,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #ahhi  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,march #bf1 #bjai    
,ms4 ,snchez 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,soto1  
,mr4 ,espaillat1 ,mrs4 ,torres of       
,california1 ,ms4 ,escobar1 ,ms4        
,roybal-,allard1 ,mr4 ,garca of         
,illinois1 and ,mrs4 ,napolitano7       
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 members of ,escuadrn
 #bja4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may 
be cited as the ,escuadrn #bja          
,congressional ,gold ,medal ,act4  #b4  
,findings ,congress finds the following3
  7#a7 ,escuadrn #bja1 or the #bjast    
,squadron1 of the ,mexican              

,expeditionary ,air ,force fought       
alongside ,united ,states forces in the 
,south ,pacific during ,world ,war ,,ii4
  7#b7 ,nicknamed the ,aztec ,eagles1   
,escuadrn #bja integrated with ,united  
,states forces including the ,u4,s4 #eth
 ,air ,force and the #ehth ,fighter     
,group to provide close air support for 
,american and ,philippine ground forces 
as well as long range strikes using     
,republic ,p-#dg;,d ,thunderbolt fighter
 aircraft4  7#c7 ,following ,mexico's   
declaration of war on ,japan1 ,germany1 
and ,italy on ,may #bh1 #aidb1 ,mexico  
entered into agreements with the ,united
 ,states to collaborate through the     
reciprocal use of airfields and         
facilities and the training of ,mexican 
personnel by the ,united ,states ,army  
,air ,forces 7,,usaaf74  7#d7 ,with the 
assistance of ,,usaaf1 ,mexican         
,expeditionary ,air ,force pilots were  
trained in ,guadalajara1 ,mexico and    
later moved to ,,usaaf schools in the   
,united ,states for additional          

individual and unit training4  7#e7 ,in 
,july #aidd1 #cf pilots and #bfd support
 personnel formed ,escuadrn #bja1       
,mexico's first squadron that would be  
deployed overseas to fight alongside    
,united ,states forces4  7#f7 ,in       
,february #aide1 ,escuadrn #bja and the 
headquarters of the ,mexican            
,expeditionary ,air ,force moved to the 
,philippine ,islands and began combat   
operations with the #ehth ,fighter      
,group in ,porac1 ,luzon4  7#g7         
,deployed to ,okinawa in ,july #aide1   
,escuadrn #bja provided close in ground 
support for the ,u4,s4 #beth ,tropic    
,lightning ,division and ,philippine    
,army units as well as long-range       
strikes into ,japanese-held territory in
 ,taiwan4  7#h7 ,mexico was prepared to 
send additional squadrons to fight with 
,allied forces had ,japan not offered   
its unconditional surrender following   
the attacks on ,hiroshima and ,nagasaki4
  7#i7 ,seven ,escuadrn #bja pilots lost
 their lives fighting ,axis forces4     

7#aj7 ,during its #gie combat sorties   
and #b1jjj hours of combat flying1      
,escuadrn #bja exemplified valor and was
 indispensable to the war effort and an 
,allied victory4  #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 ,congress1 of
 a single gold medal of appropriate     
design to the members of ,escuadrn #bja4
  7b7 ,design and striking ,for purposes
 of the presentation referred to in     
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 inscriptions to be determined by the
 ,secretary4  7c7 ,smithsonian          
institution  7#a7 ,in general ,following
 the award of the gold medal in honor of
 ,escuadrn #bja1 the gold medal shall be
 given to the ,smithsonian ,institution1

 where it shall 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 ,escuadrn     
#bja1 and that preference should be     
given to locations affiliated with the  
,smithsonian ,institution4  #d4         
,duplicate medals ,under such           
regulations as the ,secretary may       
prescribe1 the ,secretary may strike and
 sell duplicates in bronze of the gold  
medal struck under section #c1 at a     
price sufficient to cover the costs of  
the medals1 including labor1 materials1 
dies1 use of machinery1 and overhead    
expenses4  #e4 ,national medals  7a7    
,national medals ,the medals struck     
pursuant to this ,act are national      
medals for purposes of chapter #ea of   
title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code4  7b7  

,numismatic items ,for purposes of      
section #eacd of title #ca1 ,united     
,states ,code1 all medals struck under  
this ,act shall be considered to be     
numismatic items4