[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2647 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2647
To award a Congressional gold medal to the 369th Infantry Regiment,
commonly known as the ``Harlem Hellfighters'', in recognition of their
bravery and outstanding service during World War I.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 5, 2021
Mrs. Gillibrand (for herself and Mr. Schumer) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking,
Housing, and Urban Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To award a Congressional gold medal to the 369th Infantry Regiment,
commonly known as the ``Harlem Hellfighters'', in recognition of their
bravery and outstanding service during World War I.
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 ``Harlem Hellfighters Congressional
Gold Medal Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) When the United States officially entered World War I
in April 1917, the Armed Forces were still segregated, even
though African-American soldiers had served and distinguished
themselves in every war since the Revolutionary War, and even
the Colonial Wars preceding the American Revolution.
(2) After several years of advocacy and debate, in 1916 the
State of New York authorized the recruitment of the 15th New
York National Guard Regiment, which was called to Federal
service on July 25, 1917, soon after arriving for training at
Camp Whitman, New York.
(3) The 15th completed its basic military practice training
at Camp Whitman, New York.
(4) To receive combat training, the 15th reported, on
October 8, 1917, to Camp Wadsworth, in Spartanburg, South
Carolina, where it experienced many incidents of racial
discrimination.
(5) Consequently, the government agreed to remove the 15th
from Camp Wadsworth, but, instead of receiving further
training, the regiment began preparing for deployment to France
in November.
(6) The 15th arrived in Saint Nazaire, France, on January
1, 1918, where it was redesignated the 369th Infantry Regiment.
(7) Partly because many White soldiers within the American
Expeditionary Forces (hereinafter, the ``AEF'') refused to
perform combat duty with Black soldiers, members of the 369th
were initially assigned manual labor tasks, such as loading and
unloading supplies, and constructing roads and railroads.
(8) After receiving pressure from the 369th regimental
commander about not having a combat mission, the AEF attached
the 369th to the French Fourth Army.
(9) By mid-March of 1918, the 369th went to the Argonne
Forest with the French 16th Division for training and soon
entered the trenches.
(10) The 369th encountered its first German soldiers in
combat in April, 1918.
(11) In May of 1918, Private Henry Johnson of the 369th
received the French Croix de Guerre, with Palm, for
extraordinary valor, becoming one of the first American
soldiers to be awarded this honor.
(12) Johnson also belatedly received a Purple Heart, was
awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, and, in 2015, was
awarded the Medal of Honor.
(13) Throughout the remainder of the spring and into the
summer the 369th served at Minacourt, in the Champagne-Marne
Defensive, and during the Aisne-Marne Offensive in support of
the French 161st Infantry Division.
(14) As summer turned to autumn, the 369th went on to
participate in the Meuse-Argonne offensive, where it captured
the important village of Sechault despite sustaining severe
losses.
(15) On October 14, 1918, the 369th advanced to Alsace.
(16) On November 20, 1918, the 369th reached the banks of
the Rhine River as part of the French Army of Occupation, the
first Allied unit to do so.
(17) The 369th was relieved of its assignment with the
French 161st Division in December, 1918, and elements of the
regiment sailed for New York in late January and early
February, 1919.
(18) The 369th Infantry Regiment received a parade up 5th
Avenue in New York City on February 17, 1919, receiving
applause and cheers from hundreds of thousands of onlookers.
(19) The 369th was demobilized on February 28, 1919.
(20) Over 170 individual members of the 369th received the
Croix de Guerre, many were awarded the Distinguished Service
Cross, and the 369th was awarded a unit citation.
(21) It is generally believed that the 369th was dubbed the
``Harlem Hellfighters'' by German soldiers, who found the men
to be incredibly determined and courageous in battle.
(22) The 369th was the first regiment of African Americans
to deploy overseas during World War I and spent 191 days on the
front line in World War I, more than any other American
regimental sized unit.
(23) The 369th never lost a foot of ground nor had a man
taken prisoner, despite suffering a high number of casualties.
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 369th Infantry Regiment, commonly known as
the ``Harlem Hellfighters'', in recognition of their bravery and
outstanding service during World War I.
(b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the award referred to
in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury 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 gold medal in
honor of the 369th Infantry Regiment, the ``Harlem
Hellfighters'', 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 Harlem
Hellfighters.
SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
(a) In General.--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.
(b) Proceeds of Sales.--The amounts received from the sale of
duplicate medals under subsection (a) shall be deposited in the United
States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
(c) Authority To Use Fund Amounts.--There is authorized to be
charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund such
amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the medals struck
under this Act.
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.
<all>