I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 980 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to all United States nationals who 
voluntarily joined the Canadian and British armed forces and their 
supporting entities during World War II, in recognition of their dedicated 
service. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 5, 2019 
Mr. RYAN (for himself, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. COHEN, Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas, 
Mrs. DINGELL, and Ms. MCCOLLUM) 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 to all United States 
nationals who voluntarily joined the Canadian and Brit-
ish armed forces and their supporting entities during 
World War II, in recognition of their dedicated service. 
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 ‘‘American Patriots of 
WWII through Service with the Canadian and British 
Armed Forces Gold Medal Act of 2019’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Americans from across the country served 
in defense of democracy and freedom during World 
War II (WWII) by volunteering for service with the 
Canadian and British militaries and other associated 
organizations that were fighting Nazi and Fascist 
aggression. Many United States citizens perceived 
the importance of this war and the severe impact 
Nazism and Fascism could have on the American 
way of life. Therefore, prior to the United States 
entry into the conflict and indeed throughout WWII 
these patriots independently crossed the border into 
Canada and entered Canadian and British armed 
forces recruiting offices or sought out representa-
tives based in major United States municipalities 
and elsewhere. 
(2) When the ‘‘United Kingdom of Great Brit-
ain and Northern Ireland’’ and the ‘‘British Com-
monwealth of Nations’’ were drawn into WWII after 
Germany invaded Poland in 1939, the Canadian and 
British air forces made a concerted effort to recruit 
Americans. 
(3) It is documented that thousands of Ameri-
cans joined the Canadian and British armed forces, 
a large percentage joining the Royal Canadian Air 
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Force (RCAF) alone. In a 1942 film Air Marshal 
William Avery ‘‘Billy’’ Bishop, an organizer and pro-
moter of the British Commonwealth Air Training 
Plan (BCATP) and Director of the Royal Canadian 
Air Force, recognized the ‘‘gallant lads from the 
United States who have come up here to help and 
serve with us’’. Notably, many Americans were also 
recruited and processed through Canada before 
being assigned to or detached for the purpose of 
Royal Air Force (RAF) service. 
(4) General of the Army, Army of the United 
States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, the former Supreme 
Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary 
Force, referenced, in a speech on January 10, 1946, 
the ‘‘some twelve thousand American citizens’’ who 
crossed into Canada with the goal of entering the 
Canadian armed forces. Although the precise num-
bers of Americans who were in Canadian and British 
service are unknown, media accounts published by 
Allied journalists during the conflict nonetheless de-
tail their legacies of volunteerism, personal sacrifice, 
and bravery. 
(5) Americans also joined the Canadian Avia-
tion Bureau, and the Home Guard, Air Transport 
Auxiliary (ATA), and Royal Air Force Ferry Com-
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