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STAT.]

195

PUBLIC LAW 121—AUG. 21, 1951

SEC. 3. The Secretary of the Interior shall make a full and complete annual progress report to the Congress of his activities and of the expenditures authorized under section 1. Approved August 21, 1951. P u b l i c Law 121

CHAPTER

Report to Congress.

339

AN ACT To provide appropriate lapel buttons for widows, parents, and next of kin of members of the Armed Forces who lost or lose their lives in the armed services of the United States during World War II or during any subsequent war or period of armed hostilities in which the United States may be engaged.

August 21, 1961 [H. R. 3911]

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Act of August 1, 1947 (61 Stat. 710, title 36, U.S.C. 182a-182d), is amended to read as follows: Gold 'That the Secretary of Defense shall formulate and fix the size, button. s t a r l a p e l design, and composition of a lapel button (to be known as the 'gold star lapel button') suitable as a means of identification for widows, parents, and next of kin of members of the Armed Forces of the United States who lost or lose their lives in the armed services of the United States during World War I, World War II, or during any subsequent war or period of armed hostilities in which the United States may be engaged. The Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Procurement. Air Force shall procure for their respective departments such number of gold star lapel buttons as shall be necessary to effect distribution of such buttons in accordance with the provisions of this Act. "SEC. 2. (a) Upon application to the Department of the Army, Furnishing of butt o n s to wid o w s, Department of the Navy, or the Department of the Air Force, as the pare^its^etc. case may be, one such gold star lapel button shall be furnished, without cost, to the widow and to each of the parents of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States who lost or loses his or her life in the armed services of the United States during World W a r I, World War II, or during any subsequent war or period of armed hostilities in which the United States may be engaged. " (b) In addition to the gold star lapel button authorized in subsection (a) of this section, gold star lapel buttons shall also be furnished, upon application and the payment of an amount sufficient to cover the cost of manufacture and distribution, to the next of kin, not hereinbefore designated, of any such deceased person. "(c) Not more than one gold star lapel button shall be furnished Replacements. to any one individual as provided in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, except whenever a gold star lapel button furnished under the provisions of this Act shall have been lost, destroyed, or rendered unfit for use, without fault or neglect on the part of the person to whom it was furnished such button may be replaced, upon application, by payment of an amount sufficient to cover the cost of manufacture and distribution. " (d) Gold star lapel buttons shall be distributed in accordance Distribution. with rules and regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense. "SEC. 3. As used in this Act, (a) the term 'widow' shall include Definitions. widower; (b) the term 'parents' shall include mother, father, stepmother, stepfather, mother through adoption, father through adoption, and foster parents who stood in loco parentis; (c) the term 'next of kin' shall include only children, brothers, sisters, half brothers, and half sisters; (d) the term 'children' shall include stepchildren and children through adoption; (e) the term 'World War I ' shall include the period extending from April 6, 1917, to March 3, 1921;

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