Pursuing a Congressional Gold Medal for Peace Corps Volunteers

Introduction

It is the highest civilian honor given by Congress. And it is time for Peace Corps Volunteers to be recognized. Join us as we pursue the introduction and action to pass the “Peace Corps Volunteers Congressional Gold Medal” legislation. Draft legislation proposes recognition for the nearly 250,000 Peace Corps Volunteers who served from August 1961 through December 31, 2026.

Why Now?

Why a Gold Medal? And why now? Here are four key reasons:

  1. An Historic Moment: As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2026, the Peace Corps will also be marking its 65th year of operations.
  2. A Nationwide Honor: Nearly a quarter-million citizens have proudly served as Peace Corps Volunteers. They can be found in every state, and every congressional district.
  3. American Values: The spirit of volunteerism, building friendship and understanding, and working with common purpose to solve problems and improve livelihoods are just some of the values central to Peace Corps service.
  4. Losing Honorees: Peace Corps Volunteers who served in the early 1960’s are now in their 80’s and 90’s. Congress needs to honor the outstanding accomplishments of each and every volunteer while they are still with us, as well as those who have passed away.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Most of the early Congressional Gold Medal recipients were military leaders (beginning with George Washington in 1776). In more recent years, the medal has been awarded to a wide range of citizens and global leaders, including the Wright Brothers (1909), Robert Frost (1960), Walt Disney (1968), Lady Bird Johnson (1968), Mother Teresa (1997), and Dr. Muhammad Yunus (2010).

Also, the gold medal is awarded to groups of people. This includes the American Red Cross (1979), the 1980 U.S. Summer Olympic Team (1980), the Rosie the Riveters of World War II (2024), and 60 diplomats around the world honored for their bravery and heroism during the Holocaust (2024).

There is very minimal cost. There is a cost associated with the designing, striking and producing the original gold medal (which is made of real gold) that is issued. That task is charged to the Department of the Treasury’s U.S. Mint. Current charges will have to be confirmed by contacting representatives at the U.S. Mint.  In the past, costs for the original CGM process were $30,000 or more, depending on the work involved.

This is not likely, and not planned in the proposed legislation. To keep the costs of this legislation as low as possible, the legislation would support the creation of the initial gold medal, which would be housed at Peace Corps headquarters.

It is possible that after the legislation becomes law, mechanisms could be set in place so RPCVs could purchase replicas of the gold medal, at prices ranging from $30 to $200. Another option (similar to when the Peace Corps received the 1987 "Beyond War Award", could involve the mailing of a certificate or letter to all RPCVs. This type of possibility could be considered after passage, and not be part of the legislation.

There is a very high bar to pass the legislation.

In order to pass CGM legislation in the Senate and House, both chambers need to have 2/3 of its members to not only express support for the legislation. They have to co-sponsor this legislation. While this will be challenging, we believe a pathway exists and the time is right to make this happen. But we will need huge support from our community to take this on!

At this time, we are still seeking bipartisan leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives to introduce and take the lead on advancing and passing this legislation. It is very important that in both the Senate and House, the legislation has both a Republican and Democratic lead sponsor, as bipartisan support is essential to success.

Because of this, we do not have Senate or House "bill numbers" at this time. We invite you to contact us at [email protected] if you can help us identify and solidify lead sponsors from both political parties, in both chambers of Congress.

Resources

For Members of Congress – Action Items

  • Write Congress: Visit our NPCA Action Center to write your members of Congress.
  • One Page Summary: This is a helpful, brief handout that you can share with congressional offices.
  • NPCA Letter of Support: A generic letter of support that you can share with congressional offices, signed by NPCA’s president and board chair.
  • Draft Legislation: Sample legislation you can share with an office if they are interested in introducing Peace Corps Congressional Gold Medal legislation.

For Advocates – Additional Information

  • Issue Brief: A detailed overview about the Congressional Gold Medal and the proposal to bestow this honor to Peace Corps Volunteers.
  • CRS Report: A detailed report from the Congressional Research Service on the Congressional Gold Medal
  • WorldView Article: Read this article about the Congressional Gold Medal in the Winter 2024 issue of WorldView magazine.

Supporters/Testimonials/Quotes

Contact us at [email protected] to help us build out statements of support or other testimonials in support of Congressional Gold Medal legislation for Peace Corps Volunteers.

  • WorldView Article: Read this interview with former NATO supreme allied commander, Admiral James Stravridis, who praises the important work of Peace Corps Volunteers  in the Fall 2023 issue of WorldView magazine.
Skip to content