HR 5002 United States Army Rangers Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act U.S. Army Ranger Association and the Reserve Organization of America urge you to co-sponsor H.R. 5002, the United States Army Rangers Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act. The Congressional Gold Medal has been awarded more than 160 times in the past to individuals or groups “who have performed an achievement that has an impact on American history and culture that is likely to be recognized as a major achievement in the recipient’s field long after the achievement.” Rangers have been working for descendants to lobby for Gold Medal recognition of the service of the 1st through 6th Ranger Battalions and the 29th Provisional Ranger Battalion in WWII. The 1st, 3rd, and 4th Ranger Battalions fought in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy; the 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions were in the D-Day landings then fought across France, Belgium, and Germany until the end of the war. The 6th Ranger Battalion led landings in the Pacific theater and most famously rescued 516 Allied prisoners in the legendary raid on the Philippines' infamous Cabanatuan POW camp. The 29th Provisional Ranger Battalion conducted raids on islands in the English Channel and Ger- man installations in Norway. President Ronald Reagan’s famous 1984 “Boys of Pointe du Hoc” speech on the 40th anniversary of the D-Day landings, given atop the rugged cliffs of the point commanding sweeping views of Omaha and Utah beaches, as possibly best epitomizing the Ranger elan. On June 6, 1944, the Rangers’ mission was “one of the most difficult and daring of the invasion: to climb these sheer and desolate cliffs and take out the enemy guns,” Reagan said. “Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers at the edge of the cliffs, shooting down at them with machine guns and throwing grenades. And the American Rangers began to climb.” “They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up. When one Ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, a Ranger would grab another and begin his climb again,” he continued. “Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Eu- rope,” Reagan said. Rangers have shown our country the ultimate sacrifice, and it is time for Congress to award them with this well-deserved Gold Medal. For more information on this or any other issues concerning Rangers or any of the reserve branches, please contact ROA's legislative and military policy director, Kevin Hollinger, at (574) 326-9900 [email protected]. Serving Citizen Warriors Through Advocacy and Education Since 1922 ARMY • MARINE CORPS • NAVY • AIR FORCE • COAST GUARD • NOAA • USPHS .