II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1757 

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. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 10, 2019 

Ms. ERNST (for herself and Ms. DUCKWORTH) 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, 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United States Army 

5 Rangers Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold 

6 Medal Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

8 In this Act— 


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

2 of the Treasury; and 

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

4 Veteran of World War II’’ means any individual 

5 who— 

6 (A) served in the Armed Forces— 

7 (i) honorably; 

8 (ii) in an active duty status; and 

9 (iii) at any time during the period be10 ginning on June 19, 1942, and ending on 

11 September 2, 1945; and 

12 (B) was assigned to a Ranger Battalion of 

13 the Army at any time during the period de14 scribed in subparagraph (A)(iii). 

15 SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 

16 Congress finds the following: 

17 (1) In World War II, the Army formed 6 Rang18 er Battalions and 1 provisional battalion. All mem19 bers of the Ranger Battalions were volunteers. The 

20 initial concept of Ranger units drew from the British 

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

22 and the military tradition of the United States of 

23 utilizing light infantry for scouting and raiding oper24 ations. 


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1 (2) The Ranger Battalions of World War II 

2 consisted of— 

3 (A) the 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion, 

4 which was activated on June 19, 1942, in 

5 Northern Ireland; 

6 (B) the 2d Ranger Infantry Battalion, 

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

8 Forrest, Tennessee; 

9 (C) the 3d Ranger Infantry Battalion, 

10 which was— 

11 (i) activated as provisional on May 21, 

12 1943, in North Africa; and 

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

14 concurrently consolidated with the provi15 sional unit described in clause (i); 

16 (D) the 4th Ranger Infantry Battalion, 

17 which was— 

18 (i) activated as provisional on May 29, 

19 1943, in North Africa; and 

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

21 concurrently consolidated with the provi22 sional unit described in clause (i); 

23 (E) the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion, 

24 which was activated on September 1, 1943, at 

25 Camp Forrest, Tennessee; 


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1 (F) the 6th Ranger Infantry Battalion, 

2 which was— 

3 (i) originally activated on January 20, 

4 1941, at Fort Lewis, Washington, as the 

5 98th Field Artillery Battalion; and 

6 (ii) converted and redesignated on 

7 September 26, 1944, as the 6th Ranger 

8 Infantry Battalion; and 

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

10 provisional Army National Guard unit that 

11 was— 

12 (i) activated on December 20, 1942, 

13 at Tidworth Barracks, England; and 

14 (ii) disbanded on October 18, 1943. 

15 (3) The first combat operations of Army Rang16 ers occurred on August 19, 1942, when 50 Rangers 

17 took part in the British-Canadian raid on the 

18 French coastal town of Dieppe. 

19 (4) The 1st Ranger Battalion, under the leader20 ship of Major William O. Darby, was used in full 

21 strength during the landings at Arsew, Algeria, dur22 ing the North African campaign. Due to the success 

23 of the Rangers in several difficult battles, particu24 larly at El Guettar in March and April of 1943, 2 


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1 additional Ranger Battalions were organized in 

2 North Africa. 

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

4 Ranger Battalion was awarded battle honors for its 

5 actions in Tunisia. On March 18, 1943, the Bat6 talion penetrated enemy lines and captured the posi7 tion Djebel el Auk in a nighttime attack, taking 

8 more than 200 prisoners. Two days later, the bat9 talion was attacked by the 10th Panzer division of 

10 the German Afrika Korps and, despite heavy losses, 

11 continued to defend its position. The following day, 

12 the 1st Battalion counterattacked to clear high 

13 ground overlooking the positions held by the Armed 

14 Forces. These actions demonstrated the ability of 

15 the Rangers to fight in difficult terrain and the 

16 courage to endure despite being outnumbered and 

17 exposed to heavy enemy fire. 

18 (6) The 29th provisional Ranger Battalion was 

19 formed from volunteers drawn from the 29th Infan20 try Division stationed in England in the fall of 1942. 

21 The Battalion was activated on December 20, 1942, 

22 and accompanied British commandos on 2 small23 scale raids in Norway. Nineteen members of the 

24 29th Ranger Battalion conducted a raid on a Ger25 man radar site in France on the night of September 


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1 3, 1943. After that raid, the 29th Ranger Battalion 

2 was disbanded because new Ranger units, the 2d 

3 and 5th Battalions, were being formed. 

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

5 1st, 3d, and 4th Ranger Battalions were heavily in6 volved in the campaign in Sicily and the landings in 

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

8 a night amphibious landing in Sicily and secured the 

9 landing beaches for the main force. The 3d Bat10 talion landed separately at Licata, Sicily, and was 

11 able to silence gun positions on an 82-foot cliff over12 looking the invasion beaches. 

13 (8) During the invasion of Italy, the 1st and 

14 4th Ranger Battalions landed at Maori with the mis15 sion of seizing the high ground and protecting the 

16 flank of the remainder of the main landing by the 

17 United States. Enemy forces in the area were esti18 mated to outnumber the Rangers by approximately 

19 8 to 1. Despite these odds, the Rangers took the po20 sition and held off 7 enemy counterattacks. 

21 (9) After the invasion of Italy, Rangers contin22 ued to be used, often in night attacks, to seize key 

23 terrain ahead of the advancing Allied forces. At the 

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

25 4th Ranger Battalions sustained heavy casualties 


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1 after being cut off behind German lines. The Rang2 ers had planned to infiltrate German positions under 

3 the cover of darkness and make a dawn attack on 

4 a critical road junction but were pinned down by 

5 enemy tanks and an elite German paratrooper unit. 

6 After 12 hours of desperate fighting and a failed re7 lief attempt, the majority of the Ranger force was 

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

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

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

11 which had been in reserve, also suffered 60 killed 

12 and 120 wounded out of 550 men. These 3 battal13 ions were inactivated and the survivors were trans14 ferred to other units. 

15 (10) In the United States, and later in Scot16 land, the 2d and 5th Ranger Battalions were formed 

17 to undertake operations in Western Europe. Those 

18 Battalions were engaged on D-Day, assaulting Ger19 man positions at the Pointe du Hoc coastal battery, 

20 and remained in combat through September of 

21 1944. Specifically, Rangers in the 2d Battalion, 

22 under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James E. 

23 Rudder— 


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1 (A) overcame underwater mines, machine 

2 gun fire, and enemy artillery while scaling the 

3 100-foot high cliffs at Pointe du Hoc; 

4 (B) held against intense German efforts to 

5 retake the position; and 

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

7 moved inland roughly 1 mile and sustained 

8 heavy casualties while searching for, and ulti9 mately destroying, a German heavy artillery 

10 battery. 

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

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

13 the campaign in Brest, which included close-range 

14 fighting in hedgerows and numerous villages. Later, 

15 in operations in Western Germany, the Battalions 

16 were frequently used to attack in darkness and gain 

17 vital positions to pave the way for the main Army 

18 attacks. 

19 (12) During the final drive into Germany in 

20 late February and early March 1945, the 5th Rang21 er Battalion was cited for battle honors for out22 standing performance. Under the cover of darkness, 

23 the unit drove into German lines and seized high 

24 ground blocking the main German supply route in 

25 the sector. The Germans attacked the position of the 


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1 Rangers from both sides, resulting in heavy Ranger 

2 casualties during 5 days of fighting. As a result of 

3 the actions of the Rangers, the main Army attack 

4 was able to overcome German defenses more easily, 

5 occupy the vital city of Trier, and reach the Rhine 

6 River. 

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

8 Pacific. In the most notable exploit of the 6th Rang9 er Battalion, in January and February of 1945, the 

10 Battalion formed the nucleus of a rescue force that 

11 liberated more than 500 Allied prisoners, including 

12 prisoners from the United States, from the Caba13 natuan prisoner of war camp in the Philippines. 

14 With the help of local Filipino guerillas, the Rang15 ers, led by Lieutenant Colonel Henry A. Mucci, dem16 onstrated extraordinary heroism by infiltrating Jap17 anese-held territory to reach the prisoners of war 

18 and prevent them from being killed by the Japanese. 

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

20 the unit killed all Japanese sentries with no loss of 

21 life of the prisoners of war. The unit successfully re22 turned to American lines having lost only 2 soldiers 

23 killed and having another 2 wounded. 

24 (14) The 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion— 

25 (A) participated in the campaigns of— 


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1 (i) Algeria-French Morocco (with ar2 rowhead); 

3 (ii) Tunisia; 

4 (iii) Sicily (with arrowhead); 

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

6 (v) Anzio (with arrowhead); and 

7 (vi) Rome-Arno; and 

8 (B) for its contributions, received— 

9 (i) the Presidential Unit Citation 

10 (Army) and streamer embroidered with 

11 ‘‘EL GUETTAR’’; and 

12 (ii) the Presidential Unit Citation 

13 (Army) and streamer embroidered with 

14 ‘‘SALERNO’’. 

15 (15) The 2d Ranger Infantry Battalion— 

16 (A) participated in the campaigns of— 

17 (i) Normandy (with arrowhead); 

18 (ii) Northern France; 

19 (iii) Rhineland; 

20 (iv) Ardennes-Alsace; and 

21 (v) Central Europe; and 

22 (B) for its contributions, received— 

23 (i) the Presidential Unit Citation 

24 (Army) and streamer embroidered with 

25 ‘‘POINTE DU HOE’’; and 


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1 (ii) the French Croix de Guerre with 

2 Silver-Gilt Star, World War II, and 

3 streamer embroidered with ‘‘POINTE DU 

4 HOE’’. 

5 (16) The 3d Ranger Infantry Battalion— 

6 (A) participated in the campaigns of— 

7 (i) Sicily (with arrowhead); 

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

9 (iii) Anzio (with arrowhead); and 

10 (iv) Rome-Arno; and 

11 (B) for its contributions, received the Pres12 idential Unit Citation (Army) and streamer em13 broidered with ‘‘SALERNO’’. 

14 (17) The 4th Ranger Infantry Battalion— 

15 (A) participated in the campaigns of— 

16 (i) Sicily (with arrowhead); 

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

18 (iii) Anzio (with arrowhead); and 

19 (iv) Rome-Arno; and 

20 (B) for its contributions, received the Pres21 idential Unit Citation (Army) and streamer em22 broidered with ‘‘SALERNO’’. 

23 (18) The 5th 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 ‘‘NORMANDY BEACHHEAD’’; 

9 (ii) the Presidential Unit Citation 

10 (Army) and streamer embroidered with 

11 ‘‘SAAR RIVER AREA’’; and 

12 (iii) the French Croix de Guerre with 

13 Silver-Gilt Star, World War II, and 

14 streamer embroidered with ‘‘NOR15 MANDY’’. 

16 (19) The 6th Ranger Infantry Battalion— 

17 (A) participated in the campaigns of— 

18 (i) New Guinea; 

19 (ii) Leyte (with arrowhead); and 

20 (iii) Luzon; and 

21 (B) for its contributions, received— 

22 (i) the Presidential Unit Citation 

23 (Army) and streamer embroidered with 

24 ‘‘CABU, LUZON’’; and 


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1 (ii) the Philippine Presidential Unit 

2 Citation and streamer embroidered with 

3 ‘‘17 OCTOBER 1944 TO 4 JULY 1945’’. 

4 (20) The United States will be forever indebted 

5 to the United States Army Rangers Veterans of 

6 World War II, whose bravery and sacrifice in com7 bat contributed greatly to the military success of the 

8 United States and the allies of the United States. 

9 SEC. 4. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

10 (a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The President pro tem11 pore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Rep12 resentatives shall make appropriate arrangements for the 

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

14 appropriate design to the United States Army Rangers 

15 Veterans of World War II, in recognition of their dedi16 cated service during World War II. 

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

18 award described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall 

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

20 inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. 

21 (c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE.— 

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

23 gold medal in honor of the United States Army 

24 Rangers Veterans of World War II, the gold medal 


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1 shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where 

2 the medal shall be— 

3 (A) available for display, as appropriate; 

4 and 

5 (B) made available for research. 

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

7 Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should 

8 make the gold medal received under paragraph (1) 

9 available for display elsewhere, particularly at other 

10 locations associated with— 

11 (A) the United States Army Rangers Vet12 erans of World War II; or 

13 (B) World War II. 

14 (d) DUPLICATE MEDALS.—Under regulations that 

15 the Secretary may prescribe, the Secretary may strike and 

16 sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck under 

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

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

19 of machinery, and overhead expenses. 

20 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDAL. 

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

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

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

24 (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For the purposes of sec25 tion 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals 


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1 struck under section 4 shall be considered to be numis2 matic items. 

Æ 


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