The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, May 20, passed the 5-Star Generals Commemorative Coin Act.
Should the act become law, the United States Mint would strike 50-cent clad, $1 silver and $5 gold commemorative coins featuring America’s Five-Star Generals who taught or studied at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC).
The coins would get minted for the year 2013, and include portraits of Generals George Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower, Henry "Hap" Arnold, and Omar Bradley — each led U.S. forces to victory in World War II and were alumni of the CGSC.
The bill, numbered H.R. 1177, was sponsored by Congressman Dennis Moore who reintroduced it on February 25, 2009.
"These men served their country in unforgettable ways," Moore said. "We can never fully show our gratitude for their service, but we can honor them by continuing to support the Command and General Staff College’s tradition of training the world’s finest military officers."
H.R. 1177 enjoyed the bipartisan support of 300 cosponsors and easily passed by a voice vote.
The legislation includes language for coin surcharges paid to the Command and General Staff College Foundation to help finance their support of the college. The release of the commemorative coins would coincide with the celebration of the CGSC’s 132nd anniversary, which was founded in 1881.
A maximum of 100,000 five dollar gold coins, 500,000 silver dollars, and 750,000 half-dollars would be struck.
A companion bill, S. 455, was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Pat Roberts on February 23, 2009. The CGSC is located in Kansas, home to Sen. Roberts and Rep. Moore.
For coin legislation to become law, it must pass in the Senate, House and get signed by the President.
There are several upcoming commemorative coins, with one silver dollar currently scheduled for release in 2013 that would honor the founding of the Girl Scouts USA.
I have been keeping an eye on the web site for the 5-Star General coins for about two years. I was the only person to submit a comment on the site until just a couple of months ago when one other comment showed up. I fully support this effort, but suggested ALL 5-Star Generals be included. That would add the four Navy 5-Star Admirals. All the Army and Navy 5-Stars were promoted during the same week, one from each service every other day. If memory serves me correctly, Hap Arnold was later transferred to the new Air Force and became… Read more »