Dust Off Crews of the Vietnam War Congressional Gold Medal Act
This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal in honor of the Dust Off crews (helicopter air ambulance crews) of the Vietnam War in recognition of their heroic military service.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2281 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2281
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the United States Army Dust Off
crews of the Vietnam War, collectively, in recognition of their
extraordinary heroism and life-saving actions in Vietnam.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 29, 2021
Mr. Kilmer (for himself, Mrs. Rodgers of Washington, and Mr. Bost)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on House
Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the United States Army Dust Off
crews of the Vietnam War, collectively, in recognition of their
extraordinary heroism and life-saving actions in Vietnam.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Dust Off Crews of the Vietnam War
Congressional Gold Medal Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds that--
(1) a United States Army Dust Off crewman (pilot, crew
chief, and medic) is a helicopter crew member who served
honorably during the Vietnam War aboard a helicopter air
ambulance often under the radio call sign ``Dust Off'';
(2) Dust Off crews performed aeromedical evacuation for
United States, Vietnamese, and allied forces in Southeast Asia
from May 1962 through March 1973;
(3) nearing the end of World War II, the United States Army
began using helicopters for medical evacuation and years later,
during the Korean War, these helicopter air ambulances were
responsible for transporting 17,700 United States casualties;
(4) during the Vietnam War, with the use of helicopter air
ambulances, United States Army Dust Off crews pioneered the
concept of dedicated and rapid medical evacuation and
transported almost 900,000 United States, South Vietnamese, and
other allied sick and wounded, as well as wounded enemy forces;
(5) helicopters proved to be a revolutionary tool to assist
those injured on the battlefield;
(6) highly skilled and intrepid, Dust Off crews were able
to operate the helicopters and land them on almost any terrain
in nearly any weather to pick up wounded, after which the Dust
Off crews could provide care to these patients while
transporting them to ready medical facilities;
(7) the vital work of the Dust Off crews required
consistent combat exposure and often proved to be the
difference between life and death for wounded personnel;
(8) the revolutionary concept of a dedicated combat life-
saving system was cultivated and refined by United States Army
Dust Off crews during 11 years of intense conflict in and above
the jungles of Southeast Asia;
(9) innovative and resourceful Dust Off crews in Vietnam
were responsible for taking the new concept of helicopter
medical evacuation, born just a few years earlier, and
revolutionizing it to meet and surpass the previously
unattainable goal of delivering a battlefield casualty to an
operating table within the vaunted ``golden hour'';
(10) some Dust Off units in Vietnam operated so efficiently
that they were able to deliver a patient to a waiting medical
facility on an average of 50 minutes from the receipt of the
mission, which saved the lives of countless personnel in
Vietnam, and this legacy continues for modern-day Dust Off
crews;
(11) the inherent danger of being a member of a Dust Off
crew in Vietnam meant that there was a 1 in 3 chance of being
wounded or killed;
(12) many battles during the Vietnam War raged at night,
and members of the Dust Off crews often found themselves
searching for a landing zone in complete darkness, in bad
weather, over mountainous terrain, and all while being the
target of intense enemy fire as they attempted to rescue the
wounded, which caused Dust Off crews to suffer a rate of
aircraft loss that was more than 3 times that of all other
types of combat helicopter missions in Vietnam;
(13) the 54th Medical Detachment typified the constant
heroism displayed by Dust Off crews in Vietnam, over the span
of a 10-month tour, with only 3 flyable helicopters and 40
soldiers in the unit, evacuating 21,435 patients in 8,644
missions while being airborne for 4,832 hours;
(14) collectively, the members of the 54th Medical
Detachment earned 78 awards for valor, including 1 Medal of
Honor, 1 Distinguished Service Cross, 14 Silver Star Medals, 26
Distinguished Flying Crosses, 2 Bronze Star Medals for valor, 4
Air Medals for valor, 4 Soldier's Medals, and 26 Purple Heart
Medals;
(15) the 54th Medical Detachment displayed heroism on a
daily basis and set the standard for all Dust Off crews in
Vietnam;
(16) 6 members of the 54th Medical Detachment are in the
Dust Off Hall of Fame, 3 are in the Army Aviation Hall of Fame,
and 1 is the only United States Army aviator in the National
Aviation Hall of Fame;
(17) Dust Off crew members are among the most highly
decorated soldiers in American military history;
(18) in early 1964, Major Charles L. Kelly was the
Commanding Officer of the 57th Medical Detachment (Helicopter
Ambulance), Provisional, in Soc Trang, South Vietnam;
(19) Major Kelly helped to forge the Dust Off call sign
into history as one of the most welcomed phrases to be heard
over the radio by wounded soldiers in perilous and dire
situations;
(20) in 1964, Major Kelly was killed in action as he
gallantly maneuvered his aircraft to save a wounded American
soldier and several Vietnamese soldiers and boldly replied,
after being warned to stay away from the landing zone due to
the ferocity of enemy fire, ``When I have your wounded.'';
(21) General William Westmoreland, Commander, Military
Assistance Command, Vietnam (1964-1968), singled out Major
Kelly as an example of ``the greatness of the human spirit''
and highlighted his famous reply as an inspiration to all in
combat;
(22) General Creighton Abrams, Westmoreland's successor
(1968-1972), and former Chief of Staff of the United States
Army, highlighted the heroism of Dust Off crews, ``A special
word about the Dust Offs . . . Courage above and beyond the
call of duty was sort of routine to them. It was a daily thing,
part of the way they lived. That's the great part, and it meant
so much to every last man who served there. Whether he ever got
hurt or not, he knew Dust Off was there.'';
(23) Dust Off crews possessed unique skills and traits that
made them highly successful in aeromedical evacuation in
Vietnam, including indomitable courage, extraordinary aviation
skill and sound judgment under fire, high-level medical
expertise, and an unequaled dedication to the preservation of
human life;
(24) members of the United States Armed Forces on the
ground in Vietnam had their confidence and battlefield prowess
reinforced knowing that there were heroic Dust Off crews just a
few minutes from the fight, which was instrumental to their
well-being, willingness to fight, and morale;
(25) military families in the United States knew that their
loved ones would receive the quickest and best possible care in
the event of a war-time injury, thanks to the Dust Off crews;
(26) the willingness of Dust Off crews to also risk their
lives to save helpless civilians left an immeasurably positive
impression on the people of Vietnam and exemplified the finest
American ideals of compassion and humanity; and
(27) Dust Off crews from the Vietnam War hailed from every
State in the United States and represented numerous ethnic,
religious, and cultural backgrounds.
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) Presentation Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of
Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make
appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of Congress,
of a single gold medal of appropriate design in honor of the Dust Off
crews of the Vietnam War, collectively, in recognition of their heroic
military service, which saved countless lives and contributed directly
to the defense of our country.
(b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the award referred to
in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury shall strike the gold
medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be
determined by the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of
Defense.
(c) Smithsonian Institution.--
(1) In general.--Following the award of the gold medal in
honor of the Dust Off Crews of the Vietnam War, the gold medal
shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where it will be
available for display as appropriate and available for
research.
(2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the Smithsonian Institution should also make the gold medal
awarded pursuant to this Act available for display elsewhere,
particularly at appropriate locations associated with the
Vietnam War, and that preference should be given to locations
affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution.
SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold
medal struck pursuant to section 3 under such regulations as the
Secretary may prescribe, at a price sufficient to cover the cost
thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and
overhead expenses.
SEC. 5. NATIONAL MEDALS.
The medal struck pursuant to this Act is a national medal for
purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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