II 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 2992 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
DECEMBER 1, 2016 
Received 
AN ACT 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the 
U.S. Merchant Marine of World War II, in recognition 
of their dedicated and vital 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, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Merchant Marine of 
World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the Al-
lied victory in World War II and the restoration of 
peacetime across the European and Pacific theaters. 
(2) The United States Merchant Marine was in-
tegral in providing the link between domestic pro-
duction and the fighting forces overseas, providing 
combat equipment, fuel, food, commodities, and raw 
materials to troops stationed overseas. 
(3) Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King acknowledged 
the indispensability of the Merchant Marine to the 
victory in a 1945 letter stating that without their 
support, ‘‘the Navy could not have accomplished its 
mission’’. 
(4) President and former Supreme Commander 
of the Allied Forces, Dwight D. Eisenhower, ac-
knowledged that ‘‘through the prompt delivery of 
supplies and equipment to our armed forces over-
seas, and of cargoes representing economic and mili-
tary aid to friendly nations, the American Merchant 
Marine has effectively helped to strengthen the 
forces of freedom throughout the world’’. 
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(5) Military missions and war planning were 
contingent upon the availability of resources and 
that the United States Merchant Marine played a 
vital role in this regard, ensuring the efficient and 
reliable transoceanic transport of military equipment 
as well as both military and civilian personnel. 
(6) The United States Merchant Marine pro-
vided for the successful transport of resources and 
personnel despite consistent and ongoing exposure to 
enemy combatants from both the air and the sea, 
such as enemy bomber squadrons, submarines, and 
mines. 
(7) The efforts of the United States Merchant 
Marine were not without sacrifices as they bore a 
higher per capita casualty rate than any other 
branch of the military during the war. 
(8) The United States Merchant Marine proved 
to be an instrumental asset on untold occasions, par-
ticipating in every landing operation by the United 
States Marine Corps from Guadalcanal to Iwo Jima 
as well as providing, for instance, the bulk tonnage 
of material necessary for the invasion of Normandy 
which ‘‘would not have been possible without the 
Merchant Marine’’, as a 1944 New York Times arti-
cle observed. 
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(9) In also assessing their performance, General 
Dwight D. Eisenhower stated, ‘‘every man in this 
Allied command is quick to express his admiration 
for the loyalty, courage, and fortitude of the officers 
and men of the Merchant Marine. We count upon 
their efficiency and their utter devotion to duty as 
we do our own; they have never failed us’’. 
(10) During a September 1944 speech, Presi-
dent Franklin D. Roosevelt stated, the Merchant 
Marine has ‘‘delivered the goods when and where 
needed in every theater of operations and across 
every ocean in the biggest, the most difficult, and 
dangerous transportation job ever undertaken. As 
time goes on, there will be greater public under-
standing of our merchant fleet’s record during this 
war.’’. 
(11) The feats and accomplishments of the 
Merchant Marine are deserving of broader public 
recognition. 
(12) The United States will be forever grateful 
and indebted to the U.S. Merchant Marine for their 
effective, reliable, and courageous transport of goods 
and resources in enemy territory throughout thea-
ters of every variety in World War II; that these 
goods and resources saved thousands of lives and en-
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abled the Allied Powers to claim victory in World 
War II. 
(13) The Congressional Gold Medal will be an 
appropriate way to shed further light on the service 
of the Merchant Marine in World War II and the in-
strumental role they played in winning World War 
II. 
SEC. 3. 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 U.S. Merchant Marine of 
World War II, in recognition of their dedicated and vital 
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 referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall 
strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and 
inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. 
(c) AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE MUSEUM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the 
gold medal in honor of the U.S. Merchant Marine, 
the gold medal shall be given to the American Mer-
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chant Marine Museum, where it will be available for 
display as appropriate and available for research. 
SEC. 4. 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 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. 
(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. 
Passed the House of Representatives November 30, 
2016. 
Attest: 
KAREN L. HAAS, 
Clerk. 
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