Date of Hearing:

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS

Jacqui Irwin, Chair

SBPCA Bill Id:SJR 7

Author:(Glazer) – As Amended Ver:April 29, 2019

SENATE VOTE: 38-0

SUBJECT: Military and veterans

SUMMARY: Urges the United States Congress to act favorably in regard to legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Merrill’s Marauders.

FISCAL EFFECT: None.

COMMENTS:

Senators and Representatives are frequently asked to support or sponsor proposals recognizing historic events and outstanding achievements by individuals or institutions. Among the various forms of recognition that Congress bestows, the Congressional Gold Medal is often considered the most distinguished. Through this venerable tradition—the occasional commissioning of individually struck gold medals in its name—Congress has expressed public gratitude on behalf of the nation for distinguished contributions for more than two centuries.

Since 1776, this award, which initially was bestowed on military leaders, has also been given to such diverse individuals as Sir Winston Churchill and Bob Hope, George Washington and Robert Frost, Joe Louis and Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Congressional gold medal legislation generally has a specific format. Once a gold medal is authorized, it follows a specific process for design, minting, and awarding. This process includes consultation and recommendations by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Commission (CCAC) and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), pursuant to any statutory instructions, before the Secretary of the Treasury makes the final decision on a gold medal’s design. Once the medal has been struck, a ceremony will often be scheduled to formally award the medal to the recipient.

This Senate Joint Resolution is an attempt to bestow the Merrill's Marauders Congressional Gold Medal Act on survivors of a storied though nearly forgotten epoch of World War II. This is the third attempt in US Congress and it might be the last one as only thirteen (13) out of the original 3,000 Merrill's Marauders are still living.

According to the author:

“I’m urging the U.S. Congress to approve this resolution to award the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor Congress can bestow, to Merrill’s Marauders, a group of World War II heroes who have gone largely unheralded after fighting in the ‘forgotten theater of WW II.’

Merrill’s Marauders was a United States Army special operations jungle warfare unit, which became famous for its deep-penetration missions behind enemy lines in Burma, often engaging forces superior in number.

A staging ground for this mission was in Pittsburg in my district, from Camp Stoneman, named after a former California governor.

Several weeks ago, in February, one of the last survivors placed a wreath at the Camp Stoneman Memorial at the Pittsburg Historical Museum to commemorate 2019 as the 75th anniversary of the 1944 Merrill's Marauder mission.

There are 13 survivors nationwide, so advocates believe this might be the last chance to honor these men through Congress.”

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

None on File.

Opposition

None on File.

Analysis Prepared by: Jenny Callison / V.A. / (916) 319-3550

 THIRD READING  

Bill No: SJR 7

Author: Glazer (D), et al.

Amended: 4/29/19

Vote: 21

SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: 7-0, 4/9/19

AYES: Archuleta, Grove, Hurtado, Nielsen, Roth, Umberg, Wilk

SUBJECT: Military and veterans

SOURCE: Author

DIGEST:

This resolution urges the United States Congress to act favorably in regard to legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Merrill’s Marauders.

Senate Floor Amendments of 4/29/19 make technical changes and add coauthors.

ANALYSIS: This resolution makes the following legislative findings:

1. In August 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and other allied leaders proposed the creation of an American ground unit that would engage in a long range penetration mission in Japanese-occupied Burma to cut off Japanese communications and supply lines and capture the Japanese-held airfield and town of Myitkyina.
2. President Roosevelt issued a call for volunteers for “a dangerous and hazardous mission,” that was answered by approximately 3,000 American soldiers representing 15 ethnic groups from every state, among them Bataan Death March survivors, Nisei interpreters, and Native American code talkers, forming a unit officially designated as the 5307th Composite Unit, code named “Galahad,” and later to become known as Merrill’s Marauders, after its leader, Brigadier General Frank Merrill.
3. Future members of Merrill’s Marauders continued their training at Camp Stoneman, a United States Army military facility located in Pittsburg, California, that served as a major staging area for the United States Army in World War II for the Pacific Theater of Operations, and named after George Stoneman, a cavalry commander during the Civil War and a Governor of California.
4. In February 1944, the Marauders began their approximately 1,000 mile trek through the dense Burmese jungle, with no artillery support and carrying their supplies on their backs or on the pack saddles of mules, as the first Americans to engage the Japanese on mainland Asia since the 1900 Boxer Rebellion.
5. Over the course of their five-month trek to Myitkyina, the Marauders fought victoriously against larger and better equipped units of the Japanese 18th Division through five major and 30 minor engagements, experiencing more uninterrupted jungle fighting than any other World War II United States combat force, with the exception of the 1st Marine Division that took and held Guadalcanal for four months.
6. During their march to Myitkyina, the Marauders faced hunger and disease that were exacerbated by inadequate aerial supply drops, while malaria, typhus, and dysentery inflicted more casualties on Merrill’s Marauders than the Japanese.
7. By August 1944, Merrill’s Marauders accomplished their mission, successfully disrupting Japanese supply and communication lines and taking the town of Myitkyina and the Myitkyina airstrip, the only all-weather airstrip in northern Burma.
8. After taking Myitkyina, only 130 Merrill’s Marauders were fit for duty, and all remaining Merrill’s Marauders still in action were evacuated to hospitals due to tropical diseases, exhaustion, and malnutrition.
9. For their bravery and accomplishments, Merrill’s Marauders were awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation, later designated as the Presidential Unit Citation, and each of Merrill’s Marauders also earned a Bronze Star with a V or Valor device.
10. Though Merrill’s Marauders were operational for only a few months, the legacy of their bravery is honored by the United States Army through the modern day 75th Ranger Regiment, which traces its lineage directly to the 5307 Composite Unit, and the Rangers wear the Merrill’s Marauders patch as their crest.
11. On February 27, 2019, Gilbert Howland, one of the last 13 living members of Merrill’s Marauders and a triple Combat Infantryman Badge recipient, who served in World War II, Korea, and two tours in Vietnam, placed a wreath at the Camp Stoneman Memorial at the Pittsburg Historical Museum to commemorate 2019 as the 75th anniversary of the 1944 Merrill’s Marauders mission in the China Burma India Theater, called the “forgotten theater of World War II.”
12. On January 30, 2019, United States Representative Peter T. King, introduced House Resolution 906 in the 116th Congress, the Merrill’s Marauders Congressional Gold Medal Act, with the Senate Companion bill from Senator Johnny Isakson is expected shortly, in a third and perhaps final attempt at this recognition with only 13 of the original 3,000 Merrill’s Marauders still living.

Background

1. The Congressional Gold Medal is often considered the most distinguished. Through this individually struck gold medals in its name—Congress has expressed public gratitude on behalf of the nation for distinguished contributions for more than two centuries.
2. Senators and Representatives are frequently asked to support or sponsor proposals recognizing historic events and outstanding achievements by individuals or institutions.
3. Since 1776, this award, which initially was bestowed on military leaders, has also been given to such diverse individuals as Sir Winston Churchill and Bob Hope, George Washington and Robert Frost, Joe Louis and Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
4. Previous recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal include: Foot Soldiers who participated in Bloody Sunday, Turnaround Tuesday, or the final Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March in March of 1965 (March 2015); Filipino Veterans of World War II (December 2016); Office of Strategic Services (December venerable tradition—the occasional commissioning of 2016); and Bob Dole (September 2017).

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No Local: No

SUPPORT: (Verified 4/29/19)

None received

OPPOSITION: (Verified 4/29/19)

None received

Prepared by: Veronica Badillo / V.A. / (916) 651-1503

5/1/19 15:20:50

**** END ****

 THIRD READING  

Bill No: SJR 7

Author: Glazer (D)

Introduced: 3/20/19

Vote: 21

SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: 7-0, 4/9/19

AYES: Archuleta, Grove, Hurtado, Nielsen, Roth, Umberg, Wilk

SUBJECT: Military and veterans

SOURCE: Author

DIGEST:

This resolution urges the United States Congress to act favorably in regard to legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Merrill’s Marauders.

ANALYSIS: This resolution makes the following legislative findings:

1. In August 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and other allied leaders proposed the creation of an American ground unit that would engage in a long range penetration mission in Japanese-occupied Burma to cut off Japanese communications and supply lines and capture the Japanese-held airfield and town of Myitkyina.
2. President Roosevelt issued a call for volunteers for “a dangerous and hazardous mission,” that was answered by approximately 3,000 American soldiers representing 15 ethnic groups from every state, among them Bataan Death March survivors, Nisei interpreters, and Native American code talkers, forming a unit officially designated as the 5307th Composite Unit, code named “Galahad,” and later to become known as Merrill’s Marauders, after its leader, Brigadier General Frank Merrill.
3. Future members of Merrill’s Marauders continued their training at Camp Stoneman, a United States Army military facility located in Pittsburg, California, that served as a major staging area for the United States Army in World War II for the Pacific Theater of Operations, and named after George Stoneman, a cavalry commander during the Civil War and a Governor of California.
4. In February 1944, the Marauders began their approximately 1,000 mile trek through the dense Burmese jungle, with no artillery support and carrying their supplies on their backs or on the pack saddles of mules, as the first Americans to engage the Japanese on mainland Asia since the 1900 Boxer Rebellion.
5. Over the course of their five-month trek to Myitkyina, the Marauders fought victoriously against larger and better equipped units of the Japanese 18th Division through five major and 30 minor engagements, experiencing more uninterrupted jungle fighting than any other World War II U.S. combat force, with the exception of the First Marine Division that took and held Guadalcanal for four months.
6. During their march to Myitkyina, the Marauders faced hunger and disease that were exacerbated by inadequate aerial supply drops, while malaria, typhus, and dysentery inflicted more casualties on Merrill’s Marauders than the Japanese.
7. By August 1944, Merrill’s Marauders accomplished their mission, successfully disrupting Japanese supply and communication lines and taking the town of Myitkyina and the Myitkyina airstrip, the only all-weather airstrip in northern Burma.
8. After taking Myitkyina, only 130 Merrill’s Marauders were fit for duty, and all remaining Merrill’s Marauders still in action were evacuated to hospitals due to tropical diseases, exhaustion, and malnutrition.
9. For their bravery and accomplishments, Merrill’s Marauders were awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation, later designated as the Presidential Unit Citation, and each of Merrill’s Marauders also earned a Bronze Star with a V or Valor device.
10. Though Merrill’s Marauders were operational for only a few months, the legacy of their bravery is honored by the United States Army through the modern day 75th Ranger Regiment, which traces its lineage directly to the 5307 Composite Unit, and the Rangers wear the Merrill’s Marauders patch as their crest.
11. On February 27, 2019, Gilbert Howland, one of the last 13 living members of Merrill’s Marauders and a triple Combat Infantryman Badge recipient, who served in World War II, Korea, and two tours in Vietnam, placed a wreath at the Camp Stoneman Memorial at the Pittsburg Historical Museum to commemorate 2019 as the 75th anniversary of the 1944 Merrill’s Marauders mission in the China Burma India Theater, called the “forgotten theater of World War II.”
12. On January 30, 2019, United States Representative Peter T. King, introduced House Resolution 906 in the 116th Congress, the Merrill’s Marauders Congressional Gold Medal Act, with the Senate Companion bill from Senator Johnny Isakson is expected shortly, in a third and perhaps final attempt at this recognition with only 13 of the original 3,000 Merrill’s Marauders still living.

Background

1. The Congressional Gold Medal is often considered the most distinguished. Through this individually struck gold medals in its name—Congress has expressed public gratitude on behalf of the nation for distinguished contributions for more than two centuries.
2. Senators and Representatives are frequently asked to support or sponsor proposals recognizing historic events and outstanding achievements by individuals or institutions.
3. Since 1776, this award, which initially was bestowed on military leaders, has also been given to such diverse individuals as Sir Winston Churchill and Bob Hope, George Washington and Robert Frost, Joe Louis and Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
4. Previous recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal include: Foot Soldiers who participated in Bloody Sunday, Turnaround Tuesday, or the final Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March in March of 1965 (March 2015); Filipino Veterans of World War II (December 2016); Office of Strategic Services (December venerable tradition—the occasional commissioning of 2016); and Bob Dole (September 2017).

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No Local: No

SUPPORT: (Verified 4/10/19)

None received

OPPOSITION: (Verified 4/10/19)

None received

Prepared by: Veronica Badillo / V.A. / (916) 651-1503

4/10/19 14:26:41

**** END ****

SENATE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS

Senator Bob Archuleta, Chair

2019 - 2020 Regular

Bill No: SJR 7 Hearing Date: 4/09/19

Subject: Military and veterans

DESCRIPTION

Summary:

This resolution urges the United States Congress to act favorably in regard to legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Merrill’s Marauders.

Existing law and Background:

1) The Congressional Gold Medal is often considered the most distinguished. Through this venerable tradition—the occasional commissioning of individually struck gold medals in its name—Congress has expressed public gratitude on behalf of the nation for distinguished contributions for more than two centuries.

2) Senators and Representatives are frequently asked to support or sponsor proposals recognizing historic events and outstanding achievements by individuals or institutions.

3) Since 1776, this award, which initially was bestowed on military leaders, has also been given to such diverse individuals as Sir Winston Churchill and Bob Hope, George Washington and Robert Frost, Joe Louis and Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

This resolution:

This resolution makes the following legislative findings:

1) In August 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and other allied leaders proposed the creation of an American ground unit that would engage in a long range penetration mission in Japanese-occupied Burma to cut off Japanese communications and supply lines and capture the Japanese-held airfield and town of Myitkyina; and

2) President Roosevelt issued a call for volunteers for “a dangerous and hazardous mission,” that was answered by approximately 3,000 American soldiers representing 15 ethnic groups from every state, among them Bataan Death March survivors, Nisei interpreters, and Native American code talkers, forming a unit officially designated as the 5307th Composite Unit, code named “Galahad,” and later to become known as Merrill’s Marauders, after its leader, Brigadier General Frank Merrill; and

3) Future members of Merrill’s Marauders continued their training at Camp Stoneman, a United States Army military facility located in Pittsburg, California, that served as a major staging area for the United States Army in World War II for the Pacific Theater of Operations, and named after George Stoneman, a cavalry commander during the Civil War and a Governor of California; and

4) In February 1944 the Marauders began their approximately 1,000 mile trek through the dense Burmese jungle, with no artillery support and carrying their supplies on their backs or on the pack saddles of mules, as the first Americans to engage the Japanese on mainland Asia since the 1900 Boxer Rebellion; and

5) Over the course of their five-month trek to Myitkyina, the Marauders fought victoriously against larger and better equipped units of the Japanese 18th Division through 5 major and 30 minor engagements, experiencing more uninterrupted jungle fighting than any other World War II U.S. combat force, with the exception of the First Marine Division that took and held Guadalcanal for 4 months; and 

6) During their march to Myitkyina, the Marauders faced hunger and disease that were exacerbated by inadequate aerial supply drops, while malaria, typhus, and dysentery inflicted more casualties on Merrill’s Marauders than the Japanese; and

7) By August 1944, Merrill’s Marauders accomplished their mission, successfully disrupting Japanese supply and communication lines and taking the town of Myitkyina and the Myitkyina airstrip, the only all-weather airstrip in northern Burma; and

8) After taking Myitkyina, only 130 Merrill’s Marauders were fit for duty, and all remaining Merrill’s Marauders still in action were evacuated to hospitals due to tropical diseases, exhaustion, and malnutrition; and

9) For their bravery and accomplishments, Merrill’s Marauders were awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation, later designated as the Presidential Unit Citation, and each of Merrill’s Marauders also earned a Bronze Star with a V or Valor device; and

10) Though Merrill’s Marauders were operational for only a few months, the legacy of their bravery is honored by the United States Army through the modern day 75^th Ranger Regiment, which traces its lineage directly to the 5307 Composite Unit, and the Rangers wear the Merrill’s Marauders patch as their crest; and

11) On February 27, 2019, Gilbert Howland, one of the last 13 living members of Merrill’s Marauders and a triple Combat Infantryman Badge recipient, who served in World War II, Korea, and two tours in Vietnam, placed a wreath at the Camp Stoneman Memorial at the Pittsburg Historical Museum to commemorate 2019 as the 75^th anniversary of the 1944 Merrill’s Marauders mission in the China Burma India Theater, called the “forgotten theater of World War II,” and

12) On January 30, 2019, United States Representative Peter T. King, introduced House Resolution 906 in the 116th Congress, the Merrill’s Marauders Congressional Gold Medal Act, with the Senate Companion bill from Senator Johnny Isakson is expected shortly, in a third and perhaps final attempt at this recognition with only 13 of the original 3,000 Merrill’s Marauders still living;

COMMENT

Previous recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal include: Foot Soldiers who participated in Bloody Sunday, Turnaround Tuesday, or the final Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March in March of 1965 (March 2015); Filipino Veterans of World War II (December 2016); Office of Strategic Services (December 2016); and Bob Dole (September 2017).

POSITIONS

Sponsor: Author.

Support: None.

Oppose: None.

-- END --