I 
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 extraor-
dinary 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) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Fi-
nancial Services, and in addition to the Committee on House Administra-
tion, 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 Representa-
tives 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’’. 
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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 evac-
uation 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 Ko-
rean War, these helicopter air ambulances were re-
sponsible for transporting 17,700 United States cas-
ualties; 
(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; 
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(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 re-
quired 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 con-
cept 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 
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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 moun-
tainous terrain, and all while being the target of in-
tense 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 Med-
ical Detachment earned 78 awards for valor, includ-
ing 1 Medal of Honor, 1 Distinguished Service 
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Cross, 14 Silver Star Medals, 26 Distinguished Fly-
ing 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 Detach-
ment 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 De-
tachment (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 sol-
diers in perilous and dire situations; 
(20) in 1964, Major Kelly was killed in action 
as he gallantly maneuvered his aircraft to save a 
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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, Com-
mander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam 
(1964–1968), singled out Major Kelly as an example 
of ‘‘the greatness of the human spirit’’ and high-
lighted his famous reply as an inspiration to all in 
combat; 
(22) General Creighton Abrams, Westmore-
land’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 indom-
itable courage, extraordinary aviation skill and 
sound judgment under fire, high-level medical exper-
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tise, 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 con-
fidence 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 im-
measurably 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 tem-
pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements 
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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 em-
blems, 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 loca-
tions affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution. 
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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. 
Æ 
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