January 27, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 17 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session
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MERCHANT MARINERS OF WORLD WAR II CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL ACT OF 2020; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 17
(House of Representatives - January 27, 2020)
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[Pages H547-H549] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] MERCHANT MARINERS OF WORLD WAR II CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL ACT OF 2020 Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5671) 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. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 5671 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. (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 5 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. [[Page H548]] (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 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. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Guam (Mr. San Nicolas) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Guam. General Leave Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Guam? There was no objection. Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H.R. 5671, the Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2020. I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi) for his work on this bill, which honors the courage and sacrifice of the civilian mariners of the Merchant Marine. In the early days of America's involvement in World War II, German U- boats sank numerous vessels during the Battle of the Atlantic. While many think of convoys being attacked as being close to Europe, the German Navy also took the war to the U.S. Eastern seaboard. In March 1942 alone, 27 ships from six Allied nations were sunk off U.S. shores. All told, 733 American cargo ships were lost during World War II. Despite this danger, some 215,000 civilian merchant marines served with courage to establish and maintain critical supply lines, ensuring that vital supplies, cargo, and personnel reached Allied forces in both Europe and Asia. Though they had no military standing or government benefits, these civilian mariners often faced German U-boat assaults. These brave mariners paid a heavy price in service to their country, suffering the highest casualty rate of any branch of U.S. Armed Forces during World War II. An estimated 9,300 mariners lost their lives, and another 12,000 were wounded to make sure our uniformed servicemembers could keep fighting. Unfortunately, their sacrifices are commonly underappreciated and often overlooked. They were not even considered veterans until Congress remedied that disservice in 1988, and many of our histories of World War II give them a passing mention or do not recognize their vital role in ensuring the success of the Allied forces. Now, on the 75th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II, let us give these brave mariners the recognition they so richly deserve. I thank Mr. Garamendi for introducing this bill this Congress, and I urge Members to vote ``yes.'' Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 5671, the Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2020. Madam Speaker, it is fair to say that, when we look back on the many victories of World War II, unfortunately, too often, our Merchant Marine, our merchant mariners are overlooked. It is this exact reason why this Congress has come together to pass this bill to honor these brave sailors and their legacy. During wartime, merchant mariners became an auxiliary to the Navy; and, as such, civilian volunteers traded intercoastal bulk cargo routes for dangerous near-coastal and transatlantic shipping, hauling vital war cargo for our Allies. It is in this exact scenario that 250,000 merchant mariners found themselves when World War II broke out. Many of these brave men perished at sea. In fact, Madam Speaker, 1 in 26 never made it home. Madam Speaker, the merchant mariners who survived World War II were finally awarded veteran status in 1988. And if you walk down The Mall here in the Nation's Capital, you will find the World War II Memorial, and you will find the seal of the merchant mariners--which reads, ``In Peace and War''--honoring those lost during World War II. The importance of the merchant mariners was not lost on our former Chief Executives. President Eisenhower, when he was the General of the Army, stated: When final victory is ours, there is no organization that shared its credit more deservedly than the Merchant Marine. President Franklin Roosevelt similarly stated: The men of our American Merchant Marine have pushed through despite the perils of the submarine, the dive bomber, the surface raider. They have returned voluntarily to their jobs at sea again and again, because they know, they realized their lifeline to the battlefront would be broken if they did not carry out their mission, that vital, vital part of the global war. Indeed, America as ally, as arsenal of democracy, as manufacturer of the critical war material necessary to win in Europe and win across the Atlantic would be lost were it not for the merchant mariners. These men deserve the recognition of this gold medal. Of the 250,000 World War II merchant mariners who were part of that global struggle, fewer than 2,000 merchant mariner veterans are believed to still be alive today. It is imperative that we commemorate their service, their sacrifice, their leadership, their integral role in the victory of the Atlantic and the Pacific. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Suozzi). Mr. SUOZZI. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5671, the Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act, introduced by Representative Garamendi. This act will award a Congressional Gold Medal, an extremely high honor, to the merchant mariners who served our country during World War II. This legislation is particularly timely, as the Board of Visitors of the United States Merchant Marine Academy, of which I am a member, is meeting on campus next week in Kings Point, Long Island, in my district. The United States Merchant Marine Academy is the only service academy whose students engage in combat during times of war. In fact, over 7,000 of these students answered our Nation's call to duty. Six hundred are still alive today, but 142 of them did not make it back from World War II. Edwin J. O'Hara was one of those students. In 1942, Edwin O'Hara was just another 19-year-old cadet and signed on aboard the newly delivered Liberty ship SS Stephen Hopkins in San Francisco, California. On one foggy, hazy night aboard the ship, a German raider appeared out of the mist and began firing at close range. Bullets rained down on the crew, wounding the armed guard commander and taking him out of action. O'Hara, just a student, who was nearby, rushed forward to take his place, firing the shells left until being mortally wounded by enemy fire. Only 19 of the 60 men aboard O'Hara's ship made it to the lifeboat that night. O'Hara was not one of them. For his brave sacrifice, Edwin O'Hara was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. Brave men and women like O'Hara at the Merchant Marine Academy in [[Page H549]] Kings Point, as well as the mariners who served across the country, deserve the highest recognition. Sadly, many of these midshipmen did not even receive veteran status until 1988. But it is not too late. It is time we recognized their sacrifice and award them this much-deserved Congressional Gold Medal. I applaud my colleagues, all of them, for supporting this and Congressman John Garamendi, especially, for his leadership, and I ask my colleagues to support our brave merchant mariners. Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and let me say in closing what a pleasure it is to work with my friend from Guam on this bill to recognize our merchant mariners. I thank my friend from New York (Mr. Suozzi) who has the privilege every day of representing the Merchant Marine Academy on Long Island. Let's come together as a Congress and support this important effort to recognize those who gave so much to save the world and make the world safe for democracy. We couldn't have done it without our merchant marines and their bravery across the seas. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I am pleased that this bipartisan bill honors those who answered this Nation's call to duty, regardless of the danger and without expectation of accolades. This bill incorporates relevant technical changes introduced by the Senate and includes the additional recognition of the students of the Merchant Marine Academy who lost their lives in service to their country. It is time that we give these courageous mariners the recognition they have more than earned. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this important piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Guam (Mr. San Nicolas) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5671. The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________
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