,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ihj ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #e1 #bjai,mr4 ,ryan 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,kaptur1 ,mr4 ,cohen1 ,mr4 ,gonzalez of ,texas1 ,mrs4 ,dingell1 and ,ms4 ,mc,collum7 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 all ,united ,states nationals who voluntarily joined the ,canadian and ,british armed forces and their supporting entities during ,world ,war ,,ii1 in recognition of their dedicated service4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,american ,patriots of ,,wwii through ,service with the ,canadian and ,british ,armed ,forces ,gold ,medal ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,americans from across the country served in defense of democracy and freedom during ,world ,war ,,ii 7,,wwii7 by volunteering for service with the ,canadian and ,british militaries and other associated organizations that were fighting ,nazi and ,fascist aggression4 ,many ,united ,states citizens perceived the importance of this war and the severe impact ,nazism and ,fascism could have on the ,american way of life4 ,therefore1 prior to the ,united ,states entry into the conflict and indeed throughout ,,wwii these patriots independently crossed the border into ,canada and entered ,canadian and ,british armed forces recruiting offices or sought out representatives based in major ,united ,states municipalities and elsewhere4 7#b7 ,when the ,united ,kingdom of ,great ,britain and ,northern ,ireland and the ,british ,commonwealth of ,nations were drawn into ,,wwii after ,germany invaded ,poland in #aici1 the ,canadian and ,british air forces made a concerted effort to recruit ,americans4 7#c7 ,it is documented that thousands of ,americans joined the ,canadian and ,british armed forces1 a large percentage joining the ,royal ,canadian ,air ,force 7,,rcaf7 alone4 ,in a #aidb film ,air ,marshal ,william ,avery ,billy ,bishop1 an organizer and promoter of the ,british ,commonwealth ,air ,training ,plan 7,,bcatp7 and ,director of the ,royal ,canadian ,air ,force1 recognized the gallant lads from the ,united ,states who have come up here to help and serve with us4 ,notably1 many ,americans were also recruited and processed through ,canada before being assigned to or detached for the purpose of ,royal ,air ,force 7,,raf7 service4 7#d7 ,general of the ,army1 ,army of the ,united ,states1 ,dwight ,d4 ,eisenhower1 the former ,supreme ,allied ,commander of the ,allied ,expeditionary ,force1 referenced1 in a speech on ,january #aj1 #aidf1 the some twelve thousand ,american citizens who crossed into ,canada with the goal of entering the ,canadian armed forces4 ,although the precise numbers of ,americans who were in ,canadian and ,british service are unknown1 media accounts published by ,allied journalists during the conflict nonetheless detail their legacies of volunteerism1 personal sacrifice1 and bravery4 7#e7 ,americans also joined the ,canadian ,aviation ,bureau1 and the ,home ,guard1 ,air ,transport ,auxiliary 7,,ata71 and ,royal ,air ,force ,ferry ,command_/,transport ,command in ,britain4 ,the existence of these ancillaries enabled patriotic citizens1 who were1 at least initially1 unable to join a branch of the ,united ,states military due to gender1 age1 race1 health1 the lack of sufficient college education1 or other reasons1 to support the war effort4 ,those who contributed via these alternative concerns were no less essential to attaining victory4 7#f7 ,the infusion of ,americans into ,canada helped to reduce shortages of civilian and military pilots in the ,,bcatp1 and ,president ,franklin ,roosevelt paid tribute to both ,canada and the program in a wartime letter to ,canadian ,prime ,minister ,william ,lyon ,mackenzie ,king4 ,within the correspondence ,president ,roosevelt used the phrase the ,aerodrome of ,democracy4 7#g7 ,as members of the ,canadian and ,british militaries1 the ,american volunteers served in many capacities4 ,extant military rolls and individual service records document1 and thereby testify to1 their contributions4 7#h7 ,a sizable number of ,americans lost their lives or were wounded while serving in the ,,rcaf and ,,raf4 ,the ,canadian ,army1 ,british ,army1 ,royal ,canadian ,navy1 and ,royal ,navy also incurred ,american personnel casualties4 ,those who perished and the survivors demonstrated the exceptional courage that has been repeatedly displayed in the defense of freedom throughout ,american history4 7#i7 ,a unique and highly publicized group of ,americans1 who were members of the ,,rcaf and ,,raf1 were posted to the famous ,,raf ,eagle ,squadrons and thereby showcased the important roles ,american volunteers were undertaking4 ,british ,prime ,minister ,winston ,churchill1 whose mother was ,american1 played an important role in originally promoting the concept of the ,eagle ,squadrons to the ,air ,ministry4 7#aj7 ,the early successes of female ferry aircrews paved the way for the formation in the ,united ,states of the ,women ,airforce ,service ,pilots 7,,wasp7 in #aidc4 ,the exceptional legacy of the ,women ,airforce ,service ,pilots1 ,,ata1 etc41 provided essential support and paved the way for future generations of military women4 7#aa7 ,a substantial portion of the ,americans serving in ,canadian and ,british aerial forces transferred to the ,united ,states ,army ,air ,forces between #aidb and #aidd1 while others elected to enter other branches of the ,united ,states ,military4 7#ab7 ,the practical experience these veterans of ,canadian and ,british service possessed provided the inexperienced ,american ,forces with an immediate degree of competence and effectiveness4 ,more than a few became accomplished combat pilots1 the ,american ,fighter ,aces ,association possessing many of them within the organization's core membership4 7#ac7 ,the bravery and foresight displayed by the ,americans who enlisted in the ,canadian and ,british armed forces represent a largely unrecognized story of valor1 and their initiatives are worthy of official recognition4 7#ad7 ,the ,united ,states ,nationals who volunteered for service with military-associated ,canadian and ,british ancillary entities are to be equally recognized for their volunteerism1 contributions1 and sacrifices4 #c4 ,congressional gold medal 7a7 ,award authorized ,the ,president pro tempore of the ,senate and the ,speaker of the ,house of ,representatives shall make appropriate arrangements for the award1 on behalf of ,congress1 of a single gold medal of appropriate design to all ,united ,states nationals who voluntarily joined the ,canadian and ,british armed forces and their supporting entities during ,world ,war ,,ii1 in recognition of their dedicated service4 7b7 ,design and striking ,for the purposes of the award referred to in subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of the ,treasury 7referred to in this ,act as the ,secretary7 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 under subsection 7a71 the gold medal shall be given to the ,smithsonian ,institution1 where it will be available for display as appropriate and made available for research4 7#b7 ,sense of congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that the ,smithsonian ,institution should make the gold medal received under paragraph 7#a7 available for display elsewhere4 7d7 ,duplicate medals ,under regulations that the ,secretary may promulgate1 the ,secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck under this ,act1 at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals1 including labor1 materials1 dies1 use of machinery1 and overhead expenses4 #d4 ,status of medals 7a7 ,national medals ,medals struck under 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