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INHOFE LEGISLATION COMMEMORATES ARMY

November 19, 2008

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and co-chair of the Senate Army Caucus, today announced the Senate passage of the United States Army Commemorative Coin Act of 2008 (S.2579). The bill, co-sponsored by Senator Inouye (D-HI), authorizes the U.S. Treasury to create a commemorative coin, the proceeds of which will be directed towards building a museum honoring the heritage of the U.S. Army.

 “As co-chair of the Senate Army Caucus and a former soldier, I am proud to pay tribute to the United States Army, which has dutifully served our nation for over 230 years,” Senator Inhofe said. “The Army is the only service branch that currently does not have a national museum honoring its members and veterans. The Commemorative Coin Act will help raise the revenue needed to build a museum dedicated to the men and women who have for so long protected the sovereignty and freedom of our country. The museum will serve to commemorate the enormous sacrifice of our soldiers, and will be a symbol of the Army’s dedication to the fight for freedom.” 

The legislation, which passed the Senate on November 17^th, would create a series of three coins – a $5 gold coin, a silver dollar and a copper-nickel clad half-dollar.  The coin designs will feature motifs honoring the Army’s founding, heritage and its role in American society. These would be the first and only United States coins ever issued to honor and celebrate the United States Army in its entirety.  Surcharges from the sale of the coins would be reserved for the Army Historical Foundation, for use in helping to fund the National Museum of the United States Army at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

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