Reach 871 Congressional Gold Medal Act
Bill: H.R.5437 | Sponsor: Rep. Calvert, Ken (R-CA)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Reach 871 Congressional Gold Medal Act
This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to the Reach 871 aircrew, commonly known as Reach 871, in recognition of their bravery and outstanding service during Operation Allies Refuge.

To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the U.S. Air Force aircrew of 
Reach 871, commonly known as the ``Reach 871'', in recognition of their 
    bravery and outstanding service during Operation Allies Refuge.

    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 ``Reach 871 Congressional Gold Medal 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The U.S. Air Force is an essential and integral part 
        U.S. national security and diplomatic efforts, often called 
        upon to enter extremely dangerous situations and provide 
        support and safety for combat and non-combat missions 
        worldwide.
            (2) A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircrew, assigned 
        to the 6th Airlift Squadron, 305 Air Mobility Wing, based at 
        Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL), callsign Reach 871, 
        was deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Allies 
        Refuge to assist in non-combatant evacuation operations.
            (3) Reach 871 safely evacuated over 800 Afghans fleeing the 
        Taliban takeover of Kabul.
            (4) U.S. Air Force confirmed that Reach 871's evacuation 
        flight set a record for the number of personnel onboard an 
        airborne C-17 Globemaster III under any condition.
            (5) The aircrew's selfless action allowed for the safe 
        evacuation of vulnerable Afghan civilians. The crew maximized 
        previously undemonstrated capability and capacity of the 
        aircraft, while operating the aircraft in extraordinary 
        circumstances--balancing risk and capability to save the lives 
        of others.
            (6) The crew and its commander made the brave decision, in 
        accordance with their commander's intent, to evacuate as many 
        civilians as possible, including women and children, placing 
        those civilian lives and safety above all else.
            (7) The selfless service and willingness to face extreme 
        peril in order to secure the safety of Afghan civilians should 
        be recognized and honored. These Airmen exemplify the 
        patriotism and the commitment of all our brave service members 
        who have served in Afghanistan over the last 20 years and 
        risked their lives in service of our country.

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 gold medal 
of appropriate design to the Reach 871 aircrew, commonly known as 
``Reach 871'', in recognition of their bravery and outstanding service 
during Operation Allies Refuge.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the award referred to 
in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (referred to in this 
Act as the ``Secretary'') shall strike the gold medal with suitable 
emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.
    (c) Smithsonian Institution.--
            (1) In general.--Following the award of the Reach 871 
        aircrew, the gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian 
        Institution, where it will be displayed as appropriate and made 
        available for research.
            (2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
        the Smithsonian Institution should make the gold medal awarded 
        pursuant to this Act available for display elsewhere, 
        particularly at other locations associated with the Reach 871 
        aircrew.

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    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 bronze medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of 
machinery, and overhead expenses.

SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.

    The gold medal struck pursuant to this Act is a national medal for 
purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.

SEC. 6. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

    The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying 
with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by 
reference to the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO 
Legislation'' for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional 
Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that 
such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
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