I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5437 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the U.S. Air Force aircrew of 
Reach 871, commonly known as the ‘‘Reach 871’’, in recognition of 
their bravery and outstanding service during Operation Allies Refuge. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 
Mr. CALVERT (for himself and Mr. GARCIA of California) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, 
and in addition to the Committees on House Administration, and the 
Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the U.S. Air Force 
aircrew of Reach 871, commonly known as the ‘‘Reach 
871’’, in recognition of their bravery and outstanding 
service during Operation Allies Refuge. 
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 ‘‘Reach 871 Congres-
sional Gold Medal Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) The U.S. Air Force is an essential and inte-
gral part U.S. national security and diplomatic ef-
forts, often called upon to enter extremely dangerous 
situations and provide support and safety for combat 
and non-combat missions worldwide. 
(2) A U.S. Air Force C–17 Globemaster III air-
crew, assigned to the 6th Airlift Squadron, 305 Air 
Mobility Wing, based at Joint Base McGuire-Dix- 
Lakehurst (JBMDL), callsign Reach 871, was de-
ployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Allies 
Refuge to assist in non-combatant evacuation oper-
ations. 
(3) Reach 871 safely evacuated over 800 Af-
ghans fleeing the Taliban takeover of Kabul. 
(4) U.S. Air Force confirmed that Reach 871’s 
evacuation flight set a record for the number of per-
sonnel onboard an airborne C–17 Globemaster III 
under any condition. 
(5) The aircrew’s selfless action allowed for the 
safe evacuation of vulnerable Afghan civilians. The 
crew maximized previously undemonstrated capa-
bility and capacity of the aircraft, while operating 
the aircraft in extraordinary circumstances—bal-
ancing risk and capability to save the lives of others. 
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(6) The crew and its commander made the 
brave decision, in accordance with their com-
mander’s intent, to evacuate as many civilians as 
possible, including women and children, placing 
those civilian lives and safety above all else. 
(7) The selfless service and willingness to face 
extreme peril in order to secure the safety of Afghan 
civilians should be recognized and honored. These 
Airmen exemplify the patriotism and the commit-
ment of all our brave service members who have 
served in Afghanistan over the last 20 years and 
risked their lives in service of our country. 
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 the Congress, of a gold medal of ap-
propriate design to the Reach 871 aircrew, commonly 
known as ‘‘Reach 871’’, in recognition of their bravery and 
outstanding service during Operation Allies Refuge. 
(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes of the 
award referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the 
Treasury (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall 
strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and 
inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. 
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(c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the 
Reach 871 aircrew, the gold medal shall be given to 
the Smithsonian Institution, where it will be dis-
played as appropriate and made available for re-
search. 
(2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 
Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should 
make the gold medal awarded pursuant to this Act 
available for display elsewhere, particularly at other 
locations associated with the Reach 871 aircrew. 
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 bronze medals, includ-
ing labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead 
expenses. 
SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 
The gold medal struck pursuant to this Act is a na-
tional medal for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United 
States Code. 
SEC. 6. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 
shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 
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titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 
Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 
by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, pro-
vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 
vote on passage. 
Æ 
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