FilVet reps meet with US Mint on Congressional Gold Medal​ design

Betty Birdsong (left to right), Vanessa Franck, Erick Soriano, April Stafford, Ben de Guzman and Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba. INQUIRER/Jon Melegrito

WASHINGTON, DC – Representatives of the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project met recently with officials of the US Mint for initial discussions on the design of the Congressional Gold Medal for Filipino veterans of World War II.

The FilVetREP team of MG Taguba (Chairman), Erick Soriano (Legal Counsel), Ben de Guzman (Program Manager) and Jon Melegrito (Exec. Secretary) met with the US Mint team, which included April Stafford, Chief, Office of Design Management; Vanessa Franck, Program Manager, Office of Design Management; and Betty Birdsong, Deputy Director, Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, US Mint.

At this meeting, the US Mint team provided an overview of the US Mint’s role in designing the Filipino World War II Veterans Congressional Gold Medal. S. 1555 is the authorizing legislation that will guide the design process.

The US Mint team and the FilVetREP team resolved to work together in every stage of the design process until its completion. MG Taguba will serve as liaison to the US Mint, providing input in identifying design elements and key messages to convey both the sense and spirit of the FilVet story.

At the next meeting on Feb. 15, both teams will begin developing an Artist Brief, to educate the artists/illustrators about the story of the Filipino World War II veterans. Once the Artist Brief is developed and refined, illustrators will create the art work.

A portfolio of designs will be reviewed by the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC). Final selections will then be presented to the Secretary of the Treasury who makes the final decision on the design.

Once a design is chosen, the U.S. Mint’s engraving staff begins the sculpturing and tooling work. Only one gold medal will be minted and permanently housed in the Smithsonian.

FilVetREP plans to order 20,000 bronze replicas to be awarded to eligible Filipino and American veterans or their closest surviving relative. FilVetREP will also raise funds to cover the cost of these replicas ($50 each).

The entire process is expected to take from eight months to a year.

More updates will be provided at the Feb. 11 (Saturday, 1:00-2:30PM EST) Board & Executive Committee Meeting