I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4766 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to American military 

personnel who fought in defense of Bataan, Corregidor, Guam, Wake 

Island, and the Philippine Archipelago between December 7, 1941, and 

May 10, 1942, and who died or were imprisoned by the Japanese military 

in the Philippines, Japan, Korea, Manchuria, Wake Island, and Guam 

from April 9, 1942, until September 2, 1945, in recognition of their 

personal sacrifice and service to their country. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 16, 2016 

Mr. MCKINLEY (for himself, Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia, and Mr. JENKINS

of West Virginia) 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, collectively, to American military personnel who fought in defense of Bataan, 

Corregidor, Guam, Wake Island, and the Philippine Archipelago between December 7, 1941, and May 10, 1942, 

and who died or were imprisoned by the Japanese military in the Philippines, Japan, Korea, Manchuria, Wake 

Island, and Guam from April 9, 1942, until September 

2, 1945, in recognition of their personal sacrifice and 

service to their country. 


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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) Guam was captured by Japan on December 

6 10, 1941, three days after the attack on Pearl Har7 bor and remained in the hands of the Japanese until 

8 June 1944. Those prisoners who remained on Guam 

9 suffered atrocities at the hands of the Japanese or 

10 were transported on ‘‘Hell Ships’’ to Japanese POW 

11 camps. 

12 (2) In January 1942 the Japanese took ap13 proximately 1,600 prisoners on Wake Island. Ap14 proximately 450 military and 1,150 civilians were 

15 then transported to POW camps in China and 

16 Japan. 

17 (3) On April 9, 1942, Major General Edward 

18 King surrendered the soldiers from the United 

19 States and the Philippines into enemy hands. 

20 (4) Over the next week, the soldiers from the 

21 United States and the Philippines were taken pris22 oner and forced to march 65 miles without any food, 

23 water, or medical care in what came to be known as 

24 the Bataan Death March. 


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1 (5) On May 6, 1942, Corregidor fell after a 

2 weeklong siege and its defenders were surrendered. 

3 (6) On May 10, 1942, American forces under 

4 the command of Major General William F. Sharp 

5 surrendered after fighting the Japanese from April 

6 29, 1942, to May 9, 1942, on the island of 

7 Mindanao in the southernmost portion of the Phil8 ippine Archipelago. It was on this date, May 10, 

9 1942, that General Wainwright, as Supreme Allied 

10 Commander, surrendered all Allied Forces in the 

11 Philippine Archipelago. 

12 (7) During this forced march, thousands of sol13 diers died, either from starvation, lack of medical 

14 care, sheer exhaustion, or abuse by their captors. 

15 (8) Within the first 40 days at Camp 

16 O’Donnell, 1,600 more prisoners from the United 

17 States died. 

18 (9) The conditions at the camp were sub19 standard, leading to increased disease and malnutri20 tion among the prisoners. 

21 (10) In May 1942 the Japanese began transfer22 ring POWs by sea. Prisoners were crammed into 

23 cargo holds with little air, food or water for journeys 

24 that would last for weeks on what were to be known 

25 as the ‘‘Hell Ships’’. Many died due to asphyxia, 


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1 starvation, or dysentery. Some prisoners became de2 lirious and unresponsive in an environment of heat, 

3 humidity and lack of oxygen, food, and water. More 

4 than 3,300 prisoners died at sea while being trans5 ported by these ships. 

6 (11) On June 6, 1942, the prisoners from the 

7 United States were transferred to Cabanatuan, 

8 north of Camp O’Donnell. 

9 (12) The campus of the University of Santo 

10 Tomas was converted to the Santo Tomas Intern11 ment Camp by the Japanese during their occupation 

12 of the Philippines. Santo Tomas became the initial 

13 internment camp for both the army and navy 

14 nurses, with the army and navy nurses remaining 

15 there until their liberation. 

16 (13) The prisoners who remained in the camps 

17 suffered from continued mistreatment, malnutrition, 

18 lack of medical care, and horrific conditions. 

19 (14) The prisoners who remained in these 

20 camps were liberated in 1945. 

21 (15) Over the subsequent decades, these pris22 oners formed support groups, were honored in local 

23 and State memorials, and told their story to all peo24 ple of the United States. 


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1 (16) The people of the United States are for2 ever indebted to these men and women for— 

3 (A) the courage they demonstrated during 

4 the first 4 months of World War II in fighting 

5 against enemy soldiers; and 

6 (B) the perseverance they demonstrated 

7 during years of capture, imprisonment, and 

8 atrocious conditions, while maintaining dignity, 

9 honor, patriotism, and loyalty. 

10 SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

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

12 House of Representatives and the President pro tempore 

13 of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the 

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

15 of appropriate design to American military personnel who 

16 fought in defense of Bataan, Corregidor, Guam, Wake Is17 land, and the Philippine Archipelago between December 

18 7, 1941, and May 10, 1942, and who died or were impris19 oned by the Japanese military in the Philippines, Japan, 

20 Korea, Manchuria, Wake Island, and Guam from April 9, 

21 1942, until September 2, 1945, in recognition of their per22 sonal sacrifice and service to their country. 

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

24 award under subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury 

25 (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall 


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

2 inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. 

3 (c) TRANSFER AND DISPLAY OF MEDALS.— 

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

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

6 shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where 

7 it shall be displayed as appropriate and made avail8 able for research. 

9 (2) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.—It is the sense 

10 of the Congress that the Smithsonian Institution 

11 should make the gold medal received under para12 graph (1) available for display at other locations, 

13 particularly such locations as are associated with the 

14 American military prisoners described under sub15 section (a). 

16 SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

17 (a) STRIKING OF DUPLICATES.—Under such regula18 tions as the Secretary may prescribe, the Secretary may 

19 strike duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck under 

20 section 2. 

21 (b) SELLING OF DUPLICATES.—The Secretary may 

22 sell such duplicates under subsection (a) at a price suffi23 cient to cover the costs of such duplicates, including labor, 

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


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1 SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS. 

2 Medals struck pursuant to this Act are National med3 als for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States 

4 Code. 

Æ 


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