,,ii #aaeth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #dej ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #bg1 #bjag ,mr4 ,manchin 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 members of the ,armed ,forces who fought in defense of ,guam1 ,wake ,island1 and the ,philippine ,archipelago between ,december #g1 #aida and ,may #aj1 #aidb1 and who died or were imprisoned by the ,japanese military in the ,philippines1 ,japan1 ,korea1 ,manchuria1 ,wake ,island1 and ,guam from ,april #i1 #aidb until ,september #b1 #aide1 in recognition of their personal sacrifice and service to the ,united ,states4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,pacific ,defenders of ,world ,war ,,ii ,congressional ,gold ,medal ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds that-- 7#a7 ,guam was captured by ,imperial ,japanese forces on ,december #aj1 #aida1 #c days after the attack on ,pearl ,harbor and remained in the hands of the ,japanese until ,june #aidd2 7#b7 the prisoners who remained on ,guam suffered atrocities at the hands of the ,japanese1 with some prisoners being transported on hell ships to ,japanese prisoner of war camps2 7#c7 on ,december #bb1 #aida1 the ,japanese took approximately #a1fjj prisoners on ,wake ,island2 7#d7 approximately #dej members of the ,armed ,forces and #a1aej civilians were captured on ,wake ,island and transported on hell ships to prisoner of war camps in ,china and ,japan2 7#e7 ,major ,general ,edward ,king led the combined ,philippine-,united ,states force of #ge1jjj troops in the defense of the ,bataan peninsula1 until ,april #i1 #aidb1 at which point1 due to diminishing resources and disease1 ,major ,general ,king surrendered soldiers from the ,united ,states and the ,commonwealth of the ,philippines into enemy hands2 7#f7 over the next week1 the soldiers from the ,united ,states and the ,philippine ,commonwealth were taken prisoner and forced to march #fe miles without food1 water1 or medical care in what came to be known as the ,bataan ,death ,march1 where approximately #fjj members of the ,armed ,forces and between #e1jjj and #aj1jjj ,filipino soldiers died from starvation disease1 exposure1 exhaustion1 and abuse by their captors2 7#g7 on ,may #f1 #aidb1 the resistance reached its limitations after a weeklong siege and ,lieutenant ,general ,wainwright1 as authorized by ,president ,roosevelt1 surrendered the remaining #aa1jjj troops on ,corregidor ,island2 7#h7 on ,may #aj1 #aidb1 the only remaining resistance force in the archipelago1 under the command of ,major ,general ,william ,f4 ,sharp1 surrendered after fighting the ,japanese from ,april #bi1 #aidb1 to ,may #i1 #aidb1 on the island of ,mindanao1 at which point ,lieutenant ,general ,jonathan ,wainwright1 as ,supreme ,allied ,commander1 surrendered all ,allied ,forces in the ,philippine archipelago2 7#i7 within the first #dj days #a1fjj more ,united ,states prisoners died at ,camp ,o',donnell1 a pre-war training camp turned prisoner of war camp1 which had substandard conditions1 leading to increased disease and malnutrition among the prisoners2 7#aj7 in ,may #aidb1 the ,japanese began transferring prisoners of war by sea to ,japan1 ,taiwan1 ,korea1 ,manchuria1 ,sumatra1 ,burma1 and ,siam2 7#aa7 during the transfer1 prisoners were crammed into cargo holds with little air1 food or water for journeys that would last for weeks on what were to be known as the hell ships2 7#ab7 many died due to asphyxia1 starvation1 or dysentery and some prisoners became delirious and unresponsive in an environment of heat1 humidity and lack of oxygen1 food1 and water2 7#ac7 estimates of more than #abf1jjj ,allied prisoners of war were transported in #aef voyages on #acd ,japanese merchant ships1 of whom more than #ba1jjj people of the ,united ,states were killed or injured2 7#ad7 on ,june #f1 #aidb1 #f1jjj ,united ,states prisoners of war were transferred to ,cabanatuan1 north of ,camp ,o',donnell1 where they were assigned to work details and hard labor and where #c1jjj members of the ,armed ,forces died from disease1 starvation1 beatings1 and executions2 7#ae7 the campus of the ,university of ,santo ,toms in ,manila was converted to the ,santo ,toms ,internment ,camp by the ,japanese during their occupation of the ,philippines1 from ,january #aidb until ,february #aide2 7#af7 ,santo ,toms became the internment camp for ,united ,states ,army and ,navy nurses also known as the ,angels of ,bataan and ,corregidor1 who continued to serve as a nursing unit while imprisoned and until their liberation2 7#ag7 the prisoners who remained in the camps suffered from continued mistreatment1 malnutrition1 lack of medical care1 and horrific conditions2 7#ah7 ,operation ,blacklist began in early #aide to locate1 recover1 and repatriate all prisoners of war2 7#ai7 over the subsequent decades1 these prisoners formed support groups1 were honored in local and ,state memorials1 and told their story to the people of the ,united ,states2 and 7#bj7 the people of the ,united ,states are forever indebted to these men and women for-- 7,a7 the courage they demonstrated during the first #d months of ,world ,war ,,ii in fighting against enemy soldiers2 and 7,b7 the perseverance they demonstrated during subsequent years of capture and imprisonment under brutal conditions1 while maintaining their dignity1 honor1 patriotism1 and loyalty4 #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 gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration of members of the ,armed ,forces who fought in defense of ,guam1 ,wake ,island1 and the ,philippine archipelago between ,december #g1 #aida1 and ,may #aj1 #aidb1 and who died or were imprisoned by the ,japanese military in the ,philippines1 ,japan1 ,korea1 ,manchuria1 ,wake ,island1 and ,guam from ,april #i1 #aidb1 until ,september #b1 #aide1 in recognition of their personal sacrifice and service to the ,united ,states4 7b7 ,design and striking ,for purposes of the presentation under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of the ,treasury 7referred to in this ,act as the ,secretary7 shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems1 devices1 and inscriptions1 to be determined by the ,secretary4 7c7 ,transfer and display of medals 7#a7 ,in general ,following the presentation of the gold medal under subsection 7a71 the gold medal shall be given to the ,smithsonian ,institution1 where it shall be displayed as appropriate and made available for research4 7#b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of the ,congress that the ,smithsonian ,institution should make the gold medal received under paragraph 7#a7 available for display at other locations1 particularly such locations as are associated with the members of the ,armed ,forces described under subsection 7a74 #d4 ,duplicate medals ,the ,secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck under 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 medals struck pursuant to this ,act are national medals for purposes of chapter #ea of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code4