I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5222 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to Korean war combat 

veterans, in recognition of their dedicated service during the Korean war. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 8, 2018 

Ms. HANABUSA (for herself, Mr. JONES, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mrs. 

COMSTOCK, Mr. COSTA, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. 

DESAULNIER, and Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas) 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 Korean 

war combat veterans, in recognition of their dedicated 

service during the Korean war. 

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 ‘‘Korean War Combat 

5 Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 5222 IH

1 (1) The Korean war began on June 25, 1950, 

2 and an armistice was signed on July 27, 1953. 

3 (2) The Korean conflict began when troops of 

4 the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), 

5 commonly known as North Korea, invaded the Re6 public of Korea (ROK), commonly known as South 

7 Korea. A United Nations Resolution denounced the 

8 DPRK’s invasion and called for a cessation of hos9 tilities and withdrawal of the DPRK to the 38th 

10 parallel. 

11 (3) To enforce the United Nations Resolution, 

12 President Harry S. Truman ordered United States 

13 air, land, and naval forces to aid the ROK. 

14 (4) During the Korean war, members of the 

15 United States military served as part of a unified 

16 United Nations force which included armed forces 

17 from 27 other nations. This is the first instance that 

18 United States service members were used to enforce 

19 a resolution of the United Nations. 

20 (5) 5,720,000 United States service members 

21 served during the period of the Korean war from 

22 1950 through 1953. During the conflict, 36,574 

23 made the ultimate sacrifice and 103,284 were 

24 wounded. 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 5222 IH

1 (6) Today, approximately 1,280,000 Korean 

2 war veterans are alive. 

3 (7) The courage, bravery, and selflessness of 

4 the American service members who fought as part of 

5 the United Nations forces deployed to the Korean 

6 Peninsula for global peace and security are recog7 nized. 

8 (8) Korean war combat veterans include those 

9 who served honorably in an active-duty status under 

10 the command of United States and United Nations 

11 forces on the air, land, and sea of the Korean Penin12 sula from June 25, 1950 through July 27, 1953. 

13 SEC. 3. 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 to the Korean war combat veterans, 

19 collectively, in recognition of their dedicated service during 

20 the Korean war. 

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

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

23 Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Sec24 retary’’) shall strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 5222 IH

1 devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec2 retary. 

3 (c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.— 

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

5 gold medal in honor of the Korean war combat vet6 erans, under subsection (a), the gold medal shall be 

7 given to the Smithsonian Institution, where it will be 

8 displayed as appropriate and made for research. 

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

10 Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should 

11 make the gold medal received under paragraph (1) 

12 available for display elsewhere, particularly at other 

13 appropriate locations associated with the Korean 

14 war combat veterans. 

15 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

16 Under such regulations as the Secretary may pre17 scribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

18 bronze of the gold medal struck under section 3, at a price 

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

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

21 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

22 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—Medals struck pursuant to 

23 this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 

24 of title 31, United States Code. 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 5222 IH

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

2 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck 

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

Æ 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS