IC 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1757 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 9, 2020 

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 

AN ACT 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the 

United States Army Rangers Veterans of World War 

II in recognition of their extraordinary 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 ‘‘United States Army 

3 Rangers Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold 

4 Medal Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

6 In this Act— 

7 (1) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 

8 of the Treasury; and 

9 (2) the term ‘‘United States Army Rangers 

10 Veteran of World War II’’ means any individual 

11 who— 

12 (A) served in the Armed Forces— 

13 (i) honorably; 

14 (ii) in an active duty status; and 

15 (iii) at any time during the period be16 ginning on June 19, 1942, and ending on 

17 September 2, 1945; and 

18 (B) was assigned to a Ranger Battalion of 

19 the Army at any time during the period de20 scribed in subparagraph (A)(iii). 

21 SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 

22 Congress finds the following: 

23 (1) In World War II, the Army formed 6 Rang24 er Battalions and 1 provisional battalion. All mem25 bers of the Ranger Battalions were volunteers. The 

26 initial concept of Ranger units drew from the British 


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1 method of using highly trained ‘‘commando’’ units 

2 and the military tradition of the United States of 

3 utilizing light infantry for scouting and raiding oper4 ations. 

5 (2) The Ranger Battalions of World War II 

6 consisted of— 

7 (A) the 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion, 

8 which was activated on June 19, 1942, in 

9 Northern Ireland; 

10 (B) the 2d Ranger Infantry Battalion, 

11 which was activated on April 1, 1943, at Camp 

12 Forrest, Tennessee; 

13 (C) the 3d Ranger Infantry Battalion, 

14 which was— 

15 (i) activated as provisional on May 21, 

16 1943, in North Africa; and 

17 (ii) constituted on July 21, 1943, and 

18 concurrently consolidated with the provi19 sional unit described in clause (i); 

20 (D) the 4th Ranger Infantry Battalion, 

21 which was— 

22 (i) activated as provisional on May 29, 

23 1943, in North Africa; and 


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1 (ii) constituted on July 21, 1943, and 

2 concurrently consolidated with the provi3 sional unit described in clause (i); 

4 (E) the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion, 

5 which was activated on September 1, 1943, at 

6 Camp Forrest, Tennessee; 

7 (F) the 6th Ranger Infantry Battalion, 

8 which was— 

9 (i) originally activated on January 20, 

10 1941, at Fort Lewis, Washington, as the 

11 98th Field Artillery Battalion; and 

12 (ii) converted and redesignated on 

13 September 26, 1944, as the 6th Ranger 

14 Infantry Battalion; and 

15 (G) the 29th Ranger Infantry Battalion, a 

16 provisional Army National Guard unit that 

17 was— 

18 (i) activated on December 20, 1942, 

19 at Tidworth Barracks, England; and 

20 (ii) disbanded on October 18, 1943. 

21 (3) The first combat operations of Army Rang22 ers occurred on August 19, 1942, when 50 Rangers 

23 took part in the British-Canadian raid on the 

24 French coastal town of Dieppe. 


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1 (4) The 1st Ranger Battalion, under the leader2 ship of Major William O. Darby, was used in full 

3 strength during the landings at Arsew, Algeria, dur4 ing the North African campaign. Due to the success 

5 of the Rangers in several difficult battles, particu6 larly at El Guettar in March and April of 1943, 2 

7 additional Ranger Battalions were organized in 

8 North Africa. 

9 (5) During the North African campaign, the 1st 

10 Ranger Battalion was awarded battle honors for its 

11 actions in Tunisia. On March 20, 1943, the Bat12 talion penetrated enemy lines and captured the posi13 tion Djebel el Ank in a nighttime attack, taking 

14 more than 200 prisoners. Three days later, the bat15 talion was attacked by the 10th Panzer division of 

16 the German Afrika Korps and, despite heavy losses, 

17 defended its position and inflicted considerable losses 

18 on the enemy. This engagement constituted what 

19 General Omar Bradley labeled ‘‘the first solid, indis20 putable defeat we inflicted on the German army in 

21 the war’’. These actions demonstrated the ability of 

22 the Rangers to fight in difficult terrain and the 

23 courage to endure despite being outnumbered and 

24 exposed to heavy enemy fire. 


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1 (6) The 29th provisional Ranger Battalion was 

2 formed from volunteers drawn from the 29th Infan3 try Division stationed in England in the fall of 1942. 

4 The Battalion was activated on December 20, 1942, 

5 and accompanied British commandos on 3 small6 scale raids in Norway. Nineteen members of the 

7 29th Ranger Battalion conducted a raid on a Ger8 man radar site in France on the night of September 

9 3, 1943. After that raid, the 29th Ranger Battalion 

10 was disbanded because new Ranger units, the 2d 

11 and 5th Battalions, were being formed. 

12 (7) During the summer and fall of 1943, the 

13 1st, 3d, and 4th Ranger Battalions were heavily in14 volved in the campaign in Sicily and the landings in 

15 Italy. The 1st and 4th Ranger Battalions conducted 

16 a night amphibious landing in Sicily and secured the 

17 landing beaches for the main force. The 3d Bat18 talion landed separately at Licata, Sicily, and was 

19 able to silence gun positions on an 82-foot cliff over20 looking the invasion beaches. 

21 (8) During the invasion of Italy, the 1st, 3d, 

22 and 4th Ranger Battalions landed at Maiori with the 

23 mission of seizing the high ground and protecting 

24 the flank of the remainder of the main landing by 

25 the United States. Despite suffering from low amVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:57 Mar 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1757.RFH S1757

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1 munition and inadequate provisions and water, the 

2 Rangers fended off numerous enemy counterattacks 

3 against the mountain passes and via radio directed 

4 naval gunfire on the enemy forces approaching the 

5 beaches below. 

6 (9) After the invasion of Italy, Rangers contin7 ued to be used, often in night attacks, to seize key 

8 terrain ahead of the advancing Allied forces. At the 

9 Anzio beachhead, the majority of the 1st, 3d, and 

10 4th Ranger Battalions sustained heavy casualties 

11 after being cut off behind German lines. The Rang12 ers had planned to infiltrate German positions under 

13 the cover of darkness and make a dawn attack on 

14 a critical road junction but were pinned down by 

15 enemy tanks and an elite German paratrooper unit. 

16 After 12 hours of desperate fighting and a failed re17 lief attempt, the majority of the Ranger force was 

18 killed, wounded, or captured. Only 6 Rangers from 

19 the 1st and 3d Battalions, out of more than 767 

20 men, returned to friendly lines. The 4th Battalion, 

21 which had been in reserve, also suffered 60 killed 

22 and 120 wounded out of 550 men. These 3 battal23 ions were inactivated and the survivors were trans24 ferred to other units. 


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1 (10) In the United States, and later in Scot2 land, the 2d and 5th Ranger Battalions were formed 

3 to undertake operations in Western Europe. Those 

4 Battalions were engaged on D-Day, assaulting Ger5 man positions at the Pointe du Hoc coastal battery, 

6 and remained in combat through September of 

7 1944. Specifically, Rangers in the 2d Battalion, 

8 under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James E. 

9 Rudder— 

10 (A) overcame mines, machine gun fire, and 

11 enemy artillery while scaling the 100-foot high 

12 cliffs at Pointe du Hoc; 

13 (B) held against intense German efforts to 

14 retake the position; and 

15 (C) after reaching the top of the cliffs, 

16 moved inland roughly 1 mile and sustained 

17 heavy casualties while searching for, and ulti18 mately destroying, a German heavy artillery 

19 battery. 

20 (11) During June, July, and August of 1944, 

21 the 2d and 5th Ranger Battalions were engaged in 

22 the campaign in Brest, which included close-range 

23 fighting in hedgerows and numerous villages. Later, 

24 in operations in Western Germany, the Battalions 

25 were frequently used to attack in darkness and gain 


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1 vital positions to pave the way for the main Army 

2 attacks. 

3 (12) During the final drive into Germany in 

4 late February and early March 1945, the 5th Rang5 er Battalion was cited for battle honors for out6 standing performance. Under the cover of darkness 

7 the unit drove into German lines and secured the ob8 jective area blocking the main German supply route. 

9 The Germans attacked the position of the Rangers 

10 from both sides, resulting in heavy Ranger casualties 

11 during 5 days of fighting. As a result of the actions 

12 of the Rangers, the main Army attack was able to 

13 overcome German defenses more easily, occupy the 

14 vital city of Trier, and reach the Rhine River. 

15 (13) The 6th Ranger Battalion operated in the 

16 Pacific. In the most notable exploit of the 6th Rang17 er Battalion, in January and February of 1945, the 

18 Battalion formed the nucleus of a rescue force that 

19 liberated more than 500 Allied prisoners, including 

20 prisoners from the United States, from the Caba21 natuan prisoner of war camp in the Philippines. 

22 With the help of local Filipino guerillas, the Rang23 ers, led by Lieutenant Colonel Henry A. Mucci, dem24 onstrated extraordinary heroism by infiltrating Jap25 anese-held territory to reach the prisoners of war 


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1 and prevent them from being killed by the Japanese. 

2 After a 25-mile march at night through the jungle, 

3 the unit killed all Japanese sentries with no loss of 

4 life of the prisoners of war. The unit successfully re5 turned to American lines having lost only 2 soldiers 

6 killed and having another 2 wounded. 

7 (14) The 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion— 

8 (A) participated in the campaigns of— 

9 (i) Algeria-French Morocco (with ar10 rowhead); 

11 (ii) Tunisia; 

12 (iii) Sicily (with arrowhead); 

13 (iv) Naples-Foggia (with arrowhead); 

14 (v) Anzio (with arrowhead); and 

15 (vi) Rome-Arno; and 

16 (B) for its contributions, received— 

17 (i) the Presidential Unit Citation 

18 (Army) and streamer embroidered with 

19 ‘‘EL GUETTAR’’; and 

20 (ii) the Presidential Unit Citation 

21 (Army) and streamer embroidered with 

22 ‘‘SALERNO’’. 

23 (15) The 2d Ranger Infantry Battalion— 

24 (A) participated in the campaigns of— 

25 (i) Normandy (with arrowhead); 


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1 (ii) Northern France; 

2 (iii) Rhineland; 

3 (iv) Ardennes-Alsace; and 

4 (v) Central Europe; and 

5 (B) for its contributions, received— 

6 (i) the Presidential Unit Citation 

7 (Army) and streamer embroidered with 

8 ‘‘POINTE DU HOE’’; and 

9 (ii) the French Croix de Guerre with 

10 Silver-Gilt Star, World War II, and 

11 streamer embroidered with ‘‘POINTE DU 

12 HOE’’. 

13 (16) The 3d Ranger Infantry Battalion— 

14 (A) participated in the campaigns of— 

15 (i) Sicily (with arrowhead); 

16 (ii) Naples-Foggia (with arrowhead); 

17 (iii) Anzio (with arrowhead); and 

18 (iv) Rome-Arno; and 

19 (B) for its contributions, received the Pres20 idential Unit Citation (Army) and streamer em21 broidered with ‘‘SALERNO’’. 

22 (17) The 4th Ranger Infantry Battalion— 

23 (A) participated in the campaigns of— 

24 (i) Sicily (with arrowhead); 

25 (ii) Naples-Foggia (with arrowhead); 


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1 (iii) Anzio (with arrowhead); and 

2 (iv) Rome-Arno; and 

3 (B) for its contributions, received the Pres4 idential Unit Citation (Army) and streamer em5 broidered with ‘‘SALERNO’’. 

6 (18) The 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion— 

7 (A) participated in the campaigns of— 

8 (i) Normandy (with arrowhead); 

9 (ii) Northern France; 

10 (iii) Rhineland; 

11 (iv) Ardennes-Alsace; and 

12 (v) Central Europe; and 

13 (B) for its contributions, received— 

14 (i) the Presidential Unit Citation 

15 (Army) and streamer embroidered with 

16 ‘‘NORMANDY BEACHHEAD’’; 

17 (ii) the Presidential Unit Citation 

18 (Army) and streamer embroidered with 

19 ‘‘SAAR RIVER AREA’’; and 

20 (iii) the French Croix de Guerre with 

21 Silver-Gilt Star, World War II, and 

22 streamer embroidered with ‘‘NOR23 MANDY’’. 

24 (19) The 6th Ranger Infantry Battalion— 

25 (A) participated in the campaigns of— 


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1 (i) New Guinea; 

2 (ii) Leyte (with arrowhead); and 

3 (iii) Luzon; and 

4 (B) for its contributions, received— 

5 (i) the Presidential Unit Citation 

6 (Army) and streamer embroidered with 

7 ‘‘CABU, LUZON’’; and 

8 (ii) the Philippine Presidential Unit 

9 Citation and streamer embroidered with 

10 ‘‘17 OCTOBER 1944 TO 4 JULY 1945’’. 

11 (20) The United States will be forever indebted 

12 to the United States Army Rangers Veterans of 

13 World War II, whose bravery and sacrifice in com14 bat contributed greatly to the military success of the 

15 United States and the allies of the United States. 

16 SEC. 4. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

17 (a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The President pro tem18 pore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Rep19 resentatives shall make appropriate arrangements for the 

20 award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal of 

21 appropriate design to the United States Army Rangers 

22 Veterans of World War II, in recognition of their dedi23 cated service during World War II. 

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

25 award described in subsection (a), 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) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.— 

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

5 gold medal in honor of the United States Army 

6 Rangers Veterans of World War II, the gold medal 

7 shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where 

8 the medal shall be— 

9 (A) available for display, as appropriate; 

10 and 

11 (B) made available for research. 

12 (2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 

13 Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should 

14 make the gold medal received under paragraph (1) 

15 available for display elsewhere, particularly at other 

16 locations associated with— 

17 (A) the United States Army Rangers Vet18 erans of World War II; or 

19 (B) World War II. 

20 (d) DUPLICATE MEDALS.—Under regulations that 

21 the Secretary may prescribe, the Secretary may strike and 

22 sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck under 

23 this section, at a price sufficient to cover the cost of the 

24 medals, including the cost of labor, materials, dies, use 

25 of machinery, and overhead expenses. 


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1 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDAL. 

2 (a) NATIONAL MEDAL.—The gold medal struck 

3 under section 4 shall be a national medal for the purposes 

4 of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code. 

5 (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For the purposes of sec6 tion 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals 

7 struck under section 4 shall be considered to be numis8 matic items. 

Passed the Senate March 5, 2020. 

Attest: JULIE E. ADAMS, 

Secretary. 


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