H.R. 1628: 761st Tank Battalion Congressional Gold Medal Act

The 761st Tank Battalion — the "Black Panthers" — was activated in 1942 and became the first predominantly Black American armored unit to fight in the European Theater. Under General Patton, they entered combat in late fall 1944 and never stopped. According to the bill's findings, they fought 183 consecutive days without being pulled from the line.

The numbers tell the story. The bill's findings cite 130,000 casualties inflicted on German forces, 71 tanks lost, and an approximate 50% casualty rate among the battalion's own soldiers. They helped break the encirclement at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. They were the first American unit to punch through the Siegfried Line. They were among the first to link up with the Russian Army at Steyr, Austria.

Individual decorations further underscore the record: 1 Medal of Honor, 11 Silver Stars, and roughly 300 Purple Hearts. But the battalion waited until 1978 — more than 30 years after the war ended — to receive a Presidential Unit Citation. Lieutenant Jackie Robinson, before he broke baseball's color barrier, served as one of the battalion's few Black officers and was court-martialed for refusing to move to the back of a military bus.

H.R. 1628 would award a Congressional Gold Medal to the battalion collectively. The Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate would arrange the presentation ceremony. After that, the medal goes to the National Museum of African American History and Culture for permanent display and research. The Smithsonian is encouraged to loan the medal to locations associated with the battalion's history.

The U.S. Mint would also produce bronze duplicates for public purchase, with the price set to cover production costs. All expenses come from the Mint's existing Public Enterprise Fund — not a new appropriation — and sales revenue cycles back into that fund.