I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4063 

To grant the congressional gold medal to the members of the messman 

and steward branches of United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast 

Guard that served during World War II. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 7, 2009 

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland (for herself, Mr. RANGEL, and Mr. BISHOP of 

Georgia) 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 grant the congressional gold medal to the members of 

the messman and steward branches of United States 

Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard that served 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. FINDINGS. 

4 Congress makes the following findings: 

5 (1) During World War II, servicemembers of 

6 the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast 


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1 Guard messman and steward branches were men of 

2 African-American or Asian-Pacific Island descent. 

3 (2) The corresponding branches operated under 

4 racially discriminatory policies by limiting nearly all 

5 of its minority recruits to duty in these branches, 

6 providing food and valet services. 

7 (3) The messmen and steward branch 

8 servicemembers were targeted for disparagement as 

9 servants, menials, and boys. 

10 (4) Many volunteers of African-American and 

11 Asian-Pacific Islander descent entered the United 

12 States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard with 

13 extraordinary talents and training from civilian life 

14 and acquired considerable leadership experience and 

15 practical seamanship qualifications after enlisting, 

16 but were denied requests for transfer to other units. 

17 (5) The messman and steward branch 

18 servicemembers shared in all the hardships and haz19 ards of combat duty on the high seas as integral 

20 members of their ship’s companies, serving in prac21 tically every Navy and Coast Guard combatant ship22 type, and in virtually every sea battle from before 

23 the Nation’s entry into World War II until its finish. 

24 (6) The messmen and steward branch 

25 servicemembers faithfully and heroically performed 


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1 their secondary role at their battle stations and 

2 made vital contributions that were all too often mis3 understood or unappreciated. 

4 (7) No fewer than 1,172 Navy, Marine Corps, 

5 and Coast Guard messman and steward branch 

6 servicemembers were killed in action or died of 

7 wounds during World War II. 

8 (8) The messman and steward branch 

9 servicemembers served honorably and exhibited her10 oism, sacrifice, commitment, and patriotism all while 

11 experiencing discrimination by their peers and supe12 riors. 

13 SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

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

15 House of Representatives and the President pro tempore 

16 of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the 

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

18 of appropriate design in honor of the steward and 

19 messman branches of the United States Navy, Marine 

20 Corps, and Coast Guard that served during World War 

21 II, collectively, in recognition of their personal sacrifice 

22 and service to their country. 

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

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

25 Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘SecVerDate Nov 24 2008 04:13 Nov 08, 2009 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4063.IH H4063

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1 retary’’) shall strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, 

2 devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec3 retary. 

4 (c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.— 

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

6 gold medal in honor of the steward and messman 

7 branches of the United States Navy, Marine Corps, 

8 and Coast Guard that served during World War II 

9 under subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given 

10 to the Smithsonian Institution, where it will be dis11 played as appropriate and made available for re12 search. 

13 (2) SENSE.—It is the sense of the Congress 

14 that the Smithsonian Institution should make the 

15 gold medal received under paragraph (1) available 

16 for display elsewhere, particularly at other appro17 priate locations associated with the steward and 

18 messman branches of the United States Navy, Ma19 rine Corps, and Coast Guard that served during 

20 World War II. 

21 SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

22 Under such regulations as the Secretary may pre23 scribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

24 bronze of the gold medal struck under section 2, at a price 


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

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

3 SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS. 

4 Medals struck pursuant to this Act are National med5 als for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States 

6 Code. 

7 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; PROCEEDS 

8 OF SALE. 

9 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

10 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 

11 Public Enterprise Fund, an amount not to exceed $30,000 

12 to pay for the cost of the medals authorized under section 

13 2. 

14 (b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the 

15 sale of duplicate bronze medals under section 3 shall be 

16 deposited in the United States Mint Public Enterprise 

17 Fund. 

Æ 


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