Congress oks code talker medal
stonej
Arizona Coin Collector
"stonej" <sto...@mail.lib.msu.edu> wrote in message
news:4f702ec2-9361-4bd2...@8g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
> http://www.numismaster.com/ta/numis/Article.jsp?ad=article&ArticleId=5472
Hello -- Below is the actual bill to be signed into law by Bush. Only bronze
metals
to the public. No gold. :(
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Code Talkers Recognition Act of 2008
(Enrolled as Agreed to or Passed by Both House and Senate)
--H.R.4544--
H.R.4544
One Hundred Tenth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Thursday,
the third day of January, two thousand and eight
An Act
To require the issuance of medals to recognize the dedication
and valor of Native American code talkers.
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
`Code Talkers Recognition Act of 2008'.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is to require the issuance of medals
to express the sense of the Congress that--
(1) the service of Native American code talkers to the United
States deserves immediate recognition for dedication and
valor; and
(2) honoring Native American code talkers is long overdue.
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) When the United States entered World War I, Native
Americans were not accorded the status of citizens of the
United States.
(2) Without regard to that lack of citizenship, members of
Indian tribes and nations enlisted in the Armed Forces to
fight on behalf of the United States.
(3) The first reported use of Native American code talkers
was on October 17, 1918.
(4) Because the language used by the Choctaw code talkers
in the transmission of information was not based on a
European language or on a mathematical progression, the
Germans were unable to understand any of the transmissions.
(5) This use of Native American code talkers was the first
time in modern warfare that such a transmission of messages
in a native language was used for the purpose of confusing
an enemy.
(6) On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii, and the Congress declared war the following day.
(7) The Federal Government called on the Comanche Nation to
support the military effort during World War II by
recruiting and enlisting Comanche men to serve in the Army
to develop a secret code based on the Comanche language.
(8) The United States Army recruited approximately 50 Native
Americans for special native language communication
assignments.
(9) The United States Marine Corps recruited several hundred
Navajos for duty in the Pacific region.
(10) During World War II, the United States employed Native
American code talkers who developed secret means of
communication based on native languages and were critical to
winning the war.
(11) To the frustration of the enemies of the United States,
the code developed by the Native American code talkers
proved to be unbreakable and was used extensively throughout
the European theater.
(12) In 2001, the Congress and President Bush honored Navajo
code talkers with congressional gold medals for the
contributions of the code talkers to the United States Armed
Forces as radio operators during World War II.
(13) The heroic and dramatic contributions of Native American
code talkers were instrumental in driving back Axis forces
across the Pacific during World War II.
(14) The Congress should provide to all Native American code
talkers the recognition the code talkers deserve for the
contributions of the code talkers to United States victories
in World War I and World War II.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act, the following definitions shall apply:
(1) CODE TALKER- The term `code talker' means a Native
American who--
(A) served in the Armed Forces during a foreign conflict in
which the United States was involved; and
(B) transmitted (encoded and translated) secret coded
messages for tactical military operations during World War I
and World War II using their native tribal language
(non-spontaneous communications)
(2) SECRETARY- The term `Secretary' means the Secretary
of the Treasury.
SEC. 5. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDALS.
(a) Award Authorization- 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 gold medals of appropriate design in
recognition of the service of Native American code talkers
during World War I and World War II.
(b) Identification of Recipients- The Secretary, in
consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the
tribes, shall--
(1) determine the identity, to the maximum extent
practicable, of each Native American tribe that had a
member of that tribe serve as a Native American code
talker, with the exception of the Navajo Nation;
(2) include the name of each Native American tribe
identified under subparagraph (A) on a list; and
(3) provide the list, and any updates to the list, to
the Smithsonian Institution for maintenance under
section 5(c)(2).
(c) Design and Striking of Medals-
(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall strike the gold
medals awarded under subsection (a) with appropriate
emblems, devices, and inscriptions, as determined by
the Secretary.
(2) DESIGNS OF MEDALS EMBLEMATIC OF TRIBAL AFFILIATION
AND PARTICIPATION- The design of a gold medal under
paragraph (1) shall be emblematic of the participation
of the code talkers of each recognized tribe.
(3) TREATMENT- Each medal struck pursuant to this
subsection shall be considered to be a national medal
for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States
Code.
(d) Action by Smithsonian Institution- The Smithsonian
Institution--
(1) shall accept and maintain such gold medals, and
such silver duplicates of those medals, as recognized
tribes elect to send to the Smithsonian Institution;
(2) shall maintain the list developed under section
6(1) of the names of Native American code talkers of
each recognized tribe; and
(3) is encouraged to create a standing exhibit for
Native American code talkers or Native American veterans.
SEC. 6. NATIVE AMERICAN CODE TALKERS.
The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of
Defense and the tribes, shall--
(1) with respect to tribes recognized as of the date
of the enactment of this Act --
(A) determine the identity, to the maximum extent
practicable, of each Native American code talker of
each recognized tribe with the exception of the
Navajo Nation;
(B) include the name of each Native American code
talker identified under subparagraph (A) on a list,
to be organized by recognized tribe; and
(C) provide the list, and any updates to the list,
to the Smithsonian Institution for maintenance under
section 5(d)(2);
(2) in the future, determine whether any Indian tribe
that is not a recognized as of the date of the
enactment of this Act, should be eligible to receive
a gold medal under this Act; and
(3) with consultation from the tribes listed in
following subsection, examine the following specific
tribes to determine the existence of Code Talkers:
(A) Assiniboine.
(B) Chippewa and Oneida.
(C) Choctaw.
(D) Comanche.
(E) Cree.
(F) Crow.
(G) Hopi.
(H) Kiowa.
(I) Menominee.
(J) Mississauga.
(K) Muscogee.
(L) Sac and Fox.
(M) Sioux.
SEC. 7. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
(a) Silver Duplicate Medals-
(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall strike duplicates
in silver of the gold medals struck under
section 5(b), to be awarded in accordance with
paragraph (2).
(2) ELIGIBILITY FOR AWARD-
(A) IN GENERAL- A Native American shall be eligible to
be awarded a silver duplicate medal struck under
paragraph (1) in recognition of the service of Native
American code talkers of the recognized tribe of the
Native American , if the Native American served in the
Armed Forces as a code talker in any foreign conflict
in which the United States was involved during the
20th century.
(B) DEATH OF CODE TALKER- In the event of the death of
a Native American code talker who had not been awarded
a silver duplicate medal under this subsection, the
Secretary may award a silver duplicate medal to the next
of kin or other personal representative of the Native
American code talker.
(C) DETERMINATION- Eligibility for an award under this
subsection shall be determined by the Secretary in
accordance with section 6.
(b) Bronze Duplicate Medals- The Secretary may strike and
sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck
pursuant to section 4 under such regulations as the
Secretary may prescribe, at a price sufficient to cover
the cost thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use
of machinery, and overhead expenses, and the cost of the
gold and silver medals.
SEC. 8. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND
AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.
(a) Authority to Use Fund Amounts- There are authorized
to be charged against the United States Mint Public
Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be necessary to pay
for the cost of the medals struck pursuant to this Act.
(b) Proceeds of Sale- Amounts received from the sale of
duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 7(b)
shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public
Enterprise Fund.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.
..
mazorj
"Arizona Coin Collector" <nos...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:o-udncfwuN0OYGTV...@earthlink.com...
>
> "stonej" <sto...@mail.lib.msu.edu> wrote in message
> news:4f702ec2-9361-4bd2...@8g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
>
>> http://www.numismaster.com/ta/numis/Article.jsp?ad=article&ArticleId=5472
>
> Hello -- Below is the actual bill to be signed into law by Bush.
> Only bronze metals to the public. No gold. :(
I interpret that as a sign of (uncommon) common sense at a time when
the Mint can't fulfill orders for existing forms of gold. Bad news
for those looking for another source of numismatic gold, but bravo for
not letting political vanity put yet another problematic burden on the
Mint.