American nationals who voluntarily joined the Canadian and British armed forces and their supporting entities during World War II would be collectively recognized for their service with a congressional gold medal under legislation introduced in congress June 6.

H.R. 3830 was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Eugene Simon Vindman, D-Virginia.

During WWII, the United States, Britain, and Canada were key Allied powers. They collaborated on various fronts, including naval operations, air support, and ground combat. The U.S. and Canada also had close ties, with Canadian troops fighting alongside Americans in Italy and France.

Even before the United States entered WWII after the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, individual Americans volunteered to fight against the Axis powers in other nations’ armed forces.

Despite it being illegal under American law for U.S. citizens to enlist and serve in the armed forces of foreign nations, risking their citizenship in the process, thousands of American volunteered to join the ranks of the armed forces of Canada and the United Kingdom.

Many of these volunteers changed their citizenship to Canadian. However, Congress passed a blanket pardon to these volunteers in 1944.

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