Dust Off Crews of the Vietnam War Congressional Gold Medal Act
Bill: H.R.2281 | Sponsor: Rep. Kilmer, Derek (D-WA)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
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.

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.
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