I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3272 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the brave women 
who served in World War II as members of the U.S. Army Nurse 
Corps and U.S. Navy Nurse Corps. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 11, 2023 
Ms. STEFANIK (for herself, Ms. SHERRILL, Ms. HOULAHAN, and Mr. CARL) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Fi-
nancial Services, and in addition to the Committee on House Administra-
tion, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each 
case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the 
brave women who served in World War II as members 
of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps and U.S. Navy Nurse 
Corps. 
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 ‘‘WWII Nurses Con-
gressional Gold Medal Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) On December 8, 1941, the United States 
declared war against the Empire of Japan, followed 
by declarations of war against Germany and Italy on 
December 11, 1941. In 1935, there were fewer than 
600 U.S. Army Nurses and 1,700 U.S. Navy Nurses 
on active duty. By the time World War II ended, 
more than 59,000 Army Nurses and 14,000 Navy 
Nurses had volunteered to serve. 
(2) The Army Reorganization Act of 1920 
granted women in the Nurse Corps ‘‘relative rank’’. 
This gave them the right to wear the military insig-
nia, but did not confer military status or privileges. 
This arrangement meant women serving throughout 
WWII received 50 percent of the pay as compared 
to their male counterparts, and none of the veteran 
benefits. Because they did not receive military sta-
tus, they received no orientation or training before 
being deployed to hospitals near the frontlines. 
(3) Nurses served under fire in field hospitals 
and evacuation hospitals across six continents, on 
hospital trains and ships, and as flight nurses on 
medical transport planes. Several nurses were killed 
in action when their ships were torpedoed or field 
hospitals were bombed. Some even entered into com-
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bat areas as flight nurses to retrieve the wounded, 
and 2 groups were captured as prisoners of war by 
the Japanese. 
(4) General Douglas MacArthur ordered Army 
Nurses to the Bataan Peninsula to prepare 2 emer-
gency hospitals for U.S. and Filipino forces. General 
Hospital 1 received casualties directly from the front 
lines, and more than 1,200 battle casualties requir-
ing major surgery were admitted within a month. 
General Hospital 2 accepted patients strong enough 
for evacuation, as it was out in the open, with no 
tents or buildings, and only tree canopy to conceal 
them from Japanese aircraft. Hospital 1 was 
bombed on March 29, 1942, killing or wounding 
more than 100 patients, but the nurses carried on 
with their duties as well as they were able. Following 
the U.S. Army surrender of the Philippines to the 
Japanese on May 6, 1942, 67 Army Nurses were 
taken to Santo Tomas Internment Camp in Manila, 
where they remained until February 1945. During 
the 37 months in captivity, these women endured 
primitive conditions and starvation rations, but con-
tinued to care for the ill and injured in the intern-
ment camp hospital. 
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(5) Early in the morning of November 8, 1942, 
60 nurses attached to the 48th Surgical Hospital 
landed off the coast of North Africa. The nurses 
wore helmets and carried full packs containing med-
ical equipment. Without weapons, they waded ashore 
amid enemy sniper fire and ultimately took shelter 
in an abandoned civilian hospital, where they began 
caring for invasion casualties. There was no elec-
tricity or running water, and the only medical sup-
plies available were those the nurses had brought 
themselves. 
(6) In Anzio, Italy, nurses dug foxholes outside 
their tents or under their cots and cared for patients 
under German shellfire. The field hospital tents were 
marked by large red crosses and were sometimes de-
liberately hit with artillery shells and bombs. On 
February 7, 1944, a German pilot being pursued by 
British fighter planes dropped 5 antipersonnel 
bombs on the hospital, destroying 29 ward tents, 
killing 26 and wounding 64. The dead included 3 
nurses, 2 medical officers, a Red Cross worker, 14 
enlisted men and 6 patients. Troops came to refer 
to the hospital area as ‘‘Hell’s Half-Acre’’ because it 
was hit so frequently by enemy fire. At least 200 
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medals were awarded posthumously to nurses who 
died as a result of enemy fire, including 6 nurses 
who died at Anzio, 6 who died when the Hospital 
Ship Comfort was attacked by a Japanese suicide 
plane, and 4 flight nurses. Thirteen other flight 
nurses died in weather-related crashes while on duty. 
(12) In 1944, Congress passed a bill that 
granted Army and Navy Nurses actual military rank 
and benefits, approved for the duration of the war 
plus 6 months. 
(13) In 1947, Congress passed legislation estab-
lishing a permanent Army and Navy Nursing Corps 
and gave members permanent officer status with 
equal pay and the same benefits as those given to 
male officers. 
(14) In 1948, all military branches were inte-
grated and female doctors were finally admitted to 
the Army Medical Corps. 
(15) Although African-American Nurses were 
fully qualified and prepared to serve as nurses at the 
onset of World War II, racial segregation and dis-
crimination made it difficult for Black women to join 
the ranks of the Army Nurse Corps (referred to in 
this Act as the ‘‘ANC’’). 
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(16) As the ANC began expanding its recruit-
ing process, thousands of Black nurses who wanted 
to serve their country filled out applications. 
(17) While the Army did eventually integrate 
African-American Nurses in 1941, it did so 
unwillingly and placed a quota on the number of Af-
rican-American Nurses that they would accept, cap-
ping the number allowed to join at 56. 
(18) Many of them had hardship tours and 
were sent to segregated camps to take care of Afri-
can-American Soldiers and would rotate and allow 
White nurses reprieve in taking care of German 
POWs. As the war progressed, the number of Black 
nurses allowed to enlist remained low, although the 
quota was officially lifted in July 1944. 
(19) The extraordinary efforts of these women 
are deserving of belated official recognition. 
(20) The United States is eternally grateful to 
the nurses of the Army and Navy Nurse Corps for 
their bravery and dedication to their patients 
through World War II, which saved lives and made 
significant contributions to the defeat of the Axis 
powers. 
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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 in honor of World War II 
Army and Navy Nurse Corps members, in recognition of 
the critical military service and devotion to duty of those 
nurses. 
(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For purposes of the 
presentation described in subsection (a), the Secretary of 
the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Secretary’’) 
shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, 
and inscriptions to be determined by the Secretary. 
(c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the 
gold medal under subsection (a), the gold medal 
shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where 
it shall be available for display as appropriate and 
available for research. 
(2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 
Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should 
make the gold medal received under paragraph (1) 
available for display elsewhere, particularly at— 
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(A) appropriate locations associated with 
the Army and Navy Nurse Corps of World War 
II, including— 
(i) the U.S. Army Medical Center of 
Excellence; 
(ii) the Women in Military Service for 
America Memorial; 
(iii) the U.S. Army Women’s Museum; 
(iv) the National Naval Medical Cen-
ters; and 
(v) the National World War II Mu-
seum; and 
(B) any other location determined appro-
priate by the Smithsonian Institution. 
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. 
SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 
(a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—Medals struck pursuant to 
this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 
of title 31, United States Code. 
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(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. 
SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF 
SALE. 
(a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is 
authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 
Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec-
essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck under 
this Act. 
(b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the 
sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 
4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public 
Enterprise Fund. 
Æ 
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