,,ii  #aahth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #fcc  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the
 ,,united ,,states  ,march #b1 #bjbc,mr4
 ,padilla 7for himself and ,ms4 ,lummis7
 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 ,everett 
,alvarez1 ,jr41 in recognition of his   
service to the ,united ,states4  #a4    
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,everett ,alvarez1 ,jr4             
,congressional ,gold ,medal ,act of     
#bjbc4  #b4 ,findings ,congress finds   
the following3 7#a7 ,commander ,everett 
,alvarez1 ,jr4 7referred to in this     
section as ,,cdr ,alvarez71 served with 
distinction in the ,vietnam ,war and    
made historic sacrifices for the ,united
 ,states as-- 7,a7 the first ,united    
,states pilot to be shot down and       
captured during the ,vietnam ,war2 and  
7,b7 the second-longest-held prisoner of
 war in the history of the ,united      

,states1 surviving more than #ha_/b     
years in captivity4  7#b7 ,,cdr ,alvarez
 was born in ,salinas1 ,california1 in  
#aicg and was the grandchild of ,mexican
 immigrants4  7#c7 ,,cdr ,alvarez       
attended ,salinas ,union ,high ,school  
and ,hartnell ,college and received a   
bachelor of science degree from ,santa  
,clara ,university4  7#d7 ,in #aifj1    
,,cdr ,alvarez joined the ,navy and was 
commissioned as ,ensign4  7#e7 ,after   
receiving his commission1 ,,cdr ,alvarez
 attended flight training at the ,naval 
,air ,training ,command in ,pensacola1  
,florida4  7#f7 ,in ,june #aifa1 ,,cdr  
,alvarez was transferred to the ,naval  
,auxiliary ,air ,station in ,kingsville1
 ,texas1 where he trained until         
,december #aifa4  7#g7 ,,cdr ,alvarez   
was promoted to ,lieutenant ,junior     
,grade in ,april #aifb4  7#h7 ,in ,june 
#aifb1 ,,cdr ,alvarez joined ,attack    
,squadron #add1 nicknamed the           
,roadrunners1 which was deployed to the 
,gulf of ,tonkin before the ,united     

,states entered the ,vietnam ,war in    
,august #aifd4  7#i7 ,on ,august #e1    
#aifd1 while flying ,operation ,pierce  
,arrow from the ,,uss ,constellation    
near the ,vietnam-,china border1 ,,cdr  
,alvarez's ,a-#d ,skyhawk was shot down1
 and he was captured by a ,vietnamese   
fishing vessel4  7#aj7 ,upon capture1   
,,cdr ,alvarez was taken to the ,ha ,l  
,prison in ,hanoi1 known to many former 
prisoners as the ,hanoi ,hilton4  7#aa7 
,,cdr ,alvarez spent his first #ac      
months1 #h days1 and #e hours in        
isolation4  7#ab7 ,while at ,ha ,l1     
,,cdr ,alvarez was repeatedly beaten and
 tortured1 was fed inedible meals1 and  
suffered malnourishment4  7#ac7 ,in     
,september #aife1 ,,cdr ,alvarez was    
moved to the ,briarpatch1 a prison camp 
west of ,hanoi that had no electricity  
or running water4  7#ad7 ,despite       
torture and interrogation1 ,,cdr        
,alvarez remained loyal to the ,united  
,states and assisted other ,american    
prisoners of war4  7#ae7 ,,cdr ,alvarez1

 through his own actions1 encouraged and
 inspired fellow prisoners of war to    
return with honor1 which meant keeping  
their integrity in the face of torture  
and not cooperating with or divulging   
information to the enemy1 so that they  
could return home having remained loyal 
to the ,united ,states4  7#af7 ,at great
 risk1 ,,cdr ,alvarez helped spread the 
means of communication among fellow     
prisoners of war1 including the tap code
 and the mute hand code1 to keep up     
spirits and stay organized4  7#ag7 ,on  
,july #f1 #aiff1 ,,cdr ,alvarez and #ea 
other ,american prisoners of war were   
forced to march in the ,hanoi ,parade   
where he was abused and attacked by     
mobs4  7#ah7 ,,cdr ,alvarez was released
 on ,february #ab1 #aigc1 after spending
 #c1aac days1 or #h years and #f months1
 in captivity4  7#ai7 ,following his    
release and hospitalization1 ,,cdr      
,alvarez resumed his service in the     
,navy1 returning to ,naval ,air ,station
 ,kingsville for refresher flight       

training4  7#bj7 ,,cdr ,alvarez-- 7,a7  
attended the ,naval ,postgraduate       
,school in ,monterey1 ,california1 and  
received a master's degree in operations
 research and systems analysis in #aigf2
 and  7,b7 was inducted into the ,alumni
 ,hall of ,fame of the ,naval           
,postgraduate ,school on ,march #bg1    
#bjae4  7#ba7 ,,cdr ,alvarez served in  
,program ,management at the ,naval ,air 
,systems command in ,washington1 ,,dc1  
from ,october #aigf until his           
retirement4  7#bb7 ,,cdr ,alvarez       
retired from the ,navy on ,june #cj1    
#aihj1 after a #bj-year career in the   
,navy4  7#bc7 ,in ,april #aiha1         
,president ,ronald ,reagan appointed    
,,cdr ,alvarez as ,deputy ,director of  
the ,peace ,corps1 where he served until
 #aihb4  7#bd7 ,in ,july #aihb1         
,president ,reagan nominated ,,cdr      
,alvarez to be ,deputy ,administrator of
 the ,veterans ,administration1 now     
known as the ,department of ,veterans   
,affairs1 where he served until #aihf4  

7#be7 ,,cdr ,alvarez earned his juris   
doctor from the ,george ,washington     
,university ,law ,school in #aihc and   
has been admitted to the ,district of   
,columbia bar4  7#bf7 ,in ,february     
#aihg1 ,president ,reagan appointed     
,,cdr ,alvarez to the ,board of ,regents
 of the ,uniformed ,services ,university
 of the ,health ,sciences1 where he     
served for nearly #ba years4  7#bg7 ,for
 his service1 ,,cdr ,alvarez was awarded
 the ,silver ,star ,medal1 #b ,legions  
of ,merit1 the ,distinguished ,flying   
,cross1 #b ,bronze ,star ,medals1 #b    
,purple ,hearts1 and the ,prisoner of   
,war ,medal4  7#bh7 ,on ,september #ah1 
#bjab1 the ,united ,states ,navy        
,memorial awarded ,,cdr ,alvarez the    
,lone ,sailor ,award4  7#bi7 ,the people
 of the ,united ,states honor the       
sacrifices of ,,cdr ,alvarez and his    
service to the ,united ,states4  #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 gold medal of 
appropriate design to ,everett ,alvarez1
 ,jr41 in recognition of his service to 
the ,united ,states4  7b7 ,design and   
striking  7#a7 ,in general ,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 inscriptions1 to be determined by   
the ,secretary4  7#b7 ,image and        
inscription ,the gold medal struck under
 paragraph 7#a7 shall bear an image of1 
and the inscription of the name of1     
,everett ,alvarez1 ,jr4  #d4 ,duplicate 
medals ,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 ,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  #f4 
,authority to use fund amounts2 proceeds
 of sale  7a7 ,authority ,to use fund   
amounts ,there is authorized to be      
charged against the ,united ,states     
,mint ,public ,enterprise ,fund such    
amounts as may be necessary to pay for  
the costs of the medals struck under    
this ,act4  7b7 ,proceeds of sale       
,amounts received from the sale of      
duplicate bronze medals authorized under
 section #d shall be deposited into the 
,united ,states ,mint ,public           
,enterprise ,fund4