Congressman Cohen Hails Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony Honoring Monuments Men

[Washington, D.C.] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today attended the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony honoring the a group of men and women from 13 nations, known as the Monuments Men, for the work they did to protect and preserve artistically and culturally important artifacts that the Nazis planned to destroy during World War II. Congressman Cohen cosponsored the Monuments Men Recognition Act (H.R. 3658) to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Monuments Men, which passed the House of Representatives on May 19, 2014, the Senate on May 20, 2014, and was signed into law by President Obama on June 9, 2014.

“Art is an expression of humanity and the human experience. The Monuments Men put their lives in jeopardy to save priceless art and preserve important cultural artifacts,” said Congressman Cohen, “Their quiet dedication ensured that generations to come will be able to enjoy and be uplifted by the great art that would have otherwise been lost forever. I was proud to cosponsor legislation to award them a Congressional Gold Medal, and it was my privilege to secure more than half of the House cosponsors on this bill.”

You can watch Congressman Cohen’s remarks on the House Floor last year urging his colleagues to support the Monuments Men Recognition Act here. A picture from today’s ceremony can be found here.

A 2014 feature film, “The Monuments Men,” starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, and John Goodman previously paid honor to the brave men and women’s efforts.