I 115th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1788 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 29, 2017 Mr. Meadows (for himself and Ms. Gabbard ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services A BILL To extend the Vietnam Service Medal to veterans of the Armed Forces who participated in the S.S. Mayaguez rescue operation.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Recognizing Mayaguez Veterans Act . 2. Award of Vietnam Service Medal to veterans who participated in Mayaguez rescue operation (a) Award authorized The Secretary of the military department concerned shall, upon the application by or on behalf of an individual who is an eligible veteran, award that individual the Vietnam Service Medal, notwithstanding any otherwise applicable requirements for the award of that medal. Any such award shall be made in lieu of any Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal awarded the individual for the individual’s participation in the Mayaguez rescue operation. (b) Treatment of deceased veterans In the case of a veteran who is deceased, the application described in subsection (a) may be submitted by the next of kin of the veteran. (c) Eligible veteran For purposes of this section, the term eligible veteran means a veteran of the Armed Forces— (1) who was awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for participation in military operations known as the Mayaguez rescue operation of May 12–15, 1975; or (2) who participated in such operation.