,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #gche ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #bf1 #bjbj,mr4 ,connolly introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,financial ,services ,a ,,bill ,to award a ,congressional ,gold ,medal to ,edwin ,cole ,ed ,bearss1 in recognition of his contributions to preservation of ,american ,civil ,war history and continued efforts to bring our ,nation's history alive for new generations through his interpretive storytelling4 #a4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,edwin ,cole ,ed ,bearss was born ,june #bf1 #aibc1 in ,billings1 ,montana1 to ,omar and ,virginia ,bearss4 7#b7 ,during a #dj-year career with the ,national ,park ,service1 ,mr4 ,bearss distinguished himself as one of ,america's preeminent historians1 particularly in the field of the ,civil ,war1 not only through his work to preserve the places in which our ,nation's history was forged but also through his captivating interpretive storytelling about the people and events that shaped those places4 7#c7 ,mr4 ,bearss' lifelong passion for ,civil ,war history was kindled during his youth4 ,even at an early age1 ,mr4 ,bearss demonstrated a knack for committing facts to memory1 a skill that helped him win school contests in history1 current events1 and geography4 7#d7 ,he graduated high school in ,may #aida and the following year joined the ,u4,s4 ,marine ,corps1 serving with the #crd ,marine ,raider ,battalion during the invasion of ,guadalcanal and the ,russell ,islands4 ,he was badly wounded in gunfire at ,suicide ,creek1 ,cape ,gloucester1 ,new ,britain1 while serving with the #gth ,regiment1 #ast ,marine ,division4 7#e7 ,upon returning home1 ,mr4 ,bearss attended ,georgetown ,university1 obtaining a bachelor's degree in ,foreign ,service studies1 and later attended ,indiana ,university1 earning a master's degree in history4 7#f7 ,it was during a fortuitous visit to the ,shiloh ,national ,military ,park in ,tennessee1 on a tour with the park historian1 where the seeds were planted for ,mr4 ,bearss' future career with the ,national ,park ,service4 7#g7 ,in #aiee1 he landed a job as park historian at the ,national ,battlefield ,park in ,vicksburg1 ,mississippi1 where his research helped fill in missing pieces of ,civil ,war history4 ,none were more significant than the discovery of the ,,uss ,cairo1 a long-lost ,union ironclad gunboat sunk by ,confederate submarine torpedoes in #ahfb that was buried in the mud of the ,yazoo ,river4 ,mr4 ,bearss later authored a book on the sinking and salvage of the ironclad4 7#h7 ,it was during his tenure at ,vicksburg that he met his wife1 ,margie1 a teacher who shared ,mr4 ,bearss' love of history4 ,they had three children1 ,sara1 ,cole1 and ,jenny4 7#i7 ,mr4 ,bearss became the ,national ,park ,service's chief historian in #aiha4 ,following his retirement in #aiid1 he was recognized with the title ,chief ,historian ,emeritus1 a fitting title as his research and recounting of our ,nation's history continues to this day4 7#aj7 ,whenever possible1 he travels to our ,nation's ,civil ,war battlefields1 helping to preserve the places where history happened and make those places come alive as a public historian4 ,he once said1 ,you can't describe a battlefield unless you walk it44 ,anyone who has spent time with ,mr4 ,bearss touring a battlefield1 sometimes braving the elements1 enthralled by his prodigious tales regards him as a ,national ,treasure4 ,his unique chronicling of our ,nation's history has been described as a transcendental experience of ,homeric monologues punctuated by colorful1 vivid images4 ,mr4 ,bearss himself has been described as a cross between a good-natured platoon sergeant and ,walter ,cronkite4 ,he lectures with his eye closed1 so he can see the history better1 he once said4 7#aa7 ,mr4 ,bearss has received multiple honors for his contributions to the preservation of our ,nation's history3 the ,harry ,s4 ,truman ,award in #aifa for ,meritorious ,service in the field of ,civil ,war history1 ,man of the ,year at ,vicksburg in #aifc1 inducted a member of the ,company of ,military ,historians in #aifd1 the ,nevins-,freeman ,award from the ,chicago ,civil ,war ,roundtable in #aihj1 the ,department of the ,interior's ,distinguished ,service ,award in #aihc1 and a commendation from the ,secretary of the ,army in #aihe4 ,the ,secretary of the ,interior at the time1 ,james ,watt1 called ,mr4 ,bearss unquestionably the most productive historian in the history of the ,national ,park ,service4 7#ab7 ,mr4 ,bearss continued to tour the country well into his later years1 visiting battlefields and ,civil ,war organizations1 to keep ,america's history fresh in the minds of future generations4 #b4 ,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 to ,edwin ,cole ,ed ,bearss1 in recognition of his contributions to preservation of ,american ,civil ,war history and continued efforts to bring our ,nation's history alive for new generations through his interpretive storytelling4 7b7 ,design and striking ,for purposes of the presentation referred to in subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of the ,treasury 7hereafter in this ,act referred to as the ,secretary7 shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems1 devices1 and inscriptions1 to be determined by the ,secretary4 #c4 ,duplicate medals ,the ,secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section #b 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 #d4 ,status of medals ,the medals struck pursuant to this ,act are national medals for purposes of chapter #ea of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code4