I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6263 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the United States 
Army Rangers Veterans of World War II in recognition of their extraor-
dinary service during World War II. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 28, 2018 
Mrs. BLACK (for herself and Mr. COHEN) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to 
the Committee on House Administration, for a period to be subsequently 
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi-
sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the 
United States Army Rangers Veterans of World War 
II in recognition of their extraordinary 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. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United States Army 
Rangers Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold 
Medal Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act— 
(1) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of the Treasury; and 
(2) the term ‘‘United States Army Rangers 
Veteran of World War II’’ means any individual 
who— 
(A) served in the Armed Forces— 
(i) honorably; 
(ii) in an active duty status; and 
(iii) at any time during the period be-
ginning on June 19, 1942, and ending on 
September 2, 1945; and 
(B) was assigned to a Ranger Battalion of 
the Army at any time during the period de-
scribed in subparagraph (A)(iii). 
SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) In World War II, the Army formed 6 Rang-
er Battalions and 1 provisional battalion. All mem-
bers of the Ranger Battalions were volunteers. The 
initial concept of Ranger units drew from the British 
method of using highly trained ‘‘commando’’ units 
and the military tradition of the United States of 
utilizing light infantry for scouting and raiding oper-
ations. 
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(2) The Ranger Battalions of World War II 
consisted of— 
(A) the 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion, 
which was activated on June 19, 1942, in 
Northern Ireland; 
(B) the 2nd Ranger Infantry Battalion, 
which was activated on April 1, 1943, at Camp 
Forrest, Tennessee; 
(C) the 3rd Ranger Infantry Battalion, 
which was— 
(i) activated as provisional on May 21, 
1943, in North Africa; and 
(ii) constituted on July 21, 1943, and 
concurrently consolidated with the provi-
sional unit described in clause (i); 
(D) the 4th Ranger Infantry Battalion, 
which was— 
(i) activated as provisional on May 29, 
1943, in North Africa; and 
(ii) constituted on July 21, 1943, and 
concurrently consolidated with the provi-
sional unit described in clause (i); 
(E) the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion, 
which was activated on September 1, 1943, at 
Camp Forrest, Tennessee; 
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(F) the 6th Ranger Infantry Battalion, 
which was— 
(i) originally activated on January 20, 
1941, at Fort Lewis, Washington, as the 
98th Field Artillery Battalion; and 
(ii) converted and redesignated on 
September 26, 1944, as the 6th Ranger 
Infantry Battalion; and 
(G) the 29th Ranger Infantry Battalion, a 
provisional Army National Guard unit that 
was— 
(i) activated on December 20, 1942, 
at Tidworth Barracks, England; and 
(ii) disbanded on October 18, 1943. 
(3) The first combat operations of Army Rang-
ers occurred on August 19, 1942, when 50 Rangers 
took part in the British-Canadian raid on the 
French coastal town of Dieppe. 
(4) The 1st Ranger Battalion, under the leader-
ship of Major William O. Darby, was used in full 
strength during the landings at Arsew, Algeria, dur-
ing the North African campaign. Due to the success 
of the Rangers in several difficult battles, particu-
larly at El Guettar in March and April of 1943, 2 
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additional Ranger Battalions were organized in 
North Africa. 
(5) During the North African campaign, the 1st 
Ranger Battalion was awarded battle honors for its 
actions in Tunisia. On March 18, 1943, the Bat-
talion penetrated enemy lines and captured the posi-
tion Djebel el Auk in a nighttime attack, taking 
more than 200 prisoners. Two days later, the bat-
talion was attacked by the 10th Panzer division of 
the German Afrika Korps and, despite heavy losses, 
continued to defend its position. The following day, 
the 1st Battalion counterattacked to clear high 
ground overlooking the positions held by the Armed 
Forces. These actions demonstrated the ability of 
the Rangers to fight in difficult terrain and the 
courage to endure despite being outnumbered and 
exposed to heavy enemy fire. 
(6) The 29th provisional Ranger Battalion was 
formed from volunteers drawn from the 29th Infan-
try Division stationed in England in the fall of 1942. 
The Battalion was activated on December 20, 1942, 
and accompanied British commandos on 2 small- 
scale raids in Norway. Nineteen members of the 
29th Ranger Battalion conducted a raid on a Ger-
man radar site in France on the night of September 
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3, 1943. After that raid, the 29th Ranger Battalion 
was disbanded because new Ranger units, the 2nd 
and 5th Battalions, were being formed. 
(7) During the summer and fall of 1943, the 
1st, 3rd, and 4th Ranger Battalions were heavily in-
volved in the campaign in Sicily and the landings in 
Italy. The 1st and 4th Ranger Battalions conducted 
a night amphibious landing in Sicily and secured the 
landing beaches for the main force. The 3rd Bat-
talion landed separately at Licata, Sicily, and was 
able to silence gun positions on an 82-foot cliff over-
looking the invasion beaches. 
(8) During the invasion of Italy, the 1st and 
4th Ranger Battalions landed at Maori with the mis-
sion of seizing the high ground and protecting the 
flank of the remainder of the main landing by the 
United States. Enemy forces in the area were esti-
mated to outnumber the Rangers by approximately 
eight to one. Despite these odds, the Rangers took 
the position and held off 7 enemy counterattacks. 
(9) After the invasion of Italy, Rangers contin-
ued to be used, often in night attacks to seize key 
terrain ahead of the advancing Allied forces. At the 
Anzio beachhead, the majority of the 1st, 3rd, and 
4th Ranger Battalions sustained heavy casualties 
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after being cut off behind German lines. The Rang-
ers had planned to infiltrate German positions under 
the cover of darkness and make a dawn attack on 
a critical road junction but were pinned down by 
enemy tanks and an elite German paratrooper unit. 
After 12 hours of desperate fighting and a failed re-
lief attempt, the majority of the Ranger force was 
killed, wounded, or captured. Only 6 Rangers from 
the 1st and 3rd Battalions, out of more than 767 
men, returned to friendly lines. The 4th Battalion, 
which had been in reserve, also suffered 60 killed 
and 120 wounded out of 550 men. These 3 battal-
ions were inactivated and the survivors were trans-
ferred to other units. 
(10) In the United States, and later in Scot-
land, the 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions were 
formed to undertake operations in Western Europe. 
Those Battalions were engaged on D-Day, assault-
ing German positions at the Pointe du Hoc coastal 
battery, and remained in combat through September 
of 1944. Specifically, Rangers in the 2nd Battalion, 
under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James E. 
Rudder— 
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(A) overcame underwater mines, machine 
gun fire, and enemy artillery while scaling the 
100-foot high cliffs at Pointe du Hoc; 
(B) held against intense German efforts to 
retake the position; and 
(C) after reaching the top of the cliffs, 
moved inland roughly 1 mile and sustained 
heavy casualties while searching for, and ulti-
mately destroying, a German heavy artillery 
battery. 
(11) During June, July, and August of 1944, 
the 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions were engaged in 
the campaign in Brest, which included close-range 
fighting in hedgerows and numerous villages. Later, 
in operations in Western Germany, the Battalions 
were frequently used to attack in darkness and gain 
vital positions to pave the way for the main Army 
attacks. 
(12) During the final drive into Germany in 
late February and early March 1945, the 5th Rang-
er Battalion was cited for battle honors for out-
standing performance. Under the cover of darkness, 
the unit drove into German lines and seized high 
ground blocking the main German supply route in 
the sector. The Germans attacked the position of the 
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Rangers from both sides, resulting in heavy Ranger 
casualties during 5 days of fighting. As a result of 
the actions of the Rangers, the main Army attack 
was able to overcome German defenses more easily, 
occupy the vital city of Trier, and reach the Rhine 
River. 
(13) The 6th Ranger Battalion operated in the 
Pacific. In the most notable exploit of the 6th Rang-
er Battalion, in January and February of 1945, the 
Battalion formed the nucleus of a rescue force that 
liberated more than 500 Allied prisoners, including 
prisoners from the United States, from the Caba-
natuan prisoner of war camp in the Philippines. 
With the help of local Filipino guerillas, the Rang-
ers, led by Lieutenant Colonel Henry A. Mucci, dem-
onstrated extraordinary heroism by infiltrating Jap-
anese-held territory to reach the prisoners of war 
and prevent them from being killed by the Japanese. 
After a 25-mile march at night through the jungle, 
the unit killed all Japanese sentries with no loss of 
life of the prisoners of war. The unit successfully re-
turned to American lines having lost only 2 soldiers 
killed and having another 2 wounded. 
(14) The 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion— 
(A) participated in the campaigns of— 
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(i) Algeria-French Morocco (with ar-
rowhead); 
(ii) Tunisia; 
(iii) Sicily (with arrowhead); 
(iv) Naples-Foggia (with arrowhead); 
(v) Anzio (with arrowhead); and 
(vi) Rome-Arno; and 
(B) for its contributions, received— 
(i) the Presidential Unit Citation 
(Army) and streamer embroidered with 
‘‘EL GUETTAR’’; and 
(ii) the Presidential Unit Citation 
(Army) and streamer embroidered with 
‘‘SALERNO’’. 
(15) The 2nd Ranger Infantry Battalion— 
(A) participated in the campaigns of— 
(i) Normandy (with arrowhead); 
(ii) Northern France; 
(iii) Rhineland; 
(iv) Ardennes-Alsace; and 
(v) Central Europe; and 
(B) for its contributions, received— 
(i) the Presidential Unit Citation 
(Army) and streamer embroidered with 
‘‘POINTE DU HOE’’; and 
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(ii) the French Croix de Guerre with 
Silver-Gilt Star, World War II, and 
streamer embroidered with ‘‘POINTE DU 
HOE’’. 
(16) The 3rd Ranger Infantry Battalion— 
(A) participated in the campaigns of— 
(i) Sicily (with arrowhead); 
(ii) Naples-Foggia (with arrowhead); 
(iii) Anzio (with arrowhead); and 
(iv) Rome-Arno; and 
(B) for its contributions, received the Pres-
idential Unit Citation (Army) and streamer em-
broidered with ‘‘SALERNO’’. 
(17) The 4th Ranger Infantry Battalion— 
(A) participated in the campaigns of— 
(i) Sicily (with arrowhead); 
(ii) Naples-Foggia (with arrowhead); 
(iii) Anzio (with arrowhead); and 
(iv) Rome-Arno; and 
(B) for its contributions, received the Pres-
idential Unit Citation (Army) and streamer em-
broidered with ‘‘SALERNO’’. 
(18) The 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion— 
(A) participated in the campaigns of— 
(i) Normandy (with arrowhead); 
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(ii) Northern France; 
(iii) Rhineland; 
(iv) Ardennes-Alsace; and 
(v) Central Europe; and 
(B) for its contributions, received— 
(i) the Presidential Unit Citation 
(Army) and streamer embroidered with 
‘‘NORMANDY BEACHHEAD’’; 
(ii) the Presidential Unit Citation 
(Army) and streamer embroidered with 
‘‘SAAR RIVER AREA’’; and 
(iii) the French Croix de Guerre with 
Silver-Gilt Star, World War II, and 
streamer 
embroidered 
with 
‘‘NOR-
MANDY’’. 
(19) The 6th Ranger Infantry Battalion— 
(A) participated in the campaigns of— 
(i) New Guinea; 
(ii) Leyte (with arrowhead); and 
(iii) Luzon; and 
(B) for its contributions, received— 
(i) the Presidential Unit Citation 
(Army) and streamer embroidered with 
‘‘CABU, LUZON’’; and 
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(ii) the Philippine Presidential Unit 
Citation and streamer embroidered with 
‘‘17 OCTOBER 1944 TO 4 JULY 1945’’. 
(20) The United States will be forever indebted 
to the United States Army Rangers Veterans of 
World War II, whose bravery and sacrifice in com-
bat contributed greatly to the military success of the 
United States and the allies of the United States. 
SEC. 4. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 
(a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The President pro tem-
pore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Rep-
resentatives shall make appropriate arrangements for the 
award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal of 
appropriate design to the United States Army Rangers 
Veterans of World War II, in recognition of their dedi-
cated service during World War II. 
(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes of the 
award described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall 
strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and 
inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. 
(c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the 
gold medal in honor of the United States Army 
Rangers Veterans of World War II, the gold medal 
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shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where 
the medal shall be— 
(A) available for display, as appropriate; 
and 
(B) made 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 other 
locations associated with— 
(A) the United States Army Rangers Vet-
erans of World II; or 
(B) World War II. 
(d) DUPLICATE MEDALS.—Under regulations that 
the Secretary may prescribe, the Secretary may strike and 
sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck under 
this section, at a price sufficient to cover the cost of the 
medals, including the cost of labor, materials, dies, use 
of machinery, and overhead expenses. 
SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDAL. 
(a) NATIONAL MEDAL.—The gold medal struck 
under section 4 shall be a national medal for the purposes 
of chapter 51 of title 31, Unites States Code. 
(b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For the purposes of sec-
tion 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals 
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struck under section 4 shall be considered to be numis-
matic items. 
Æ 
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