Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Ritchie Boys Congressional Gold Medal Act”.
Ritchie Boys Congressional Gold Medal Act
A BILL
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the military intelligence professionals at Camp Ritchie, commonly known as the Ritchie Boys, in recognition of their groundbreaking contributions to the field of human intelligence and their outstanding service during World War II.
Sec. 2 Findings
The Congress finds the following:
The Ritchie Boys were a group of approximately 15,200 servicemembers who trained in United States Army Intelligence methods at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, during World War II.
Most of the men and women assigned to Camp Ritchie possessed critical language skills in German, Polish, Italian, French, and other languages that became an asset to allied forces during the war.
Approximately 14 percent of the Ritchie Boys were Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria who had detailed knowledge of German cultural attitudes and communication.
The Ritchie Boys were trained in methods of human intelligence, including groundbreaking techniques in interrogation, counterintelligence, and psychological warfare that leveraged cultural knowledge as a tool for building rapport with prisoners.
Consequently, the Ritchie Boys were able to gather vital intelligence regarding the hierarchy, strategies, motivations, and attitudes of the German military.
The Ritchie Boys who completed training at Camp Ritchie went on to serve in units on the front lines in Europe, conducting human intelligence operations and analyzing German military plans to provide strategic intelligence to commanders in the field.
The Ritchie Boys also conducted counterintelligence operations aimed at demoralizing the enemy and convincing German soldiers to abandon their units.
After the war, many of the Ritchie Boys helped shape American culture and society through their continued work in the intelligence community as well as governance, academia, and other fields.
A United States Army report found that approximately 60 percent of the actionable intelligence gathered in Europe during the war came from the Ritchie Boys.
Sec. 3 Congressional gold medal
Award authorized— The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of the Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to the military intelligence professionals at Camp Ritchie, commonly known as the “Ritchie Boys”, in recognition of their groundbreaking contributions to the field of human intelligence and their outstanding service during World War II.
Design and striking— For the purposes of the award referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury shall strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.
Smithsonian Institution—
In general— Following the award of the gold medal in honor of the military intelligence professionals, the “Ritchie Boys”, the gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be available for display as appropriate and made available for research.
Sense of Congress— It is the sense of Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should make the gold medal received under paragraph (1) available for display elsewhere, particularly at other locations associated with the Ritchie Boys.
Sec. 4 Duplicate medals
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck under section 3, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the bronze medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses.
Sec. 5 Status of medals
The gold medal struck pursuant to this Act is a national medal for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
Sec. 6 Authority to use fund amounts; proceeds of sale
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 Act.
Proceeds of sale— Amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.