Title: Cold War Service Medal Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Cold War Service Medal Act
This bill authorizes the Department of Defense (DOD) to issue a service medal to members of the Armed Forces who served during the Cold War.
The medal may be awarded to service members who (1) served on active duty for at least 24 consecutive months during the Cold War, from September 2, 1945, to December 26, 1991; (2) were deployed outside the continental United States for at least 30 days during the Cold War; (3) were members of a reserve component of the Armed Forces and were called or ordered to active duty to participate in exercises or operations directly related to the Cold War; or (4) performed such other service in the Armed Forces during the Cold War as DOD may prescribe.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4807 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4807

 To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for the award of a 
   military service medal to members of the Armed Forces who served 
         honorably during the Cold War, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 23, 2019

 Ms. Pingree (for herself, Mr. McKinley, Mr. Higgins of New York, and 
    Miss Rice of New York) introduced the following bill; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for the award of a 
   military service medal to members of the Armed Forces who served 
         honorably during the Cold War, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Cold War Service Medal Act''.

SEC. 2. COLD WAR SERVICE MEDAL.

    (a) Medal Authorized.--
            (1) In general.--Chapter 57 of title 10, United States 
        Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
        section:
``Sec. 1136. Cold War Service Medal
    ``(a) Medal Authorized.--The Secretary concerned may issue a 
service medal, to be known as the `Cold War Service Medal', to persons 
eligible to receive the medal under subsection (c).
    ``(b) Design.--The Cold War Service Medal shall be of an 
appropriate design approved by the Secretary of Defense, with ribbons, 
lapel pins, and other appurtenances.
    ``(c) Eligible Persons.--Subject to subsection (d), a person 
eligible to be issued the Cold War Service Medal is any person who--
            ``(1) served on active duty in the armed forces for not 
        less than 24 consecutive months during the Cold War;
            ``(2) was deployed as a member of the armed forces outside 
        the continental United States for a period of at least 30 days 
        during the Cold War;
            ``(3) was a member of a reserve component of the armed 
        forces and called or ordered to active duty to participate in 
        exercises or operations directly related to the Cold War, as 
        determined by the Secretary of Defense; or
            ``(4) performed such other service in the armed forces 
        during the Cold War as the Secretary of Defense may prescribe 
        for purposes of this section.
    ``(d) Required Characterization of Service.--In the case of a 
person described in subsection (c) who is already discharged or 
released from the armed forces, the person is eligible for the Cold War 
Service Medal only if the discharge or release was under honorable 
conditions after service in the armed forces characterized as 
honorable.
    ``(e) One Medal Authorized.--Not more than one Cold War Service 
Medal may be issued to any person.
    ``(f) Issuance to Next-of-Kin.--If a person described in subsection 
(c) is deceased, the Secretary concerned may provide for issuance of 
the Cold War Service Medal to the next-of-kin of the person.
    ``(g) Replacement.--Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary 
concerned, a Cold War Service Medal may be replaced without charge if 
lost, destroyed, or rendered unfit for use without fault or neglect on 
the part of the person to whom it was issued.
    ``(h) Regulations.--The issuance of a Cold War Service Medal shall 
be subject to such regulations as the Secretaries concerned shall 
prescribe for purposes of this section. The Secretary of Defense shall 
ensure that any regulations prescribed under this subsection are 
uniform to the extent practicable.
    ``(i) Cold War Defined.--In this section, the term `Cold War' means 
the period beginning on September 2, 1945, and ending on December 26, 
1991.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of chapter 57 of such title is amended by adding at 
        the end the following new item:

``1136. Cold War Service Medal.''.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
Secretary of Defense should take appropriate actions to expedite--
            (1) the design of the Cold War Service Medal provided for 
        by section 1136 of title 10, United States Code (as added by 
        subsection (a)); and
            (2) the establishment and implementation of mechanisms to 
        facilitate the issuance of the Cold War Service Medal to 
        persons eligible for the issuance of the medal under such 
        section.
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