,,ii  #aadth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #bijc  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,may #i1 #bjaf 
,mr4 ,reid introduced the following     
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,banking1 ,housing1
 and ,urban ,affairs  ,a ,,bill  ,to    
award a ,congressional ,gold ,medal to  
former ,united ,states ,senator ,max    
,cleland4  #a4 ,short title  ,this ,act 
may be cited as the ,max ,cleland       
,congressional ,gold ,medal ,act of     
#bjaf4  #b4 ,findings  ,congress finds  
the following3 7#a7 ,joseph ,maxwell    
,max ,cleland has demonstrated the      
highest degree of professionalism and   
has served as an inspiration to friends1
 family1 veterans1 and many others while
 dedicating his life to the public      
service of the ,united ,states4  7#b7   
,max ,cleland began his career in public
 service when he joined the ,reserve    
,officers' ,training ,corps as a young  
college student1 went on active duty in 
the ,united ,states ,army 7in this      

section referred to as the ,army7 in    
#aife as a ,second ,lieutenant1 and     
volunteered for service in ,vietnam1    
rising to the rank of ,captain4  7#c7   
,the ,army recognized ,max ,cleland with
 a ,silver ,star for his gallantry in   
action during the ,battle of ,khe ,sanh 
in ,april of #aifh4 ,according to the   
letter of commendation from the ,army1  
,the ,president of the ,united ,states  
of ,america1 authorized by ,act of      
,congress1 ,july #h1 #aiah 7amended by  
act of ,july #be1 #aifc71 takes pleasure
 in presenting the ,silver ,star to     
,captain 7,signal ,corps7 ,joseph       
,maxwell ,cleland1 ,united ,states      
,army1 for gallantry in action while    
engaged in military operations involving
 conflict with an armed hostile force in
 the ,republic of ,vietnam44  7#d7 ,max 
,cleland1 a ,battalion ,signal ,officer 
dispatched to set up a radio relay      
antenna1 was severely wounded on the    
battlefield and1 as a result1 lost both 
of his legs and his right arm4 ,cleland 

would endure #ah months of extremely    
difficult rehabilitation and recovery at
 ,walter ,reed ,army ,medical ,center   
and hospitals of the ,department of     
,veterans ,affairs 7in this section     
referred to as ,,va hospitals7 in       
,washington1 ,,dc4 ,in #aifi1 ,cleland  
testified before the ,committee on      
,veterans' ,affairs of the ,senate on   
the hardships faced by veterans         
returning home from war4  7#e7 ,upon    
returning to ,georgia1 ,max ,cleland was
 determined to continue his public      
service and1 in #aigj1 at the age of    
#bh1 was elected as the youngest        
,georgia ,state senator and helped pass 
legislation to make public facilities   
accessible for veterans1 older people1  
and individuals with disabilities4  7#f7
 ,max ,cleland later came to            
,washington1 ,,dc and joined the ,senate
 ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs as a 
professional staff member1 investigating
 ,,va hospitals across the country and  
the treatment of servicemembers         

returning from ,vietnam4  7#g7 ,in      
#aigg1 ,president ,jimmy ,carter named  
,max ,cleland1 then just #cd years old1 
the youngest ever individual1 and first 
,vietnam veteran1 to serve as           
,administrator of the ,veterans         
,administration4 ,as ,administrator1    
,cleland helped create the ,vet ,center 
counseling program1 which later expanded
 to #cjj facilities nationwide helping  
veterans and their families receive     
psychological care for post-traumatic   
stress disorders and other problems     
associated with warfare4  7#h7          
,following his term as ,administrator of
 the ,veterans ,administration1 ,max    
,cleland returned to elective office in 
#aihb when he was elected as ,secretary 
of ,state of the ,state of ,georgia4 ,as
 ,secretary of ,state1 ,cleland         
implemented the ,national ,voter        
,registration ,act of #aiic 7#eb        
,u4,s4,c4 #bjeja et seq47 in ,georgia   
and added almost #a1jjj1jjj new voters  
to the rolls4  7#i7 ,max ,cleland was   

elected to the ,united ,states ,senate  
in #aiif and would go on to chair the   
,subcommittee on ,personnel of the      
,committee on ,armed ,services of the   
,senate4 ,in the ,senate1 ,cleland was  
known for his work in expanding benefits
 for servicemembers and in improving    
veterans' health care1 education1 and   
the environment4  7#aj7 ,after his      
service in the ,senate1 ,max ,cleland   
continued his distinguished career in   
public service by becoming a            
commissioner on the ,national           
,commission on ,terrorist ,attacks ,upon
 the ,united ,states 7commonly referred 
to as the #i_/aa ,commission7 and later 
as a member of the ,board of ,directors 
of the ,export-,import ,bank of the     
,united ,states4  7#aa7 ,in #bjji1      
,president ,barack ,obama named ,max    
,cleland ,secretary of the ,american    
,battle ,monuments ,commission4 ,as     
,secretary of the ,commission1 ,cleland 
is charged with commemorating both the  
permanent cemeteries of the ,united     

,states located in foreign countries and
 the military memorials1 monuments1 and 
markers demonstrating where members of  
the ,united ,states ,armed ,forces have 
served overseas since ,world ,war ,i4   
7#ab7 ,in #bjaj1 ,president ,obama again
 called on ,max ,cleland to serve his   
country and ,cleland again accepted4    
,this time1 ,cleland agreed to serve as 
co-chair1 and eventually the inaugural  
chair1 of the ,advisory ,committee on   
,arlington ,national ,cemetery1 which   
was established to help fix the problems
 facing the final resting place for many
 of the heroes of the ,united ,states4  
,after his tenure as chair1 ,cleland was
 awarded the ,decoration for            
,distinguished ,civilian ,service of the
 ,army1 the highest honorary award that 
the ,secretary of the ,army can confer  
on a civilian4  7#ac7 ,after overcoming 
some of the most difficult challenges   
imaginable1 ,max ,cleland has spent     
almost five decades of his life in      
service to the ,united ,states and the  

country is forever indebted to his      
service4  #c4 ,congressional ,gold      
,medal  7a7 ,award ,authorized ,the     
,speaker of the ,house of               
,representatives and the ,president pro 
tempore of the ,senate shall make       
appropriate arrangements for the award1 
on behalf of ,congress1 of a gold medal 
of appropriate design to ,joseph        
,maxwell ,max ,cleland4  7b7 ,design and
 ,striking ,for the purposes of the     
award described in subsection 7a71 the  
,secretary of the ,treasury 7in this    
,act referred to as the ,secretary7     
shall strike the gold medal with        
suitable emblems1 devices1 and          
inscriptions1 to be determined by the   
,secretary4  7c7 ,duplicate medals  7#a7
 ,in general ,under such regulations as 
the ,secretary may prescribe1 the       
,secretary may strike and sell          
duplicates in bronze of the gold medal  
struck under this ,act at a price       
sufficient to cover the costs of the    
medals1 including labor1 materials1     

dies1 use of machinery1 and overhead    
expenses4  7#b7 ,sale of duplicate      
medals ,the amounts received from the   
sale of duplicate medals under paragraph
 7#a7 shall be deposited in the ,united 
,states ,mint ,public ,enterprise ,fund4
  #d4 ,status of medals  ,medals struck 
under this ,act are national medals for 
purposes of chapter #ea of title #ca1   
,united ,states ,code4