H. R. 1097 
One Hundred Eighteenth Congress 
of the 
United States of America 
AT THE SECOND SESSION 
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday, 
the third day of January, two thousand and twenty-four 
An Act 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Everett Alvarez, Jr., in recognition of 
his service to the Nation. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Everett Alvarez, Jr. Congressional 
Gold Medal Act of 2023’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Commander (CDR) Everett Alvarez, Jr., served with 
distinction in the Vietnam war and made historic sacrifices 
for the United States as the first United States pilot to be 
shot down and captured during the Vietnam war and the 
second-longest prisoner of war in United States history, sur-
viving over eight and half years in captivity. 
(2) CDR Alvarez was born in Salinas, California, 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 Alvarez attended 
flight training at the Naval Air Basic Training Command in 
Pensacola, Florida. 
(6) In June 1961, CDR Alvarez was transferred 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 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 cap-
tured 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’’.
H. R. 1097—2 
(11) CDR Alvarez spent his first thirteen months, eight 
days, and five hours in isolation. 
(12) While at Ho`a Lo`, CDR Alvarez was repeatedly 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 assisted other Amer-
ican prisoners of war. 
(15) CDR Alvarez, with his own actions, encouraged and 
inspired fellow prisoners of war to ‘‘Return with Honor’’, which 
meant keeping their integrity in the face of torture and not 
cooperating 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 received a master’s degree 
in Operations Research and Systems Analysis in 1976. 
(21) CDR Alvarez was inducted into the U.S. Naval Post-
graduate School’s Alumni Hall of Fame on March 27, 2015. 
(22) CDR Alvarez served in Program Management at the 
Naval Air Systems command in Washington, 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 nominated CDR 
Alvarez to be Deputy Administrator of the Veterans Adminis-
tration, now known as the Department of Veterans Affairs, 
serving until 1986. 
(27) In February 1987, President Reagan appointed 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 Medals, two Purple Hearts, and the 
Prisoner of War Medal.
H. R. 1097—3 
(29) On September 18, 2012, the United States Navy Memo-
rial 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 Nation. 
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 
(a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of the House 
of Representatives and the President pro tempore 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 recognition 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 ‘‘Secretary’’) shall strike a gold medal with 
suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by 
the Secretary. 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. 
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. 
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 necessary 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 depos-
ited into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund. 
Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.