United States Statutes at Large, Volume 134, 116th Congress, 2nd Session

[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 134, 116th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


Public Law 116-125
116th Congress

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 acknowledged that
``through the prompt delivery of supplies and equipment 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
transport 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
mariners 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 Representatives
and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make appropriate
arrangements for the award, on behalf of Congress, 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 associated with
the United States Merchant Marine and that preference 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.

Approved March 13, 2020.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 5671:
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 166 (2020):
Jan. 27, considered and passed House.
Mar. 2, considered and passed Senate.