Merrill's Marauders Congressional Gold Medal Act

Merrill's Marauders Congressional Gold Medal Act

This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), commonly known as Merrill's Marauders, in recognition of their bravery and outstanding service in the jungles of Burma (now Myanmar) during World War II.

Following its award, the gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution where it will be displayed and made available for research. It is the sense of Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should make the gold medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at other locations and events associated with Merrill's Marauders.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2114 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2114

   To award a Congressional Gold Medal to 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.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            November 9, 2017

  Mr. Isakson (for himself, Mr. Markey, Mr. Daines, Mr. Franken, Mr. 
    Inhofe, Mrs. Shaheen, Mrs. Ernst, Mr. Kennedy, and Mr. Rounds) 
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 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.

    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 an American 
        ground unit that would engage in a ``long-range penetration 
        mission'' in Japanese-occupied Burma to cut off Japanese 
        communications and supply lines and capture Japanese-held 
        airfield and town of Myitkyina;
            (2) President Roosevelt issued a call for volunteers for 
        ``a dangerous and hazardous mission'', and the call was 
        answered by approximately 3,000 American soldiers;
            (3) the unit composed of the soldiers was officially 
        designated as the ``5307th Composite Unit (Provisional)'' Code 
        Name: ``Galahad'' and later becoming known as ``Merrill's 
        Marauders'' named after 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 and carried 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 accomplished their 
        mission, successfully disrupting Japanese supply and 
        communication lines, 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 for their service; and
            (11) though Merrill's Marauders were operational for only a 
        few months, the legacy of their bravery is honored by the 
        United States 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 the Congress, of a single gold 
medal of appropriate design to 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.
    (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 the 5307th Composite 
        Unit (Provisional), who became known as ``Merrill's 
        Marauders'', 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 received 
        under this Act 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.
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