I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5879 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the United States 
Merchant Mariners of World War II, in recognition of their dedicated 
and vital service during World War II. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 18, 2018 
Mr. GARAMENDI (for himself, Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana, and Mr. YOUNG of 
Alaska) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the 
United States Merchant Mariners 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, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Merchant Mariners 
of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2018’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) 2015 marked the 70th anniversary of the 
Allied victory in World War II and the restoration 
of peacetime across the European and Pacific thea-
ters. 
(2) The United States Merchant Marine (in 
this section referred to as the ‘‘Merchant Marine’’) 
was integral in providing the link between domestic 
production and the fighting forces overseas, pro-
viding combat equipment, fuel, food, commodities, 
and raw materials to troops stationed abroad. 
(3) Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King acknowledged 
the indispensability of the Merchant Marine to the 
victory in a 1945 letter stating that, without the 
support of the Merchant Marine, ‘‘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’’. 
(5) Military missions and war planning were 
contingent upon the availability of resources and the 
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Merchant Marine played a vital role in this regard, 
ensuring the efficient and reliable transoceanic 
transport of military equipment and both military 
and civilian personnel. 
(6) The Merchant Marine provided for the suc-
cessful transport of resources and personnel despite 
consistent and ongoing exposure to enemy combat-
ants from both the air and the sea, including from 
enemy bomber squadrons, submarines, and mines. 
(7) The efforts of the Merchant Marine were 
not without sacrifices as the Merchant Marine bore 
a higher per-capita casualty rate than any other 
branch of the military during the war. 
(8) The Merchant Marine proved to be an in-
strumental asset on an untold number of occasions, 
participating in every landing operation by the 
United States Marine Corps, from Guadalcanal to 
Iwo Jima. 
(9) The Merchant Marine provided the bulk 
tonnage of material necessary for the invasion of 
Normandy, an invasion which, according to a 1944 
New York Times article, ‘‘would not have been pos-
sible without the Merchant Marine’’. 
(10) In assessing the performance of the Mer-
chant Marine, General Eisenhower stated, ‘‘every 
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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’’. 
(11) During a September 1944 speech, Presi-
dent Franklin D. Roosevelt stated that the Merchant 
Marine had ‘‘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.’’. 
(12) The feats and accomplishments of the 
Merchant Marine are deserving of broader public 
recognition. 
(13) The United States will be forever grateful 
and indebted to these merchant mariners for their 
effective, reliable, and courageous transport of goods 
and resources in enemy territory throughout thea-
ters of every variety in World War II. 
(14) The goods and resources transported by 
the Merchant Marine saved thousands of lives and 
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