I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1015 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the United States Army Dustoff 
crews of the Vietnam War, collectively, in recognition of their extraor-
dinary heroism and life-saving actions in Vietnam. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 14, 2023 
Mr. KILMER (for himself, Mrs. RODGERS of Washington, Mrs. MILLER- 
MEEKS, and Mr. MANN) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the United States 
Army Dustoff 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 ‘‘Dustoff Crews of the 
Vietnam War Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds that— 
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(1) a United States Army Dustoff crewman, in-
cluding a pilot, crew chief, and medic, is a helicopter 
crew member who served honorably during the Viet-
nam War aboard helicopter air ambulances, which 
were both nondivision and division assets under the 
radio call signs ‘‘Dustoff’’ and ‘‘Medevac’’; 
(2) Dustoff crews performed aeromedical evacu-
ation 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 
Dustoff crews pioneered the concept of dedicated 
and rapid medical evacuation and transported al-
most 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, Dustoff 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 Dustoff crews could 
provide care to these patients while transporting 
them to ready medical facilities; 
(7) the vital work of the Dustoff 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 Dustoff crews during 11 
years of intense conflict in and above the jungles of 
Southeast Asia; 
(9) innovative and resourceful Dustoff 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 sur-
pass the previously unattainable goal of delivering a 
battlefield casualty to an operating table within the 
vaunted ‘‘golden hour’’; 
(10) some Dustoff units in Vietnam operated so 
efficiently that they were able to deliver a patient to 
a waiting medical facility on an average of 50 min-
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utes from the receipt of the mission, which saved the 
lives of countless personnel in Vietnam, and this leg-
acy continues for modern-day Dustoff crews; 
(11) the inherent danger of being a member of 
a Dustoff 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 Dustoff 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 Dustoff 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 Dustoff crews in Viet-
nam, 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 
Dustoff crews in Vietnam; 
(16) 6 members of the 54th Medical Detach-
ment are in the Dustoff 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) Dustoff crew members are among the most 
highly decorated soldiers in United States 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 Dustoff 
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 United States soldier and several Viet-
namese 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 of the Military Assistance Command, Viet-
nam from 1964 to 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, successor to 
General Westmoreland from 1968 to 1972, and 
former Chief of Staff of the United States Army, 
highlighted the heroism of Dustoff crews, ‘‘A special 
word about the Dustoffs . . . . 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 Dustoff was there.’’; 
(23) Dustoff crews possessed unique skills and 
traits 
that 
made 
them 
highly 
successful 
in 
aeromedical evacuation in Vietnam, including indom-
itable courage, extraordinary aviation skill and 
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sound judgment under fire, high-level medical exper-
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 Dustoff crews just a few min-
utes 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 Dustoff crews; 
(26) the willingness of Dustoff 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 United States 
ideals of compassion and humanity; and 
(27) Dustoff 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-
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pore 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 Dustoff 
crews of the Vietnam War, collectively, in recognition of 
their heroic military service, which saved countless lives 
and contributed directly to the defense of the United 
States. 
(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For purposes of the 
presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 
of the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Sec-
retary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, 
devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec-
retary, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense. 
(c) U.S. ARMY MEDICAL DEPARTMENT MUSEUM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the 
gold medal in honor of the Dustoff Crews of the 
Vietnam War, the gold medal shall be given to the 
U.S. Army Medical Department Museum, where it 
will be available for display as appropriate and avail-
able for research. 
(2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 
Congress that the U.S. Army Medical Department 
Museum should make the gold medal awarded pur-
suant to this Act available for display elsewhere, 
particularly at appropriate locations associated with 
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the Vietnam War, and that preference should be 
given to locations affiliated with the U.S. Army 
Medical Department Museum. 
SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 
bronze of the gold medal struck under section 3, at a price 
sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, including labor, 
materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 
SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 
(a) NATIONAL MEDAL.—Medals struck pursuant to 
this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 
of title 31, United States Code. 
(b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of section 
5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck 
under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. 
SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF 
SALE. 
(a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is 
authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 
Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec-
essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck under 
this Act. 
(b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the 
sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 
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4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public 
Enterprise Fund. 
Æ 
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