,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #fhe ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #ad1 #bjac ,mr4 ,sam ,johnson of ,texas 7for himself and ,mr4 ,heck of ,washington7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,financial ,services1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,house ,administration1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to award a ,congressional ,gold ,medal to the ,american ,fighter ,aces1 collectively1 in recognition of their heroic military service and defense of our country's freedom throughout the history of aviation warfare4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,american ,fighter ,aces ,congressional ,gold ,medal ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,the ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,an ,american ,fighter ,ace is a fighter pilot who has served honorably in a ,united ,states military service and who has destroyed #e or more confirmed enemy aircraft in aerial combat during a war or conflict in which ,american armed forces have participated4 7#b7 ,beginning with ,world ,war ,i1 and the first use of airplanes in warfare1 military services have maintained official records of individual aerial victory credits during every major conflict4 ,of more than #fj1jjj ,united ,states military fighter pilots that have taken to the air1 less than #a1ejj have become ,fighter ,aces4 7#c7 ,americans became ,fighter ,aces in the ,spanish ,civil ,war1 ,sino-,japanese ,war1 ,russian ,civil ,war1 ,arab-,israeli ,war1 and others4 ,additionally1 ,american military groups' recruited ,united ,states military pilots to form the ,american ,volunteer ,group1 ,eagle ,squadron1 and others that produced ,american-born ,fighter ,aces fighting against axis powers prior to ,pearl ,harbor4 7#d7 ,the concept of a ,fighter ,ace is that they fought for freedom and democracy across the globe1 flying in the face of the enemy to defend freedom throughout the history of aerial combat4 ,american-born citizens became ,fighter ,aces flying under the flag of ,united ,states allied countries and became some of the highest scoring ,fighter ,aces of their respective wars4 7#e7 ,american ,fighter ,aces hail from every ,state in the ,union1 representing numerous ethnic1 religious1 and cultural backgrounds4 7#f7 ,fighter ,aces possess unique skills that have made them successful in aerial combat4 ,these include courage1 judgment1 keen marksmanship1 concentration1 drive1 persistence1 and split-second thinking that makes an ,ace a war fighter with unique and valuable flight driven skills4 7#g7 ,the ,aces' training1 bravery1 skills1 sacrifice1 attention to duty1 and innovative spirit illustrate the most celebrated traits of the ,united ,states military1 including service to country and the protection of freedom and democracy4 7#h7 ,american ,fighter ,aces have led distinguished careers in the military1 education1 private enterprise1 and politics4 ,many have held the rank of ,general or ,admiral and played leadership roles in multiple war efforts from ,,wwi to ,vietnam through many decades4 ,in some cases they became the highest ranking officers for following wars4 7#i7 ,the extraordinary heroism of the ,american ,fighter ,ace boosted ,american morale at home and encouraged many men and women to enlist to fight for ,america and democracy across the globe4 7#aj7 ,fighter ,aces were among ,america's most-prized military fighters during wars4 ,when they rotated back to the ,united ,states after combat tours1 they trained cadets in fighter pilot tactics that they had learned over enemy skies4 ,the teaching of combat dogfighting to young aviators strengthened our fighter pilots to become more successful in the skies4 ,the net effect of this was to shorten wars and save the lives of young ,americans4 7#aa7 ,following military service1 many ,fighter ,aces became test pilots due to their superior flying skills and quick thinking abilities4 7#ab7 ,richard ,bong was ,america's top ,ace of all wars scoring a confirmed #dj enemy victories in ,,wwii4 ,he was from ,poplar1 ,wisconsin1 and flew the ,p-#ch ,lightning in all his combat sorties flying for the #dith ,fighter ,group4 ,he was killed in #aide during a ,p-#hj test flight in which the engine flamed out on takeoff4 7#ac7 ,the ,american ,fighter ,aces are one of the most decorated military groups in ,american history4 ,twenty-two ,fighter ,aces have achieved the rank of ,admiral in the ,navy4 ,seventy-nine ,fighter ,aces have achieved the rank of ,general in the ,army1 ,marines1 and ,air ,force4 ,nineteen ,medals of ,honor have been awarded to individual ,fighter ,aces4 7#ad7 ,the ,american ,fighter ,aces ,association has existed for over #ej years as the primary organization with which the ,aces have preserved their history and told their stories to the ,american public4 ,the ,association established and maintains the ,outstanding ,cadet in ,airmanship ,award presented annually at the ,united ,states ,air ,force ,academy2 established and maintains an awards program for outstanding fighter pilot lead-in trainee graduates from the ,air ,force1 ,navy1 and ,marine ,corps2 and sponsors a scholarship program for descendants of ,american ,fighter ,aces4 #c4 ,congressional gold medal 7a7 ,presentation authorized ,the ,speaker of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,president pro tempore of the ,senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the presentation1 on behalf of the ,congress1 of a single gold medal of appropriate design in honor of the ,american ,fighter ,aces1 collectively1 in recognition of their heroic military service and defense of our country's freedom1 which has spanned the history of aviation warfare4 7b7 ,design and striking ,for the purposes of the award referred to in subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of the ,treasury shall strike the gold medal with suitable emblems1 devices1 and inscriptions1 to be determined by the ,secretary4 7c7 ,smithsonian institution 7#a7 ,in general ,following the award of the gold medal in honor of the ,american ,fighter ,aces1 the gold medal shall be given to the ,smithsonian ,institution1 where it will be available for display as appropriate and available for research4 7#b7 ,sense of the ,congress ,it is the sense of the ,congress that the ,smithsonian ,institution should make the gold medal awarded pursuant to this ,act available for display elsewhere1 particularly at appropriate locations associated with the ,american ,fighter ,aces1 and that preference should be given to locations affiliated with the ,smithsonian ,institution4 #d4 ,duplicate medals ,the ,secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section #c under such regulations as the ,secretary may prescribe1 at a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof1 including labor1 materials1 dies1 use of machinery1 and overhead expenses1 and the cost of the gold medal4 #e4 ,national medals ,the medal struck pursuant to this ,act is a national medal for purposes of chapter #ea of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code4 #f4 ,authority ,to use fund amounts2 proceeds of sale 7a7 ,authority ,to use fund amounts ,there is authorized to be charged against the ,united ,states ,mint ,public ,enterprise ,fund1 an amount not to exceed #dj1jjj to pay for the cost of the medal authorized under section #c4 7b7 ,proceeds of sale ,amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze medals under section #d shall be deposited in the ,united ,states ,mint ,public ,enterprise ,fund4