This bill authorizes the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Bonnie Eloise Rush Milam, a music educator who founded and led the Melody Maids, an all-girls singing group that entertained American military troops from World War II through the Vietnam War. The Melody Maids, which grew to include approximately 1,500 young women over its history, performed extensively at military bases, hospitals, and veterans' events across the United States and overseas, becoming the most requested performers under the Department of Defense Entertainment Branch after 1956. Mrs. Milam, who lived from 1908 to 2008, is being honored for her contributions to military morale, music education, patriotism, and leadership development of young women through the group's strict code of conduct emphasizing professionalism and service. The gold medal will be designed by the Secretary of the Treasury and presented by congressional leadership, with the medal ultimately displayed at the Tyrrell Historical Library in Beaumont, Texas, where Mrs. Milam founded the Melody Maids. The costs for striking the medal will be charged to the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund, and the bill authorizes the sale of duplicate bronze medals, with proceeds returned to that same fund.
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