I 
★
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5044 
To grant a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the men and women 
of the United States Armed Forces and Merchant Marine, as well as 
citizen and non-citizen civilians who served honorably with the U.S. 
military, who were surrendered, captured, or abandoned to become pris-
oners of war (POWs) of Imperial Japan throughout the Japanese Empire 
in the Pacific Theater of World War II from December 7, 1941, to 
September 2, 1945. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 12, 2019 
Mr. BOST (for himself, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. BRINDISI, Mr. BANKS, Mr. 
CISNEROS, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. PAPPAS, Mr. COX of California, and Mr. 
RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the 
Committee on House Administration, for a period to be subsequently de-
termined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To grant a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the 
men and women of the United States Armed Forces 
and Merchant Marine, as well as citizen and non-citizen 
civilians who served honorably with the U.S. military, 
who were surrendered, captured, or abandoned to become 
prisoners of war (POWs) of Imperial Japan throughout 
the Japanese Empire in the Pacific Theater of World 
War II from December 7, 1941, to September 2, 1945. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:04 Feb 04, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6652
E:\BILLS\H5044.IH
H5044
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
HR 5044 IH1S 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘World War II Pacific 
War Heroes Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The United States POWs held by Imperial 
Japan in the Pacific Theater during World War II, 
with most held in captivity for more than three 
years, are Pacific War heroes who represent the 
American spirit of courage, tenacity, and faith. 
(2) Imperial Japan did not abide by the Geneva 
and Hague Conventions for the humane treatment 
of POWs. 
(3) The United States POWs held by Imperial 
Japan during World War II numbered more than 
27,000 with more than 11,000 or 40 percent per-
ishing before the end of War. 
(4) On December 7, 1941, Imperial Japan at-
tacked not only Pearl Harbor in the United States 
Territory of Hawaii, but also the other United 
States possessions and military installations in the 
Pacific of the Philippines, Guam, Wake Island, 
Howland Island, and Midway as preludes to full- 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:04 Feb 04, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5044.IH
H5044
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
HR 5044 IH1S 
scale invasions and military occupation throughout 
the Asia-Pacific region. 
(5) By the end of day, December 8, 1941, more 
than 300 United States Marines, sailors, diplomats, 
and Mariners in China became the first United 
States prisoners of war of Imperial Japan with most 
held for the full duration of the war; 
(6) Ninety-eight percent of the United States 
POWs of Imperial Japan fought in the heroic battles 
of Guam, Wake Island, Sunda Strait, Halsey-Doo-
little Raid, Bataan, and Corregidor, all within the 
first six months of World War II. 
(7) Most of the United States airmen, infantry-
men, sailors, and Marines surrendered in defense of 
the Netherlands East Indies in March 1942 were 
sent to be slave laborers on the Thai-Burma Death 
Railway or at construction projects in Changi, 
Singapore. 
(8) On April 9, 1942, approximately 12,000 
United States military personnel and 66,000 Fili-
pino soldiers became POWs with the surrender of 
the American-Filipino forces on the Bataan Penin-
sula in the Philippines. 
(9) April 9, 1942, marked the beginning of the 
infamous Bataan Death March where the Imperial 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:04 Feb 04, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5044.IH
H5044
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
HR 5044 IH1S 
Japanese Army forced all American and Filipino 
forces from Marviveles or Bagac up the Bataan Pe-
ninsula on a three-part, three-province, nearly 100- 
mile trek north to the makeshift POW facility Camp 
O’Donnell at Capas, Tarlac. An estimated 650 
American and 5,000–10,000 Filipino soldiers died 
on the Bataan Death March, while hundreds of men 
remain unaccounted for. 
(10) On May 6, 1942, Corregidor Island, then 
operating as the military command center for all the 
Philippines, United States Forces in the Philippines 
(USFIP), was surrendered. Nearly 10,000 American 
soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines as well as 
more than 3,000 Filipino soldiers and nurses became 
POWs of Imperial Japan. 
(11) The May 6, 1942, fall of Corregidor Island 
and subsequent surrender of all the Philippines Is-
lands marked the end of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet; the 
U.S. Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE), and 
the U.S. Far East Air Force (USFEAF). 
(12) Included in the surrenders the Philippines 
were female nurses of United States Army, Navy, 
Philippine Army, and civilian volunteers who became 
the first large group of American women in combat 
and, counted with the Army and Navy nurses sur-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:04 Feb 04, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5044.IH
H5044
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
HR 5044 IH1S 
rendered on Guam in December 1941, comprised the 
first group of American military women taken cap-
tive and imprisoned by an enemy. 
(13) More than 14,000 Americans POWs were 
transported aboard ‘‘hellships’’—in the holds of un-
marked merchant ships—from Pacific battle sites to 
be used as slave laborers; one-third of all POW 
deaths resulted from attacks on the ‘‘hellships’’ by 
‘‘friendly fire’’ from American submarines or air-
craft. 
(14) More than 600 members of the United 
States Merchant Marine including one female Mar-
iner, became prisoners of Imperial Japan, many of 
whom were turned over to Japanese control after 
being first captured by Nazi Germany’s naval forces. 
Fifteen percent were killed by either Imperial Japan 
Navy officers during capture or died in Japanese 
POW camps. 
(15) Throughout World War II, the Imperial 
Japanese military maintained approximately 775 
POW camps throughout the Empire: 185 POW 
camps on the Home Islands of Japan and 590 in 
other areas of the Pacific Theater, which includes an 
unknown number of temporary camps. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:04 Feb 04, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5044.IH
H5044
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
HR 5044 IH1S 
struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic 
items. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:04 Feb 04, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H5044.IH
H5044
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS