Trone Introduces Legislation to Award World War II’s Ritchie Boys the Congressional Gold Medal
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 3, 2022
Contact: Sasha Galbreath, Sasha.Galbreath@mail.house.gov
Trone Introduces Legislation to Award World War II’s Ritchie Boys the Congressional Gold Medal
Rep. Trone holds a press conference with Ritchie Boy, Gideon Kantor, to announce the Ritchie Boys Congressional Gold Medal Act
CASCADE, MD — Today, Congressman David Trone (MD-06) introduced legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the ‘‘Ritchie Boys,’’ a group of military intelligence service officers who played a pivotal role in helping the Allied Powers win World War II. The Ritchie Boys have been credited with using their language skills to gather intelligence, interpret enemy documents, and liberate concentration camps.
“The Ritchie Boys deserve to be honored for their groundbreaking contributions to the field of human intelligence and their outstanding service during World War II,” said Congressman David Trone. “This extraordinary group of soldiers — many of whom were Jewish refugees who fled Nazi Germany — were responsible for most of the combat intelligence gathered on the Western Front. These men were committed to defeating fascism, bigotry, and hate. We must never forget their actions in service to our country.”
“I’m thrilled that the importance of the Ritchie Boy story and their legacy continues to be cast into the limelight – now on a national scale – through the nomination of the Congressional Gold Medal, America’s highest form of national appreciation,” said Landon Grove, Director and Curator of the Ritchie History Museum.
The Ritchie Boys were a group of 15,200 servicemembers who trained in United States Army Intelligence methods at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, during World War II. Approximately 2,200 of the Ritchie Boys were Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria who had detailed familiarity with German cultural attitudes and communication. This vital knowledge, coupled with their language skills, is how the Ritchie Boys were able to gather over 60 percent of intelligence during the war.
Bill text can be found here.
The Senate companion bill is led by Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD).
Congressman David Trone was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018 to serve the 6th District of Maryland, which includes all or part of Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties. Trone serves on the Appropriations, Veterans’ Affairs, and Joint Economic Committees. In Congress, Trone is fighting to make progress on issues that matter to Marylanders, including the mental health and addiction crises, criminal justice reform, and funding for medical research.
Follow Congressman Trone at @RepDavidTrone for updates on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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