HR 1097 IH1S 
United States pilot to be shot down and captured 
during the Vietnam war and the second-longest pris-
oner of war in United States history, surviving over 
eight and half years in captivity. 
(2) CDR Alvarez was born in Salinas, Cali-
fornia, in 1937, and was the grandchild of Mexican 
immigrants. 
(3) CDR Alvarez attended Salinas Union High 
School and Hartnell College and received a bachelor 
of science degree from Santa Clara University. 
(4) In 1960, CDR Alvarez joined the United 
States Navy and was commissioned as Ensign. 
(5) After receiving his commission, CDR Alva-
rez attended flight training at the Naval Air Basic 
Training Command in Pensacola, Florida. 
(6) In June 1961, CDR Alvarez was trans-
ferred to the Naval Auxiliary Air Station in 
Kingsville, Texas, where he trained until December 
1961. 
(7) CDR Alvarez was promoted to Lieutenant 
(junior grade) in April 1962. 
(8) In June 1962, CDR Alvarez joined Attack 
Squadron 144, nicknamed the ‘‘Roadrunners’’, 
which was deployed to the Gulf of Tonkin prior to 
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HR 1097 IH1S 
the United States entrance in the Vietnam war in 
August 1964. 
(9) On August 5, 1964, while flying Operation 
Pierce Arrow from the USS Constellation near the 
Vietnam-China border, CDR Alvarez’s A–4 Skyhawk 
was shot down and he was captured by a Vietnamese 
fishing vessel. 
(10) Upon capture, CDR Alvarez was taken to 
the Ho`a Lo` Prison in Hanoi, known to many former 
prisoners as the ‘‘Hanoi Hilton’’. 
(11) CDR Alvarez spent his first thirteen 
months, eight days, and five hours in isolation. 
(12) While at Ho`a Lo`, CDR Alvarez was re-
peatedly beaten and tortured and was fed inedible 
meals and suffered malnourishment. 
(13) In September 1965, CDR Alvarez was 
moved to the ‘‘Briarpatch’’, a prison camp west of 
Hanoi, with no electricity or running water. 
(14) Despite torture and interrogation, CDR 
Alvarez remained loyal to the United States and as-
sisted other American prisoners of war. 
(15) CDR Alvarez, with his own actions, en-
couraged and inspired fellow prisoners of war to 
‘‘Return with Honor’’, which meant keeping their in-
tegrity in the face of torture and not cooperating 
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HR 1097 IH1S 
with or divulging information to the enemy, so they 
could return home having remained loyal to the 
United States. 
(16) At great risk, CDR Alvarez helped spread 
the means of communication, including the tap code 
and the mute hand code, to keep up spirits and stay 
organized. 
(17) On July 6, 1966, CDR Alvarez and 51 
other American prisoners of war were forced to 
march in the ‘‘Hanoi Parade’’ where he was abused 
and attacked by mobs. 
(18) CDR Alvarez was released February 12, 
1973, after spending 3,113 days in captivity, or 
eight years and six months. 
(19) Following his release and hospitalization, 
CDR Alvarez resumed his Naval service, returning 
to Naval Air Station Kingsville for refresher flight 
training. 
(20) CDR Alvarez attended the U.S. Naval 
Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and re-
ceived a master’s degree in Operations Research and 
Systems Analysis in 1976. 
(21) CDR Alvarez was inducted into the U.S. 
Naval Postgraduate School’s Alumni Hall of Fame 
on March 27, 2015. 
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HR 1097 IH1S 
(22) CDR Alvarez served in Program Manage-
ment at the Naval Air Systems command in Wash-
ington, DC, from October 1976 until his retirement. 
(23) CDR Alvarez retired from the Navy on 
June 30, 1980, completing a 20-year Naval career. 
(24) In 1983, CDR Alvarez earned his juris 
doctor from the George Washington School of Law 
and has been admitted to the District of Columbia 
bar. 
(25) In April 1981, President Ronald Reagan 
appointed CDR Alvarez as Deputy Director of the 
Peace Corps, where he served until 1982. 
(26) In July 1982, President Reagan nomi-
nated CDR Alvarez to be Deputy Administrator of 
the Veterans Administration, now known as the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs, serving until 1986. 
(27) In February 1987, President Reagan ap-
pointed CDR Alvarez to the Board of Regents of the 
Uniformed Services University of the Health 
Sciences, where he served for nearly 21 years. 
(28) For his service, CDR Alvarez was awarded 
the Silver Star Medal, two Legions of Merit, the 
Distinguished Flying Cross, two Bronze Star Med-
als, two Purple Hearts, and the Prisoner of War 
Medal. 
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HR 1097 IH1S 
(29) On September 18, 2012, the United States 
Navy Memorial awarded CDR Alvarez the ‘‘Lone 
Sailor Award’’. 
(30) The people of the United States honor the 
sacrifices of CDR Alvarez and his service to our Na-
tion. 
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 
(a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of 
the House of Representatives and the President pro tem-
pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements 
for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold 
medal of appropriate design to Everett Alvarez, Jr., in rec-
ognition of his service to the Nation. 
(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For purposes of the 
presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 
of the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Sec-
retary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, 
devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec-
retary. The design shall bear an image of, and inscription 
of the name of, Everett Alvarez, Jr. 
SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 
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. 
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