I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 347 
To grant the congressional gold medal, collectively, to the 100th Infantry 
Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, United States Army, 
in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 8, 2009 
Mr. SCHIFF (for himself, Mr. SKELTON, Mr. HONDA, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Ms. 
BORDALLO, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. INSLEE, and Mr. MCCOTTER) in-
troduced 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 grant the congressional gold medal, collectively, to the 
100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental 
Combat Team, United States Army, in recognition of 
their dedicated service during World War II. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) On January 19, 1942, 6 weeks after the 
December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor by the 
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Japanese Navy, the United States Army discharged 
all Japanese-Americans in the Reserve Officers 
Training Corps and changed their draft status to 
‘‘4C’’—the status of ‘‘enemy alien’’ which is ineli-
gible for the draft. 
(2) On January 23, 1942, Japanese-Americans 
in the military on the mainland were segregated out 
of their units. 
(3) Further, on May 3, 1942, General John L. 
DeWitt issued Civilian Exclusion Order No. 346, or-
dering all people of Japanese ancestry, whether citi-
zens or noncitizens, to report to assembly centers, 
where they would live until being moved to perma-
nent relocation centers. 
(4) On June 5, 1942, 1,432 predominantly 
Nisei (second generation Americans of Japanese an-
cestry) members of the Hawaii Provisional Infantry 
Battalion were shipped from the Hawaiian Islands 
to Oakland, CA, where the 100th Infantry Battalion 
was activated on June 12, 1942, and then shipped 
to train at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. 
(5) The excellent training record of the 100th 
Infantry Battalion and petitions from prominent ci-
vilian and military personnel helped convince Presi-
dent Roosevelt and the War Department to re-open 
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military service to Nisei volunteers who were incor-
porated into the 442nd Regimental Combat Team 
after it was activated in February of 1943. 
(6) In that same month, the 100th Infantry 
Battalion was transferred to Camp Shelby, Mis-
sissippi, where it continued to train and even though 
the battalion was ready to deploy shortly thereafter, 
the battalion was refused by General Eisenhower, 
due to concerns over the loyalty and patriotism of 
the Nisei. 
(7) The 442nd Regimental Combat Team later 
trained with the 100th Infantry Battalion at Camp 
Shelby in May of 1943. 
(8) Eventually, the 100th Infantry Battalion 
was deployed to the Mediterranean and entered com-
bat in Italy on September 26, 1943. 
(9) Due to their bravery and valor, members of 
the Battalion were honored with 6 awards of the 
Distinguished Service Cross in the first 8 weeks of 
combat. 
(10) The 100th Battalion fought at Cassino, 
Italy in January, 1944, and later accompanied the 
34th Infantry Division to Anzio, Italy. 
(11) The 442nd Regimental Combat Team ar-
rived in Civitavecchia, Italy on June 7, 1944, and on 
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June 15 of the following week, the 100th Infantry 
Battalion was formally made an integral part of the 
442nd Regimental Combat Team, and fought for the 
last 11 months of the war with distinction in Italy, 
southern France, and Germany. 
(12) The battalion was awarded the Presi-
dential Unit Citation for its actions in battle on 
June 26–27, 1944. 
(13) The 442nd Regimental became the most 
decorated unit in United States military history for 
its size and length of service. 
(14) The 100th Battalion and the 442nd Regi-
mental Combat Team, received 7 Presidential Unit 
Citations, 21 Medals of Honor, 29 Distinguished 
Service Crosses, 560 Silver Stars, 4,000 Bronze 
Stars, 22 Legion of Merit Medals, 15 Soldier’s Med-
als, and over 4,000 Purple Hearts, among numerous 
additional distinctions. 
(15) The United States remains forever in-
debted to the bravery, valor, and dedication to coun-
try these men faced while fighting a 2-fronted battle 
of discrimination at home and fascism abroad. 
(16) Their commitment and sacrifice dem-
onstrates a highly uncommon and commendable 
sense of patriotism and honor. 
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SEC. 2. 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 single gold medal 
of appropriate design to the 100th Infantry Battalion and 
the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, United States 
Army, collectively, in recognition of their dedicated service 
during World War II. 
(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes of the 
award referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the 
Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Sec-
retary’’) shall strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, 
devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec-
retary. 
(c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the 
gold medal in honor of the 100th Infantry Battalion 
and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, United 
States Army, under subsection (a), the gold medal 
shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where 
it will be displayed as appropriate and made avail-
able for research. 
(2) SENSE.—It is the sense of the Congress 
that the Smithsonian Institution should make the 
gold medal received under paragraph (1) available 
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for display elsewhere, particularly at other appro-
priate locations associated with the 100th Infantry 
Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, 
United States Army. 
SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 
Under such regulations as the Secretary may pre-
scribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 
bronze of the gold medal struck under section 2, at a price 
sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, including labor, 
materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 
SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS. 
Medals struck pursuant to this Act are national med-
als for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States 
Code. 
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; PROCEEDS 
OF SALE. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 
Public Enterprise Fund, an amount not to exceed $30,000 
to pay for the cost of the medal authorized under section 
2. 
(b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the 
sale of duplicate bronze medals under section 3 shall be 
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deposited in the United States Mint Public Enterprise 
Fund. 
Æ 
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