In October 1990, the US Congress passed a bill that authorized a Silver Dollar for the 50th Anniversary of the United Services Organization. As introduced, however, the bills seeking to mark the anniversary called for a three-coin program (Gold Half Eagle, Silver Dollar and Copper-Nickel Clad Half Dollar).
Bills calling for the three-coin program were introduced in the House of Representatives and the Senate in June and September, respectively, 1989. The House bill was introduced by Thomas J. Ridge (R-PA) and the Senate bill was introduced by John McCain (R-AZ). The House bill was referred to the House Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs, with a further referral to the Committee on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs. The Senate bill was referred to Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
The bills called for up to 750,000 Gold Half Eagles, up to 3,000,000 Silver Dollars and up to 3,000,000 CuNi Clad Half Dollars.
(Note: It was unusual for the same amount of Silver Dollars and CuNi Half Dollars to be requested- more Half Dollars were typically requested,)The designs of the coins were to be "emblematic of the services provided by the USO to military service personnel and families" - the coins were to be dated "1991."
The issue price for each coin was to include the following surcharges: Gold Half Eagle - $35.00; Silver Dollar - $7.00 and CuNi Clad Half Dollar - $1.00.
Collected surcharges were to be split 50/50 between the USO "to fund programs, including airport centers, fleet centers, family and community centers, and celebrity entertainment" and reducing the National Debt via payment to the General Fund of the Treasury.
While being considered by the Committee on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs in the House, discussions turned to an amendment in the form of a substitute. Key changes included the Gold Half Eagle and CuNi Clad Half Dollar being removed from the bill and the Silver Dollar moving forward with a reduction in maximum mintage to 1,000,000. The surcharge was to remain at $7.00 per coin. The changes were recommended so that the USO coin program would not compete with the Mount Rushmore Gold/Silver/CuNi coins.
As the House considered the substitute bill, Representative Richard Henry Lehman (D-CA) offered "The USO is a congressionally-chartered agency, supported entirely by voluntary contributions, created to improve the morale and welfare of service members and their families throughout the world. The USO is not only Bob Hope entertaining the troops, but is a modern organization providing a variety of services for the military community at over 160 locations worldwide.
"This commemorative coin recognizes the 50 years of service that the USO has provided while providing funds for the USO to help meet the future needs of servicemen. Half of the sur- charges from this coin would be dedicated to the USO while the other half would go toward the reduction of the deficit."
Note: Bob Hope toured USO facilities and entertained troops around the world for nearly 50 years between 1941 and 1990. On May 30, 1985, the USO headquarters in Washington, DC was dedicated as "The Bob Hope Building" as a tribute to his outstanding service. Dedication of the USO Headquarters Building in Washington, DC as the "Bob Hope Building" (Bob Hope is in Light Blue Jacket)
{Image Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Public Domain.)John Patrick Hiler (R-IN) also spoke on behalf of the substitute bill, stating "a compromise was struck whereby a single, limited edition silver coin is authorized by the bill. This is similar to the Eisenhower Coin Program currently being completed. The compromise featuring the limited edition coin is supported by veteran's groups and the administration. We are hoping that because of the limited edition, the USO coin will be an extremely popular coin program and an overwhelming success. Such a successful program could bolster the public response for future commemorative coin issues such as the Mount Rushmore Coin Program we have just authorized."
Representative Ridge - sponsor of the original House bill - also rose to support the bill. He stated, " I introduced this legislation because I believe in the work and efforts of the USO. The USO will celebrate its 50th anniversary on February 4, 1991, and this bill will commemorate that anniversary by requiring the Secretary of the Treasury to mint $1 silver coins. This bill has received strong bipartisan support and is cosponsored by 229 Members.
He continued,
"In 1941, President Roosevelt met with Prescott Bush and three other businessmen to consolidate the efforts and resources of six organizations and form one - the USO. The purpose of this new organization was to coordinate civilian war efforts so services were not duplicated or overlooked. The USO was thus formed and began its mission of meeting the off-duty needs of our soldiers.
"Since 1941, the USO, a congressionally chartered agency which is supported entirely by voluntary contributions, has supplemented the Department of Defense efforts to improve the morale and welfare of service members and their families throughout the world."
[i[A bit more about the USO...
The United Service Organizations (USO) came about as a result of a suggestion made by General George Marshall and the support of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It was chartered by the US Congress on February 4, 1941.
The USO brought together the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), the Salvation Army, the National Catholic Community Services, the National Travelers Aid Association and the National Jewish Welfare Board under one cooperative umbrella. The USO continues its mission to the present day. (Side Note: A similar organization, the United Seaman's Service (USS) was created in 1942 to focus on the needs of US and Allied mariners who were not enlisted personnel.)
To learn more about today's USO, visit https://www.uso.org/[/i]
Following the above comments in the House chamber, the bill was passed in the House and sent to the Senate for its consideration. After receipt in the Senate, the bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. The Committee was discharged from consideration of the bill after about four months (it had not formally acted upon it) and the Senate as a whole took up consideration of the House bill - it passed the Senate without objection.
From there, the bill was examined and signed in each chamber before being sent to the President for approval. US President George Herbert Walker Bush signed the bill into law on October 2, 1990 (Public Law 101-404).
I mentioned at the outset of this post that a USO coin bill was also introduced in the Senate by John McCain in September 1989. McCain's bill sought the original three-coin program; it was a companion to the House bill. With the amended House version passed and sent to the Senate for consideration, Senator McCain rose to urge passage of the House bill in lieu of his original Senate bill.
While voicing his support for the House bill, McCain also discussed the important role served by the USO, stating "The 40,000 volunteers in over 160 locations worldwide touch the lives of more than 4-1/2 million people - both civilian and military - per year. More than 2 million Americans in the Armed Forces today are in the lowest enlisted ranks, between 18 and 25 years old, and over 54 percent are married with children. Over 800,000 military personnel and their families are stationed abroad. This population has unique needs for which the USO continues to develop programs, touching
15,000 individual lives a day."
For more about the coin itself, see Part II
For other stories about commemorative coins and medals, including more about modern US commemorative coins, see: Commems Collection..
Posted 12/26/2023 05:56 am
