112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6364 
AN ACT 
To establish a commission to ensure a suitable observance 
of the centennial of World War I, to provide for the 
designation of memorials to the service of members of 
the United States Armed Forces in World War I, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Frank Buckles World War I Memorial Act’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. 
Sec. 4. Establishment of World War I Centennial Commission. 
Sec. 5. Duties of Centennial Commission. 
Sec. 6. Powers of Centennial Commission. 
Sec. 7. Centennial Commission personnel matters. 
Sec. 8. Termination of Centennial Commission. 
Sec. 9. Designation of National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas 
City, Missouri. 
Sec. 10. Establishment of National World War I Memorial in the District of 
Columbia. 
Sec. 11. Prohibition on obligation of Federal funds. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) From 2014 through 2018, the United 
States and nations around the world will mark the 
centennial of World War I, including the entry of 
the United States into the war in April 1917. 
(2) America’s support of Great Britain, France, 
Belgium, and its other allies in World War I marked 
the first time in United States history that Amer-
ican soldiers went abroad in defense of liberty 
against foreign aggression, and it marked the true 
beginning of the ‘‘American century’’. 
(3) Although World War I was at the time 
called ‘‘the war to end all wars’’, in fact the United
States would commit its troops to the defense of for-
eign lands 3 more times in the 20th century. 
(4) More than 4,000,000 men and women from 
the United States served in uniform during World 
War I, among them 2 future presidents, Harry S. 
Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Two million in-
dividuals from the United States served overseas 
during World War I, including 200,000 naval per-
sonnel who served on the seas. The United States 
suffered 375,000 casualties during World War I, in-
cluding 116,516 deaths. 
(5) The events of 1914 through 1918 shaped 
the world, the United States, and the lives of mil-
lions of people. 
(6) The centennial of World War I offers an op-
portunity for people in the United States to learn 
about and commemorate the sacrifices of their pred-
ecessors. 
(7) Commemorative programs, activities, and 
sites allow people in the United States to learn 
about the history of World War I, the United States 
involvement in that war, and the war’s effects on the 
remainder of the 20th century, and to commemorate 
and honor the participation of the United States and 
its citizens in the war effort.
(8) While the other great conflicts of the 20th 
century, World War II, the Korean War, and the 
Vietnam War, have national memorials on the Mall 
in Washington, DC, there currently exists no na-
tional memorial honoring the service of the United 
States and its citizens in World War I. 
(9) In 1921, the people of Kansas City, Mis-
souri, dedicated a site in that city for a memorial to 
the service of Americans in World War I, a cere-
mony attended by General John J. Pershing and 
military leaders of Great Britain, France, Belgium, 
and Italy. In 1924, the cornerstone of the 217-foot 
Liberty Memorial Tower was laid. On Armistice Day 
1926, President Calvin Coolidge delivered the key 
note address at the Memorial’s dedication ceremony. 
The Memorial and surrounding grounds were com-
pleted in 1938, with an inscription that reads ‘‘In 
Honor of Those Who Served in the World War in 
Defense of Liberty and Our Country.’’. 
(10) The 106th Congress recognized the Lib-
erty Memorial as a national symbol of World War I. 
(11) The 108th Congress designated the mu-
seum at the base of the Liberty Memorial as ‘‘Amer-
ica’s National World War I Museum’’. The museum
preserves the story of World War I, and educates 
and enlightens people about this significant event. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act— 
(1) AMERICA’S NATIONAL WORLD WAR I MU-
SEUM.—The term ‘‘America’s National World War I 
Museum’’ means the Liberty Memorial Museum in 
Kansas City, Missouri, as recognized by Congress in 
section 1031(b) of the Ronald W. Reagan National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 
(Public Law 108–375; 118 Stat. 2045). 
(2) 
CENTENNIAL
COMMISSION.—The 
term 
‘‘Centennial Commission’’ means the World War I 
Centennial Commission established by section 4(a). 
(3) MEMORIAL FOUNDATION.—The term ‘‘Me-
morial Foundation’’ means the World War I Memo-
rial Foundation authorized to establish the National 
World War I Memorial in the District of Columbia 
under section 10. 
(4) VETERANS
SERVICE
ORGANIZATION.—The 
term ‘‘veterans service organization’’ means any or-
ganization recognized by the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs for the representation of veterans under sec-
tion 5902 of title 38, United States Code.
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF WORLD WAR I CENTENNIAL 
COMMISSION. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a com-
mission to be known as the ‘‘World War I Centennial 
Commission’’. 
(b) MEMBERSHIP.— 
(1) COMPOSITION.—The Centennial Commis-
sion shall be composed of 12 members as follows: 
(A) Two members who shall be appointed 
by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
(B) One member who shall be appointed 
by the minority leader of the House of Rep-
resentatives. 
(C) Two members who shall be appointed 
by the majority leader of the Senate. 
(D) One member who shall be appointed 
by the minority leader of the Senate. 
(E) Three members who shall be appointed 
by the President from among persons who are 
broadly representative of the people of the 
United States (including members of the Armed 
Forces, veterans, and representatives of vet-
erans service organizations). 
(F) One member who shall be appointed by 
the executive director of the Veterans of For-
eign Wars of the United States.
(G) One member who shall be appointed by 
the executive director of the American Legion. 
(H) One member who shall be appointed 
by the president of the Liberty Memorial Asso-
ciation. 
(2) TIME FOR APPOINTMENT.—The members of 
the Centennial Commission shall be appointed not 
later than 60 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act. 
(3) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT.—Each member 
shall be appointed for the life of the Centennial 
Commission. 
(4) VACANCIES.—A vacancy in the Centennial 
Commission shall be filled in the manner in which 
the original appointment was made. 
(c) MEETINGS.— 
(1) INITIAL MEETING.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days 
after the date on which all members of the Cen-
tennial Commission have been appointed, the 
Centennial Commission shall hold its first meet-
ing. 
(B) LOCATION.—The location for the 
meeting held under subparagraph (A) shall be 
the America’s National World War I Museum.
(2) SUBSEQUENT MEETINGS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Centennial Com-
mission shall meet at the call of the Chair. 
(B) FREQUENCY.—The Chair shall call a 
meeting of the members of the Centennial Com-
mission not less frequently than once each year. 
(C) LOCATION.—Not less frequently than 
once each year, the Centennial Commission 
shall meet at the America’s National World 
War I Museum. 
(3) QUORUM.—Seven members of the Centen-
nial Commission shall constitute a quorum, but a 
lesser number may hold hearings. 
(d) CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR.—The Centennial Com-
mission shall select a Chair and Vice Chair from among 
its members. 
SEC. 5. DUTIES OF CENTENNIAL COMMISSION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The duties of the Centennial 
Commission are as follows: 
(1) To plan, develop, and execute programs, 
projects, and activities to commemorate the centen-
nial of World War I. 
(2) To encourage private organizations and 
State and local governments to organize and partici-