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[Page H4712]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MERRILL'S MARAUDERS CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL ACT
Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the
Committee on Financial Services and the Committee on House
Administration be discharged from further consideration of the bill (S.
743) to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the soldiers of the 5307th
Composite Unit (Provisional), commonly known as ``Merrill's
Marauders'', in recognition of their bravery and outstanding service in
the jungles of Burma during World War II, and ask for its immediate
consideration in the House.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Missouri?
There was no objection.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 743
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 ``Merrill's Marauders
Congressional Gold Medal Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) in August 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and
other Allied leaders proposed the creation of a ground unit
of the Armed Forces that would engage in a ``long-range
penetration mission'' in Japanese-occupied Burma to--
(A) cut off Japanese communications and supply lines; and
(B) capture the town of Myitkyina and the Myitkyina
airstrip, both of which were held by the Japanese;
(2) President Roosevelt issued a call for volunteers for
``a dangerous and hazardous mission'' and the call was
answered by approximately 3,000 soldiers from the United
States;
(3) the Army unit composed of the soldiers described in
paragraph (2)--
(A) was officially designated as the ``5307th Composite
Unit (Provisional)'' with the code name ``Galahad''; and
(B) later became known as ``Merrill's Marauders'' (referred
to in this section as the ``Marauders'') in reference to its
leader, Brigadier General Frank Merrill;
(4) in February 1944, the Marauders began their
approximately 1,000-mile trek through the dense Burmese
jungle with no artillery support, carrying their supplies on
their backs or the pack saddles of mules;
(5) over the course of their 5-month trek to Myitkyina, the
Marauders fought victoriously against larger Japanese forces
through 5 major and 30 minor engagements;
(6) during their march to Myitkyina, the Marauders faced
hunger and disease that were exacerbated by inadequate aerial
resupply drops;
(7) malaria, typhus, and dysentery inflicted more
casualties on the Marauders than the Japanese;
(8) by August 1944, the Marauders had accomplished their
mission, successfully disrupting Japanese supply and
communication lines and taking the town of Myitkyina and the
Myitkyina airstrip, the only all-weather airstrip in Northern
Burma;
(9) after taking Myitkyina, only 130 Marauders out of the
original 2,750 were fit for duty and all remaining Marauders
still in action were evacuated to hospitals due to tropical
diseases, exhaustion, and malnutrition;
(10) for their bravery and accomplishments, the Marauders
were awarded the ``Distinguished Unit Citation'', later
redesignated as the ``Presidential Unit Citation'', and a
Bronze Star; and
(11) though the Marauders were operational for only a few
months, the legacy of their bravery is honored by the Army
through the modern day 75th Ranger Regiment, which traces its
lineage directly to the 5307th Composite Unit.
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 soldiers of the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional)
(referred to in this section as ``Merrill's Marauders''), in
recognition of their bravery and outstanding service in the
jungles of Burma during World War II.
(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 a
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
referred to in subsection (a) in honor of Merrill's
Marauders, the gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian
Institution, where it shall 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
received under paragraph (1) available for display elsewhere,
particularly at other locations and events associated with
Merrill's Marauders.
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.
Medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals for
purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
The bill was ordered to be read a third time, was read the third
time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________