I've previously discussed the initial attempts to secure a Congressional Medal of Honor ("MoH") commemorative coin program during the 108th Congress here:
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What If? 2005 Medal of HonorIt was during the 111th Congress, however, that the effort gained the momentum it needed to gain authorization.
Christopher P. Carney (D-PA) introduced a coin bill in the House of Representatives ("House") in February 2009 that called for "coins in recognition and celebration of the establishment of the Medal of Honor in 1861, America's highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States, to honor the American military men and women who have been recipients of the Medal of Honor, and to promote awareness of what the Medal of Honor represents and how ordinary Americans, through courage, sacrifice, selfless service and patriotism, can challenge fate and change the course of history." A mouthful!
From its start the bill entered the fray with support. Eleven co-sponsors joined Representative Carney in introducing the bill:
Mark Steven Kirk (R-IL), James P. Moran (D-VA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Elijah Eugene Cummings (D-MD), Henry Edward Brown, Jr. (R-SC), Gary Eugene "Gene" Taylor (D-MS), Darnell Issa (R-CA), Michael H. Michaud (D-ME), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Timothy H. Bishop (D-NY) and Madeleine Bordallo (Delegate, D-Guam).
Note: The bill ultimately gained 300+ co-sponsors in the House, essentially guaranteeing its passage.The bill proposed two coins: a Gold Half Eagle (up to 100,000) and a Silver Dollar (up to 500,000). These mintage requests are double the requests of the previous (108th Congress) bills.
As with the previous proposals, Representative Carney's bill included an extensive "Findings" section:
"The Congress finds as follows:
"(1) The Medal of Honor, first authorized by the Congress in 1861 as the United States Navy's highest personal decoration, the Army Medal of Honor was authorized by the Congress in 1862, and the Air Force Medal of Honor was authorized by Congress in 1956.
"(2) The Medal of Honor is presented by the President of the United States in the name of the Congress, to a person who, while a member of the United States Armed Forces, distinguishes himself or herself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in action against an enemy of the United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.
"(3) The deed performed must have been one of personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his or her comrades and must have involved risk of life.
"(4) Incontestable proof of the performance of the service will be exacted and each recommendation for the award of this decoration will be considered on the standard of extraordinary merit.
"(5) Fewer than 3,500 Medals of Honor have been awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces.
"(6) The Congressional Medal of Honor Society is a not-for-profit organization chartered by the 85th Congress under a legislative act signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on August 14, 1958, and membership in the Society is restricted to recipients of the Medal of Honor.
"(7) Society members are joined together for the purpose of forming and maintaining friendship among all living recipients of the Medal of Honor and remembrance of posthumous and deceased recipients.; they are dedicated to the protection and preservation of the dignity, honor and name of the Medal of Honor; service to others; service to Nation; and the promotion of allegiance to the Constitution and the Government of the United States.
"(8) Members of the Society act to foster patriotism and to inspire and encourage the youth of America to become worthy citizens.
"(9) The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded by the Society in 1999, is dedicated to--
"(A) perpetuating the Medal of Honor's legacy through outreach and collaborative efforts;
"(B) raising funds for initiatives that promote what the Medal of Honor represents, operation of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society headquarters, and the public outreach activities of the Medal of Honor Society's membership; and
"(C) promoting American values and the qualities of courage, sacrifice and patriotism through increased awareness, education, scholarships, behavior and example.
"(10) Through its educational and outreach programs, the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation promotes heroism, selflessness and distinguished citizenship among American youth and brings public awareness to the actions of ordinary Americans who have made and are making a profound difference in preserving our freedoms."The coin bill included General, as well as Specific guidelines for the designs to be depicted on the coins:
- GENERAL: "emblematic of the traditions, legacy, and heritage of the Medal of Honor, and the distinguished service of its recipients in the Nation's history."
- SPECIFIC: "contain motifs that represent the 3 Medal of Honor designs (Army, Navy, and Air Force) and specifically honor the Medal of Honor recipients of both today and yesterday, such designs to be consistent with the traditions and heritage of the United States Armed Services, the mission and goals of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, and the mission and goals of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation."
The coins were to bear the date "2011" along with the standard mandated inscriptions. Proof and Uncirculated versions of each denomination were authorized.
The Secretary of the Treasury was to select the final designs after consulting with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation and the Commission of Fine Arts. The Citizens Coin Advisory Committee was to serve in a Design Review capacity.
The Issue Prices of the coins were to include a per-coin surcharge:
- $35 per Gold Half Eagle
- $10 per Silver Dollar
Collected surcharge funds were to be paid to the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation "to help finance the educational, scholarship and outreach programs of the Foundation." This was a change in sponsor from the bills of the 108th Congress, and a change in purpose for the collected surcharges; the new sponsor/surcharges represented a broader goal vs. maintenance of a MoH Memorial.
IMO, while the previous surcharge objectives were worthy, the new objectives had the potential to be more far-reaching and impactful.
Upon its introduction, the bill was referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
In mid-May 2009, after two+ months of inactivity in the Committee, Melvin L. Watt (D-NC) motioned for a Suspension of the Rules to consider the MoH coin bill in the House without a Committee report. The House proceeded with its consideration.
After a few opening comments, and a reading of the bill, Representative Watt turned the discussion over to Mark Kirk.
After relaying several intense stories of MoH recipients, Representative Kirk offered:
"As the first U.S. Representative to be deployed into an imminent danger area since World War II, I know many of the sacrifices and challenges that men and women in our Armed Forces face. Almost every morning I think about the men and women I served with in Afghanistan when I left there in January.
"This legislation helps us recognize the true heroes among that cadre. I think we will have some more heroes emerge from conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan that are award winners. But today, we mark the 97 who are living, and those 3,400 who all received the Medal.
"This legislation will help us raise money for the foundation, will help us advance the values that these awardees embodied, and teach us a very, very painful but important lesson about how important this country is, how valuable it is, and how much it takes to defend her." Representative Watt followed Kirk, and commented:
"I thank the gentleman. I rise, obviously, in support of this
bill. I do want to thank my good friend and shipmate, Mark Kirk, for working so hard across the aisle to get this done. It is always very heartening in this body when we can do the right thing, and this truly is the right thing to do. It's a common sense approach that actually recognizes the members of the Armed Forces who have earned a Medal of Honor and provides a chance for the Medal of Honor Foundation to fill its coffers and continue to do the good work that it always intended to do."The motion to pass the bill was accepted, and the bill was passed. Representative Watt, however, objected to the bill's passage on the grounds that a quorom was not present. As such, passage of the bill was briefly delayed.
The following day, it was brought up for consideration as Unfinished Business and, once a quorum was confirmed, was quickly passed. The bill was then sent to the Senate for its consideration.
I'll pick the story up in Part II.For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more Modern Commemorative stories, see:
Commems Collection
Posted Today 3H 7M ago
