II 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 309 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the World War II members of 

the Civil Air Patrol. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 13, 2013 

Mr. HARKIN (for himself, Mr. COCHRAN, Mr. BEGICH, and Mr. WYDEN) 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 the World War 

II members of the Civil Air Patrol. 

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) The unpaid volunteer members of the Civil 

6 Air Patrol (hereafter in this Act referred to as the 

7 ‘‘CAP’’) during World War II provided extraor8 dinary humanitarian, combat, and national services 

9 during a critical time of need for the Nation. 


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1 (2) During the war, CAP members used their 

2 own aircraft to perform a myriad of essential tasks 

3 for the military and the Nation within the United 

4 States, including attacks on enemy submarines off 

5 the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United 

6 States. 

7 (3) This extraordinary national service set the 

8 stage for the post-war CAP to become a valuable 

9 nonprofit, public service organization chartered by 

10 Congress and designated the Auxiliary of the United 

11 States Air Force that provides essential emergency, 

12 operational, and public services to communities, 

13 States, the Federal Government, and the military. 

14 (4) The CAP was established on December 1, 

15 1941, initially as a part of the Office of Civil De16 fense, by air-minded citizens one week before the 

17 surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, out of the 

18 desire of civil airmen of the country to be mobilized 

19 with their equipment in the common defense of the 

20 Nation. 

21 (5) Within days of the start of the war, the 

22 German Navy started a massive submarine offensive, 

23 known as Operation Drumbeat, off the east coast of 

24 the United States against oil tankers and other crit25 ical shipping that threatened the overall war effort. 


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1 (6) Neither the Navy nor the Army had enough 

2 aircraft, ships, or other resources to adequately pa3 trol and protect the shipping along the Atlantic and 

4 Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, and 

5 many ships were torpedoed and sunk, often within 

6 sight of civilians on shore, including 52 tankers sunk 

7 between January and March 1942. 

8 (7) At that time General George Marshall re9 marked that ‘‘[t]he losses by submarines off our At10 lantic seaboard and in the Caribbean now threaten 

11 our entire war effort’’. 

12 (8) From the beginning CAP leaders urged the 

13 military to use its services to patrol coastal waters 

14 but met with great resistance because of the non15 military status of CAP civilian pilots. 

16 (9) Finally, in response to the ever-increasing 

17 submarine attacks, the Tanker Committee of the Pe18 troleum Industry War Council urged the Navy De19 partment and the War Department to consider the 

20 use of the CAP to help patrol the sea lanes off the 

21 coasts of the United States. 

22 (10) While the Navy initially rejected this sug23 gestion, the Army decided it had merit, and the Civil 

24 Air Patrol Coastal Patrol began in March 1942. 


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1 (11) Oil companies and other organizations pro2 vided funds to help pay for some CAP operations, 

3 including vitally needed shore radios that were used 

4 to monitor patrol missions. 

5 (12) By late March 1942, the Navy also began 

6 to use the services of the CAP. 

7 (13) Starting with 3 bases located in Delaware, 

8 Florida, and New Jersey, CAP aircrews (ranging in 

9 age from 18 to over 80) immediately started to spot 

10 enemy submarines as well as lifeboats, bodies, and 

11 wreckage. 

12 (14) Within 15 minutes of starting his patrol 

13 on the first Coastal Patrol flight, a pilot had sighted 

14 a torpedoed tanker and was coordinating rescue op15 erations. 

16 (15) Eventually 21 bases, ranging from Bar 

17 Harbor, Maine, to Brownsville, Texas, were set up 

18 for the CAP to patrol the Atlantic and Gulf of Mex19 ico coasts of the United States, with 40,000 volun20 teers eventually participating. 

21 (16) The CAP used a wide range of civilian22 owned aircraft, mainly light-weight, single-engine 

23 aircraft manufactured by Cessna, Beech, Waco, 

24 Fairchild, Stinson, Piper, Taylorcraft, and Sikorsky, 


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1 among others, as well as some twin engine aircraft, 

2 such as the Grumman Widgeon. 

3 (17) Most of these aircraft were painted in 

4 their civilian prewar colors (red, yellow, or blue, for 

5 example) and carried special markings (a blue circle 

6 with a white triangle) to identify them as CAP air7 craft. 

8 (18) Patrols were conducted up to 100 miles off 

9 shore, generally with 2 aircraft flying together, in 

10 aircraft often equipped with only a compass for navi11 gation and a single radio for communication. 

12 (19) Due to the critical nature of the situation, 

13 CAP operations were conducted in bad weather as 

14 well as good, often when the military was unable to 

15 fly, and in all seasons, including the winter, when 

16 ditching an aircraft in cold water would likely mean 

17 certain death to the aircrew. 

18 (20) Personal emergency equipment was often 

19 lacking, particularly during early patrols where inner 

20 tubes and kapok duck hunter vests were carried as 

21 flotation devices, since ocean worthy wet suits, life 

22 vests, and life rafts were unavailable. 

23 (21) The initial purpose of the Coastal Patrol 

24 was to spot submarines, report their position to the 

25 military, and force them to dive below the surface, 


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1 which limited their operating speed and maneuver2 ability and reduced their ability to detect and attack 

3 shipping, because attacks against shipping were con4 ducted while the submarines were surfaced. 

5 (22) It immediately became apparent that there 

6 were opportunities for CAP pilots to attack sub7 marines, such as when a Florida CAP aircrew came 

8 across a surfaced submarine that quickly stranded 

9 itself on a sand bar. However, the aircrew could not 

10 get any assistance from armed military aircraft be11 fore the submarine freed itself. 

12 (23) Finally, after several instances when the 

13 military could not respond in a timely manner, a de14 cision was made by the military to arm CAP aircraft 

15 with 50- and 100-pound bombs, and to arm some 

16 larger twin-engine aircraft with 325-pound depth 

17 charges. 

18 (24) The arming of CAP aircraft dramatically 

19 changed the mission for these civilian aircrews and 

20 resulted in more than 57 attacks on enemy sub21 marines. 

22 (25) While CAP volunteers received $8 a day 

23 flight reimbursement for costs incurred, their patrols 

24 were accomplished at a great economic cost to many 

25 CAP members who— 


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1 (A) used their own aircraft and other 

2 equipment in defense of the Nation; 

3 (B) paid for much of their own aircraft 

4 maintenance and hangar use; and 

5 (C) often lived in the beginning in primi6 tive conditions along the coast, including old 

7 barns and chicken coops converted for sleeping. 

8 (26) More importantly, the CAP Coastal Patrol 

9 service came at the high cost of 26 fatalities, 7 seri10 ous injuries, and 90 aircraft lost. 

11 (27) At the conclusion of the 18-month Coastal 

12 Patrol, the heroic CAP aircrews would be credited 

13 with— 

14 (A) 2 submarines possibly damaged or de15 stroyed; 

16 (B) 57 submarines attacked; 

17 (C) 82 bombs dropped against submarines; 

18 (D) 173 radio reports of submarine posi19 tions (with a number of credited assists for kills 

20 made by military units); 

21 (E) 17 floating mines reported; 

22 (F) 36 dead bodies reported; 

23 (G) 91 vessels in distress reported; 

24 (H) 363 survivors in distress reported; 

25 (I) 836 irregularities noted; 


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1 (J) 1,036 special investigations at sea or 

2 along the coast; 

3 (K) 5,684 convoy missions as aerial escorts 

4 for Navy ships; 

5 (L) 86,685 total missions flown; 

6 (M) 244,600 total flight hours logged; and 

7 (N) more than 24,000,000 total miles 

8 flown. 

9 (28) It is believed that at least one high-level 

10 German Navy Officer credited CAP as one reason 

11 that submarine attacks moved away from the United 

12 States when he concluded that ‘‘[i]t was because of 

13 those damned little red and yellow planes!’’. 

14 (29) The CAP was dismissed from coastal mis15 sions with little thanks in August 1943 when the 

16 Navy took over the mission completely and ordered 

17 CAP to stand down. 

18 (30) While the Coastal Patrol was ongoing, 

19 CAP was also establishing itself as a vital wartime 

20 service to the military, States, and communities na21 tionwide by performing a wide range of missions in22 cluding, among others— 

23 (A) border patrol; 

24 (B) forest and fire patrols; 


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1 (C) military courier flights for mail, repair 

2 and replacement parts, and urgent military de3 liveries; 

4 (D) emergency transportation of military 

5 personnel; 

6 (E) target towing (with live ammunition 

7 being fired at the targets and seven lives being 

8 lost) and searchlight tracking training missions; 

9 (F) missing aircraft and personnel 

10 searches; 

11 (G) air and ground search and rescue for 

12 missing aircraft and personnel; 

13 (H) radar and aircraft warning system 

14 training flights; 

15 (I) aerial inspections of camouflaged mili16 tary and civilian facilities; 

17 (J) aerial inspections of city and town 

18 blackout conditions; 

19 (K) simulated bombing attacks on cities 

20 and facilities to test air defenses and early 

21 warning; 

22 (L) aerial searches for scrap metal mate23 rials; 

24 (M) river and lake patrols, including aerial 

25 surveys for ice in the Great Lakes; 


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1 (N) support of war bond drives; 

2 (O) management and guard duties at hun3 dreds of airports; 

4 (P) support for State and local emer5 gencies such as natural and manmade disasters; 

6 (Q) predator control; 

7 (R) rescue of livestock during floods and 

8 blizzards; 

9 (S) recruiting for the Army Air Force; 

10 (T) initial flight screening and orientation 

11 flights for potential military recruits; 

12 (U) mercy missions, including the airlift of 

13 plasma to central blood banks; 

14 (V) nationwide emergency communications 

15 services; and 

16 (W) a cadet youth program which provided 

17 aviation and military training for tens of thou18 sands. 

19 (31) The CAP flew more than 500,000 hours 

20 on these additional missions, including— 

21 (A) 20,500 missions involving target tow22 ing (with live ammunition) and gun/searchlight 

23 tracking which resulted in 7 deaths, 5 serious 

24 injuries, and the loss of 25 aircraft; 


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1 (B) a courier service involving 3 major Air 

2 Force Commands over a 2-year period carrying 

3 more than 3,500,000 pounds of vital cargo and 

4 543 passengers; 

5 (C) southern border patrol flying more 

6 than 30,000 hours and reporting 7,000 unusual 

7 sightings including a vehicle (that was appre8 hended) with 2 enemy agents attempting to 

9 enter the country; 

10 (D) a week in February 1945 during which 

11 CAP units rescued seven missing Army and 

12 Navy pilots; and 

13 (E) a State in which the CAP flew 790 

14 hours on forest fire patrol missions and re15 ported 576 fires to authorities during a single 

16 year. 

17 (32) On April 29, 1943, the CAP was trans18 ferred to the Army Air Forces, thus beginning its 

19 long association with the United States Air Force. 

20 (33) Hundreds of CAP-trained women pilots 

21 joined military women’s units including the Women’s 

22 Air Force Service Pilots (WASP) program. 

23 (34) Many members of the WASP program 

24 joined or rejoined the CAP during the post-war pe25 riod because it provided women opportunities to fly 


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1 and continue to serve the Nation that were severely 

2 lacking elsewhere. 

3 (35) Due to the exceptional emphasis on safety, 

4 unit and pilot training and discipline, and the orga5 nization of the CAP, by the end of the war a total 

6 of only 64 CAP members had died in service and 

7 only 150 aircraft had been lost (including its Coastal 

8 Patrol losses from early in the war). 

9 (36) It is estimated that up to 100,000 civilians 

10 (including youth in its cadet program) participated 

11 in the CAP in a wide range of staff and operational 

12 positions, and that CAP aircrews flew a total of ap13 proximately 750,000 hours during the war, most of 

14 which were in their personal aircraft and often at 

15 risk to their lives. 

16 (37) After the war, at a CAP dinner for Con17 gress, a quorum of both Houses attended with the 

18 Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 

19 President thanking CAP for its service. 

20 (38) While air medals were issued for some of 

21 those participating in the Coastal Patrol, little other 

22 recognition was forthcoming for the myriad of serv23 ices CAP volunteers provided during the war. 

24 (39) Despite some misguided efforts to end the 

25 CAP at the end of the war, the organization had 


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1 proved its capabilities to the Nation and strength2 ened its ties with the Air Force and Congress. 

3 (40) In 1946, Congress chartered the CAP as 

4 a nonprofit, public service organization and in 1948 

5 made the CAP an Auxiliary of the United States Air 

6 Force. 

7 (41) Today, the CAP conducts many of the 

8 same missions it performed during World War II, 

9 including a vital role in homeland security. 

10 (42) The CAP’s wartime service was highly un11 usual and extraordinary, due to the unpaid civilian 

12 status of its members, the use of privately owned 

13 aircraft and personal funds by many of its members, 

14 the myriad of humanitarian and national missions 

15 flown for the Nation, and the fact that for 18 

16 months, during a time of great need for the United 

17 States, the CAP flew combat-related missions in 

18 support of military operations off the Atlantic and 

19 Gulf of Mexico coasts. 

20 SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

21 (a) AWARD.— 

22 (1) AUTHORIZED.—The President pro tempore 

23 of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Rep24 resentatives shall make appropriate arrangements 

25 for the award, on behalf of Congress, of a single 


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1 gold medal of appropriate design in honor of the 

2 World War II members of the Civil Air Patrol collec3 tively, in recognition of the military service and ex4 emplary record of the Civil Air Patrol during World 

5 War II. 

6 (2) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes 

7 of the award referred to in paragraph (1), the Sec8 retary of the Treasury shall strike the gold medal 

9 with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to 

10 be determined by the Secretary. 

11 (3) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.— 

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of 

13 the gold medal referred to in paragraph (1) in 

14 honor of all of its World War II members of the 

15 Civil Air Patrol, the gold medal shall be given 

16 to the Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be 

17 displayed as appropriate and made available for 

18 research. 

19 (B) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense 

20 of Congress that the Smithsonian Institution 

21 should make the gold medal received under this 

22 paragraph available for display elsewhere, par23 ticularly at other locations associated with the 

24 Civil Air Patrol. 


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1 (b) DUPLICATE MEDALS.—Under such regulations 

2 as the Secretary may prescribe, the Secretary may strike 

3 and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck 

4 under this Act, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of 

5 the medals, including labor, materials, dyes, use of ma6 chinery, and overhead expenses. 

7 (c) NATIONAL MEDALS.—Medals struck pursuant to 

8 this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 

9 of title 31, United States Code. 

10 SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; PROCEEDS 

11 OF SALE. 

12 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

13 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 

14 Public Enterprise Fund, an amount not to exceed $30,000 

15 to pay for the cost of the medal authorized under section 

16 2. 

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

18 sale of duplicate bronze medals under section 2(b) shall 

19 be deposited in the United States Mint Public Enterprise 

20 Fund. 

Æ 


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