of every variety in World War II; that these 

25 goods and resources saved thousands of lives and enVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:29 Dec 02, 2016 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2992.RDS H2992

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1 abled the Allied Powers to claim victory in World 

2 War II. 

3 (13) The Congressional Gold Medal will be an 

4 appropriate way to shed further light on the service 

5 of the Merchant Marine in World War II and the in6 strumental role they played in winning World War 

7 II. 

8 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

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

10 House of Representatives and the President pro tempore 

11 of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the 

12 award, on behalf of the Congress, of a single gold medal 

13 of appropriate design to the U.S. Merchant Marine of 

14 World War II, in recognition of their dedicated and vital 

15 service during World War II. 

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

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

18 Treasury (hereafter referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall 

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

20 inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. 

21 (c) AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE MUSEUM.— 

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

23 gold medal in honor of the U.S. Merchant Marine, 

24 the gold medal shall be given to the American MerVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:29 Dec 02, 2016 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2992.RDS H2992

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1 chant Marine Museum, where it will be available for 

2 display as appropriate and available for research. 

3 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

4 Under such regulations as the Secretary may pre5 scribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

6 bronze of the gold medal struck under section 3, at a price 

7 sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, including labor, 

8 materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 

9 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

10 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—Medals struck pursuant to 

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 section 

14 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck 

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

Passed the House of Representatives November 30, 

2016. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


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