# Understanding the World War II Pacific War Heroes Congressional Gold Medal Act

This bill honors American prisoners of war held by Japan during World War II by awarding them a Congressional Gold Medal. Between December 1941 and September 1945, over 27,000 Americans—soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, merchant marines, and some civilians—were captured by Imperial Japan across the Pacific. More than 11,000 of them, roughly 40 percent, died in captivity. The bill recognizes these survivors and the memory of those who perished by creating a single gold medal to represent their collective sacrifice and suffering.

The medal itself is a symbolic honor rather than something each individual receives. Congress will have one gold medal struck and presented on behalf of the nation. After the presentation ceremony, this medal will be permanently displayed at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History, where it will be preserved for future generations to see and learn from. The bill also encourages the Smithsonian to loan the medal to other museums associated with this history, such as prisoner of war museums and military museums, so more Americans can encounter this tribute to these veterans.

The bill also allows the government to make and sell bronze copies of the gold medal to the public. These duplicate medals would be sold at a price that covers the cost of making them, with no profit to the government. This gives people who want a personal connection to this history the opportunity to own a replica. The bill is largely symbolic and ceremonial—it doesn't provide direct financial benefits or services to the former prisoners of war themselves, but rather serves as an official national recognition of their extraordinary endurance and sacrifice during one of America's darkest chapters in the Pacific War.

World War II Pacific War Heroes Congressional Gold Medal Act

Bost, Mike

World War II Pacific War Heroes Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to the men and women of the United States military and merchant marine, as well as citizen and noncitizen civilians who fought with the U.S. military and were surrendered, captured, or abandoned to become prisoners of war of Imperial Japan during World War II, in recognition of their dedicated and vital service during World War II.