,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dfba ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,july #bb1 #bjbe,mr4 ,veasey 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,kelly of ,mississippi1 ,mr4 ,carson1 ,mr4 ,khanna1 ,ms4 ,de,lauro1 ,mr4 ,garamendi1 ,ms4 ,strickland1 ,mr4 ,carter of ,louisiana1 ,mr4 ,davis of ,north ,carolina1 ,mr4 ,smith of ,nebraska1 ,ms4 ,sherrill1 and ,mr4 ,lawler7 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 #cbjth ,barrage ,balloon ,battalion1 collectively1 in recognition of their extraordinary heroism and life-saving actions during the ,d-,day invasion1 and their significant contributions to the success of the ,allied forces during ,world ,war ,,ii4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the #cbjth ,barrage ,balloon ,battalion ,gold ,medal ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the #cbjth ,barrage ,balloon ,battalion was formed on ,september #ba1 #aidb1 just a year after the ,coastal ,artillery ,corps took over responsibility for barrage balloons from the ,army ,air ,corps4 ,their first combat assignment was at the ,utah and ,omaha beaches in ,normandy1 ,france1 for the ,d-,day invasion4 7#b7 ,the ,soldiers of the ,battalion played a crucial role in protecting the ,allied forces during the ,d-,day invasion by deploying barrage balloons to prevent enemy aircraft from targeting the invasion forces directly4 ,their bravery and determination exemplify the valor and dedication of ,african-,american soldiers during ,world ,war ,,ii4 7#c7 ,the #cbjth ,barrage ,balloon ,battalion was unique at ,normandy for two reasons4 ,first1 it was the only ,american barrage balloon unit in ,france and second1 it was the first and only segregated unit of ,african-,american ,soldiers to land on the beaches during ,d-,day4 7#d7 ,the brave men of the #cbjth ,barrage ,balloon ,battalion faced intense enemy fire during the ,d-,day invasion4 ,their mission was to raise hydrogen-filled barrage balloons to protect assaulting infantry and armor from being strafed by enemy aircraft4 ,the balloons flew at an altitude of around #bjj feet to defend soldiers landing on the beaches against strafing attacks by ,german aircraft4 7#e7 ,the #cbjth ,barrage ,balloon ,battalion came up with an ingenious solution to one problem they had during the landing4 ,they refitted ,,rl-#ca ,signal ,corps field cable winches with barrage balloon reels1 which weighed only #ce pounds and were mounted in the back of a jeep to deploy and control balloons on ,d-,day4 7#f7 ,despite the severe conditions and many balloons being shot down1 the battalion successfully deployed their balloons which resulted in the downing of a ,german ,,ju-,,ss aircraft1 significantly contributing to the overall security and success of the invasion and the ,allied victory4 7#g7 ,additionally1 at approximately #aj3ae ,a4,m4 on ,june #f1 #aidd1 five battalion medics with the #cbjth were the first to land on ,omaha ,beach1 with crews of three-to-four men joining them shortly after ,u4,s4 ,army ,corporal ,waverly ,b4 ,woodson1 ,jr41 was among them4 7#h7 ,corporal ,woodson was injured when his ,landing ,craft1 ,tank 7,,lct #hef7 hit a sea mine and was1 then1 struck by an artillery shell4 ,despite his injuries1 ,woodson continued to perform his duties1 conducting an amputation1 setting limbs and removing bullets over a #cj-;hour period4 ,he even revived three men via artificial respiration4 ,his efforts on ,d-,day are believed to have saved #bjj soldiers1 and he was recommended for the ,medal of ,honor by ,general ,john ,c4,h4 ,lee1 but never received it4 7#i7 ,the #cbjth ,barrage ,balloon ,battalion served #aaj days in ,france1 providing vital air defense during the critical early stages of the invasion4 ,in late ,july #aidd1 ,battery ,a of the #cbjth moved from ,omaha ,beach to the port city of ,cherbourg1 while the remaining batteries stayed on ,omaha and ,utah ,beaches until early ,october1 when deteriorating weather prevented ships from landing4 7#aj7 ,following their service in the ,european ,theater1 the #cbjth underwent training at ,camp ,stewart1 ,georgia1 prior to their deployment to the ,pacific4 ,on ,may #f1 #aide1 the #cbjth arrived in ,oahu1 ,hawaii1 in support of the proposed ,allied invasion of ,japan which never took place4 7#aa7 ,a commendation by ,supreme ,allied ,commander ,general ,dwight ,d4 ,eisenhower cited the unit for conducting its mission with courage and determination1 proving to be an important element of the air defense team4 ,despite their significant contributions1 the #cbjth ,barrage ,balloon ,battalion has not received the recognition it deserves in the annals of ,world ,war ,,ii history4 7#ab7 ,henry ,parham1 the last surviving member of this unit1 died in ,july #bjba4 ,his passing marked the end of an era1 marking it fitting to honor the memory and service of these brave men4 7#ac7 ,the story of the #cbjth ,barrage ,balloon ,battalion serves as a powerful reminder of the contributions and sacrifices of ,african-,american soldiers in ,world ,war ,,ii1 whose patriotic commitment and perseverance in the face of adversity during ,d-,day deserve national recognition and commemoration4 #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 in honor of the #cbjth ,barrage ,balloon ,battalion1 collectively1 in recognition of their extraordinary heroism and bravery during the ,d-,day invasion1 and their significant contributions to the success of the ,allied forces during ,world ,war ,,ii4 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 inscriptions1 to be determined by the ,secretary1 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,defense4 7c7 ,smithsonian institution 7#a7 ,in general ,following the award of the gold medal in honor of the #cbjth ,barrage ,balloon ,battalion1 the gold medal shall be given to the ,smithsonian ,institution1 where it will be available for display as appropriate and available for research4 7#b7 ,sense of congress ,it is the sense of ,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 ,d-,day1 ,world ,war ,,ii1 and ,african-,american servicemembers4 #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 cost thereof1 including labor1 materials1 dies1 use of machinery1 and overhead expenses4 #e4 ,status of medals 7a7 ,national medal ,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 sections #eacd and #eacf 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 proceed 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