II 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3283 

To award a congressional gold medal to Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow, in 

recognition of his especially meritorious role as a warrior of the Crow 

Tribe, Army Soldier in World War II, tribal historian, and author. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 17, 2008 

Mr. TESTER (for himself, Mr. BAUCUS, and Mr. ENZI) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

A BILL 

To award a congressional gold medal to Dr. Joseph Medicine 

Crow, in recognition of his especially meritorious role 

as a warrior of the Crow Tribe, Army Soldier in World 

War II, tribal historian, and author. 

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 ‘‘Dr. Joseph Medicine 

5 Crow Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 


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1 (1) born November 27, 1913, near Lodge Grass 

2 on the Crow Indian Reservation, Dr. Joseph Medi3 cine Crow is the oldest living Crow Indian veteran; 

4 (2) Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow is recognized as 

5 a warrior by his tribe for completing all 4 actions of 

6 counting coup while serving in the United States 

7 Armed Services during World War II in Germany, 

8 France, and Italy; 

9 (3) he earned his first coup by leading a war 

10 party, a detail of soldiers, under fire, to retrieve dy11 namite to use for attacking German guns; 

12 (4) he earned his second and third coups by 

13 touching the first fallen enemy and stealing his 

14 weapon, and when he met a German soldier on a 

15 street in France, Dr. Medicine Crow knocked down 

16 the soldier and kicked his rifle away; 

17 (5) he earned his fourth coup by entering an 

18 enemy camp and stealing their horses by sneaking 

19 into a farm where German SS officers were holed up 

20 for the night, stealthily entering a barn and corral, 

21 mounting a horse and, with a Crow war cry, running 

22 the horses toward the Americans as ‘‘the fireworks 

23 started’’ behind him and soldiers started shooting; 


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1 (6) upon returning from World War II, Dr. Jo2 seph Medicine Crow was the first member of the 

3 Crow Tribe to earn a master’s degree; 

4 (7) Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow has since re5 ceived 3 honorary PhDs, from the University of 

6 Southern California, University of Montana, and 

7 Rocky Mountain College; 

8 (8) Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow has lectured 

9 throughout the world on topics such as his masters 

10 thesis, ‘‘The Effects of European Culture Contact 

11 Upon the Economic, Social, and Religious Life of 

12 the Crow Indians’’; 

13 (9) Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow has been a long14 time teacher at Little Big Horn College in Crow 

15 Agency, Montana; 

16 (10) Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow is a noted trib17 al historian and has authored several books on Crow 

18 culture, including ‘‘Handbook on Crow Indian Trea19 ties & Laws’’, ‘‘Medicine Crow, a Crow Chief’’, 

20 ‘‘From the Heart of the Crow Country’’, ‘‘Whiteman 

21 Runs Him, Custer’s Last Scout’’, and ‘‘Counting 

22 Coup—Becoming a Crow Chief on the Reservation 

23 and Beyond’’; 


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1 (11) Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow was appointed 

2 tribal historian and anthropologist by the Crow 

3 Tribal Council in 1948; 

4 (12) Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow is a renowned 

5 figure who is included in narratives of the West in 

6 major museums around the world; 

7 (13) Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow was awarded 

8 the Montana Historical Society Trustees’ award for 

9 contributions to Montana history in 1992; 

10 (14) Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow was awarded 

11 the Jeff Dykes Memorial Award for Notable Con12 tributions to Western Affairs by the Potomac Corral 

13 of the Westerners in 2000; 

14 (15) Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow was awarded 

15 the Montana Governor’s Tourism Award in 2005; 

16 (16) on June 25, 2008, near the Tomb of the 

17 Unknown Soldier at the Custer Battlefield Museum 

18 in Garryowen, Montana, Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow 

19 will be awarded the French Legion of Honor Cheva20 lier medal and the Bronze Star for his service in the 

21 United States Army during World War II; 

22 (17) Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow has been nomi23 nated for the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the 

24 Nation’s highest civil award, reserved for contribuVerDate Aug 31 2005 07:03 Jul 18, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3283.IS S3283

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1 tions to the country’s culture, history, and security; 

2 and 

3 (18) Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow has proven 

4 himself to be a highly accomplished role model by— 

5 (A) serving the Crow Tribe and the United 

6 States with valor and heroism in World War II; 

7 (B) successfully integrating his past; and 

8 (C) educating others about his cultural 

9 heritage. 

10 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

11 (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of 

12 the House of Representatives and the President pro tem13 pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements 

14 for the presentation, on behalf of the Congress, of a gold 

15 medal of appropriate design in commemoration of Dr. Jo16 seph Medicine Crow, in recognition of his especially meri17 torious role as a warrior of the Crow Tribe, Army Soldier 

18 in World War II, tribal historian, and author. 

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

20 presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 

21 of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the 

22 ‘‘Secretary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable em23 blems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the 

24 Secretary. 


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1 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

2 The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

3 bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 3, 

4 under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at 

5 a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, 

6 materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, 

7 and the cost of the gold medal. 

8 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

9 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—The medals struck pursu10 ant to this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 

11 51 of title 31, United States Code. 

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

13 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck 

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

15 SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF 

16 SALE. 

17 (a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There 

18 are authorized to be charged against the United States 

19 Mint Public Enterprise Fund, such amounts as may be 

20 necessary to pay for the costs of the medals struck pursu21 ant to this Act. 

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

23 sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 

24 4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public 

25 Enterprise Fund. 

Æ 


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