H. R. 5671 
One Hundred Sixteenth Congress 
of the 
United States of America 
AT THE SECOND SESSION 
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Friday, 
the third day of January, two thousand and twenty 
An Act 
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 Representatives 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 2020’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) 2020 marked the 75th anniversary of Allied victory 
in World War II. 
(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, providing 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 Expeditionary Forces, Dwight D. Eisenhower acknowl-
edged that ‘‘through the prompt delivery of supplies and equip-
ment to our armed forces overseas, and of cargoes representing 
economic and military 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 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 successful trans-
port of resources and personnel despite consistent and ongoing 
exposure to enemy combatants from both the air and the sea, 
including from enemy bomber squadrons, submarines, and 
naval mines. 
(7) The efforts of the Merchant Marine were not without 
sacrifices as the Merchant Marine likely bore a higher per- 
capita casualty rate than any of the military branches during 
the war.
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(8) The Merchant Marine proved to be an instrumental 
asset on an untold number of occasions, participating in every 
landing operation by the United States Marine Corps, from 
Guadalcanal to Okinawa. 
(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 possible without the Merchant Marine’’. 
(10) In assessing the performance of the Merchant Marine, 
General 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’’. 
(11) During a September 1944 speech, President 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 understanding 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 theaters of every variety in World War II. 
(14) The goods and resources transported by the Merchant 
Marine saved thousands of lives and enabled the Allied Powers 
to claim victory in World War II. 
(15) The Congressional Gold Medal would be an appropriate 
way to shed further light on the service of the merchant mari-
ners in World War II and the instrumental role they played 
in winning that war. 
(16) Many students of the Merchant Marine Academy lost 
their lives as they sailed through enemy-controlled waters or 
unloaded cargo in overseas combat areas, and, as a result, 
the United States Merchant Marine Academy is the only 
institution among the five Federal academies to be authorized 
to carry a battle standard as part of its color guard. 
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 
(a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall 
make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of Con-
gress, of a single gold medal of appropriate design to the United 
States merchant mariners 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 
described in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (in this 
Act 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 
under subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given to the
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American Merchant Marine Museum, where it will be available 
for display as appropriate and available for research. 
(2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that 
the American Merchant Marine Museum should make the gold 
medal given to the Museum under paragraph (1) available 
for display elsewhere, particularly at appropriate locations asso-
ciated with the United States Merchant Marine and that pref-
erence should be given to locations affiliated with the United 
States Merchant Marine. 
SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 
Under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, 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. 
Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.