In the Senate of the United States, 
December 19, 2019. 
Resolved, That the bill from the House of Representa-
tives (H.R. 550) entitled ‘‘An Act to award a Congressional 
Gold Medal, collectively, to the United States Merchant Mari-
ners of World War II, in recognition of their dedicated and 
vital service during World War II.’’, do pass with the fol-
lowing 
AMENDMENT: 
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following: 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Merchant Mariners of 
World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) 2019 marked the 74th anniversary of Allied 
victory in World War II. 
(2) The United States Merchant Marine (in this 
section referred to as the ‘‘Merchant Marine’’) was in-
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tegral in providing the link between domestic produc-
tion and the fighting forces overseas, providing com-
bat equipment, fuel, food, commodities, and raw ma-
terials to troops stationed abroad. 
(3) Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King acknowledged 
the indispensability of the Merchant Marine to the 
victory in a 1945 letter stating that, without the sup-
port of the Merchant Marine, ‘‘the Navy could not 
have accomplished its mission’’. 
(4) President, and former Supreme Commander 
of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, Dwight D. Eisen-
hower acknowledged that ‘‘through the prompt deliv-
ery of supplies and equipment to our armed forces 
overseas, and of cargoes representing economic and 
military aid to friendly nations, the American Mer-
chant Marine has effectively helped to strengthen the 
forces of freedom throughout the world’’. 
(5) Military missions and war planning were 
contingent upon the availability of resources and the 
Merchant Marine played a vital role in this regard, 
ensuring the efficient and reliable transoceanic trans-
port of military equipment and both military and ci-
vilian personnel. 
(6) The Merchant Marine provided for the suc-
cessful transport of resources and personnel despite
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consistent and ongoing exposure to enemy combatants 
from both the air and the sea, including from enemy 
bomber squadrons, submarines, and naval mines. 
(7) The efforts of the Merchant Marine were not 
without sacrifices as the Merchant Marine likely bore 
a higher per-capita casualty rate than any of the 
military branches during the war. 
(8) The Merchant Marine proved to be an instru-
mental asset on an untold number of occasions, par-
ticipating in every landing operation by the United 
States Marine Corps, from Guadalcanal to Okinawa. 
(9) The Merchant Marine provided the bulk ton-
nage of material necessary for the invasion of Nor-
mandy, an invasion which, according to a 1944 New 
York Times article, ‘‘would not have been possible 
without the Merchant Marine’’. 
(10) In assessing the performance of the Mer-
chant Marine, General Eisenhower stated, ‘‘every man 
in this Allied command is quick to express his admi-
ration for the loyalty, courage, and fortitude of the of-
ficers and men of the Merchant Marine. We count 
upon their efficiency and their utter devotion to duty 
as we do our own; they have never failed us’’. 
(11) During a September 1944 speech, President 
Franklin D. Roosevelt stated that the Merchant Ma-
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rine had ‘‘delivered the goods when and where needed 
in every theater of operations and across every ocean 
in the biggest, the most difficult, and dangerous 
transportation job ever undertaken. As time goes on, 
there will be greater public understanding of our mer-
chant fleet’s record during this war’’. 
(12) The feats and accomplishments of the Mer-
chant Marine are deserving of broader public recogni-
tion. 
(13) The United States will be forever grateful 
and indebted to these merchant mariners for their ef-
fective, reliable, and courageous transport of goods 
and resources in enemy territory throughout theaters 
of every variety in World War II. 
(14) The goods and resources transported by the 
Merchant Marine saved thousands of lives and en-
abled the Allied Powers to claim victory in World 
War II. 
(15) The Congressional Gold Medal would be an 
appropriate way to shed further light on the service 
of the merchant mariners in World War II and the 
instrumental role they played in winning that war. 
(16) Many students of the Merchant Marine 
Academy lost their lives as they sailed through 
enemy-controlled waters or unloaded cargo in overseas
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combat areas, and, as a result, the United States Mer-
chant Marine Academy is the only institution among 
the 5 Federal academies to be authorized to carry a 
battle standard as part of its color guard. 
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 
(a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of the House 
of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the 
Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the award, 
on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal of appropriate 
design to the United States merchant mariners of World 
War II, in recognition of their dedicated and vital service 
during World War II. 
(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes of the 
award described in subsection (a), the Secretary of the 
Treasury (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall 
strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and 
inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. 
(c) AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE MUSEUM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the 
gold medal under subsection (a), the gold medal shall 
be given to the American Merchant Marine Museum, 
where it will be available for display as appropriate 
and available for research. 
(2) SENSE
OF
CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 
Congress that the American Merchant Marine Mu-
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seum should make the gold medal given to the Mu-
seum under paragraph (1) available for display else-
where, particularly at appropriate locations associ-
ated with the United States Merchant Marine and 
that preference should be given to locations affiliated 
with the United States Merchant Marine. 
SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 
Under such regulations as the Secretary may pre-
scribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 
bronze of the gold medal struck under section 3, at a price 
sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, including labor, 
materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 
SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 
(a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—Medals struck under this Act 
are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, 
United States Code. 
(b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of section 5134 
of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under this 
Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. 
Attest: 
Secretary.