This week, the House passed a bill that would award the Congressional Gold Medal to Americans who were taken hostage in Iran in 1979. The measure has been sent to President Joe Biden's desk for a signature.
House lawmakers passed the legislation by voice vote. The Senate unanimously approved it. The Congressional Medal is the highest honor Congress can award.
The bill grants the Congressional Gold Medal to the former hostages held in Iran, "highlighting their resilience throughout the unprecedented ordeal that they lived through and the national unity it produced, marking four decades since their 444 days in captivity, and recognizing their sacrifice to the United States."
Over 50 people were taken hostage in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran on Nov. 4, 1979, by Iranian students who supported Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Diplomats were held hostage for 444 days. The hostages underwent physical and psychological torture, including mock executions, beatings, and solitary confinement.
They were eventually released on Jan. 20, 1981, with 35 original hostages still alive today.
Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., said the legislation "will honor the captured United States diplomats, military personnel, and civilians with the recognition they deserve."
"During this time the hostages were subjected to intense physical and psychological torture, but their spirit never waivered. Those held captive showed extraordinary courage by continually engaging in acts of resistance against their captors, such as by refusing to sign condemnations of the United States despite the gross violations of their human rights," he said on the House floor Wednesday.
"This infamous incident in history lasted 444 days and it is important that we continue to remember the bravery shown by those courageous Americans," he added.
The legislation would award a single Congressional Gold Medal to the 53 hostages held in Iran "in recognition of their bravery and endurance throughout their captivity."
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