U.S. Senator Roy Blunt spoke at the State Historical Society on the University of Missouri campus Thursday about a bill he is sponsoring to honor the real-life "Monuments Men."
Blunt introduced the bipartisan bill in December.
The bill would award the Congressional Gold Medal to the three-hundred forty-five men and women who rescued and protected millions of artworks and cultural artifacts during World War II. Blunt said the Monuments Men retrieved several well-known art pieces.
"The Ghent Altarpiece was one of the things that was stolen and recovered," he said. "The Last Supper was recovered and protected by the Monuments Men."
Blunt said the five living members of the Monuments Men will receive their awards in person. The families of the deceased will receive word of the recognition and appreciation of their loved ones' accomplishments. Four members were Missouri natives, and 10 later worked in the state, including two Directors of the Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City. A film about the Monuments Men opened in theaters on Feb. 7.