[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 114 (Tuesday, July 29, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10152-S10153]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SPECTER:
  S. 1487. A bill to require the Secretary of the Army to award the 
Combat Medical Badge or another combat badge for Army helicopter 
medical evacuation ambulance (Medevac) pilots and crews; to the 
Committee on Armed Services.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I have sought recognition to explain 
briefly the provisions of legislation I have introduced today that 
would direct the Secretary of the Army to award the Combat Medical 
Badge, CMB, or a similar badge to be designed by the Secretary of the 
Army, to pilots and crew of the Army's helicopter medical ambulance 
units--commonly referred to by their call sign ``DUST OFF''--who have 
flown combat missions to rescue and aid wounded soldiers, sailors, 
airmen, and Marines.
  The legacy of the DUST OFF mission was recently brought to my 
attention by a group of Pennsylvania constituents who have been sharing 
the DUST OFF story in an attempt to persuade the Army to recognize the 
service and sacrifice DUST OFF crews made, especially during the 
Vietnam War, in saving the lives of thousands of fallen comrades by 
extracting the wounded from forward positions to bases where they would 
receive life-saving medical care.
  The Army began using helicopters to evacuate wounded soldiers during 
the Korean War. However, because of their smaller size, Korean War 
helicopters were used solely as a means of transporting the wounded 
from the combat zones. It was not until the early 1960's that a group 
of Army aviators envisioned using the newer, larger, UH-1A ``Huey'' 
helicopters to serve as mobile air ambulances where a medic and crew 
could provide life-saving treatment en route to the medical aide 
station.
  The road to establish air ambulance units within the Army was rocky 
and uncertain. Combat commanders often considered the use of 
helicopters for this purpose a diversion of valuable resources. 
However, through determination, skill, and the American fighting 
spirit, air ambulance crews proved they were a valuable and reliable 
resource in providing support to the combat mission. Indeed, between 
1962 and 1973, DUST OFF crews evacuated more than 900,000 allied 
military personnel and Vietnamese civilian casualties to medical 
assistance sites.
  Captain John Temperelli, Jr. was the first commander of the 57th 
Medical Detachment, Helicopter Ambulance, who would lead the first DUST 
OFF unit in Vietnam. Army Captain Temperelli is considered the 
``pioneer'' of DUST OFF; however, it was Army Major Charles L. Kelly, 
the unit's third commander, who would establish the traditions and the 
motto that DUST OFF crews hold sacred today.
  Major Kelly, like his predecessors, believed in the mission of 
rescuing fallen comrades--so much so that he gave his life to the 
mission. On July 1, 1964, Major Kelly and his crew received a call to 
evacuate a wounded soldier. When they arrived, Major Kelly was 
instructed by an American advisor on the ground to leave the area; the 
landing zone was too ``hot.'' Major Kelly responded with the phrase 
that would become the DUST OFF motto: ``When I have your wounded.'' As 
Major Kelly hovered over the battlefield, an enemy bullet struck him in 
the heart; he was killed. It was with news of Major Kelly's death and 
the story of DUST OFF's dedication to the wounded that DUST OFF earned 
its permanency in the Army.
  I recently received a book written by a Pennsylvania native, Army 
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Mike Novosel, titled DUSTOFF: The Memoir of an 
Army Aviator. Mr. Novosel--a Medal of Honor recipient who served two 
tours in Vietnam and was a veteran of two other wars--knows first hand 
the sacrifice, courage and dedication to duty that DUST OFF crews 
displayed in Vietnam and continue to display today. In his two tours as 
a DUST OFF pilot in Vietnam, Mr. Novosel flew 2,543 missions and 
extracted 5,589 wounded. In his book, Mr. Novosel shares many amazing 
stories of landing in ``hot'' landing zones to allow his medic and crew 
chief, who were also exposed to enemy fire, to rescue and care for the 
wounded. But as Mr. Novosel has said, his experience as a DUST OFF 
pilot was not uncommon. Thousands of brave soldiers risked their lives 
every day by flying into combat zones to evacuate the wounded.
  I am honored that Mr. Novosel and others have brought the story of 
DUST OFF to my attention. It is my sincere hope that the Army will 
recognize DUST OFF pilots and crew with an appropriate badge which 
acknowledges the combat service of these brave individuals. When the 
War Department created the Combat Medical Badge, CMB, in WWII, as a 
companion to the Combat Infantryman Badge, CIB, it did so to recognize 
that ``medical aidmen . . . shared the same hazards and hardships of 
ground combat on a daily basis with the infantry soldier.'' DUST OFF 
pilots and crew equally shared the hazards and hardships of ground 
combat with the infantry soldier. The fact that they were not directly 
assigned or attached to a particular infantry unit--a fact that, under 
current Army policy, makes them eligible to receive a CIB or CMB--
should not bar special recognition of their service, service that one 
author has characterized as ``the brightest achievement of the U.S. 
Army in Vietnam.''
  I had not introduced a bill until today because I wanted to hear 
testimony from DUST OFF participants about their experiences under 
fire. I also wanted to provide the Army with an opportunity to explain 
its position and, perhaps, rethink its opposition to the awarding of an 
appropriate designation to DUST OFF crew members. Earlier today, the 
Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs held a hearing on the matter. 
Based on testimony offered today by three Vietnam veterans--Chief 
Warrant Officer, Ret., Michael J. Novosel, M.O.H., Chief Warrant 
Officer, Ret., John M. Travers, and Mr. William Fredrick ``Fred'' 
Castleberry--I am now more convinced than ever of the worthiness of 
this legislation. The Army again expressed its opposition today; I do 
hope that it will reconsider.
  On the Vietnam Veterans Memorial are etched the names of over 400 
medics, pilots, and crew that gave their lives so others might live. 
The forward thinking, enthusiasm, and dedication of DUST OFF crews in 
Vietnam are attributes seen in today's DUST OFF crews. I urge my 
colleagues to support this legislation which would recognize the nature 
of the service these individuals have performed, and continue to 
perform, while serving on DUST OFF crew.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of this bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1487

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. AWARD OF COMBAT MEDICAL BADGE (CMB) OR OTHER 
                   COMBAT BADGE FOR ARMY HELICOPTER MEDICAL 
                   EVACUATION AMBULANCE (MEDEVAC) PILOTS AND 
                   CREWS.

       (a) Requirement To Elect and Award Combat Badge.--The 
     Secretary of the Army shall, at the election of the 
     Secretary--
       (1) award the Combat Medical Badge (CMB) to each member of 
     a helicopter medical evacuation ambulance crew; or
       (2)(A) establish a badge of appropriate design, to be known 
     as the Combat Medevac Badge; and
       (B) award that badge to each member of a helicopter medical 
     evacuation ambulance crew who meets such requirements for 
     eligibility for the award of that badge as the Secretary 
     shall prescribe.
       (b) Award for Service Before Date of Enactment.--In the 
     case of persons who qualified for treatment as a member of a 
     helicopter medical evacuation ambulance crew by reason of 
     service during the period beginning on June 25, 1950, and 
     ending on the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
     shall award a badge under subsection (a) to each such person 
     with respect to whom an application for the award of such 
     badge is made to the Secretary after such date in such manner 
     as the Secretary may require.
       (c) Member of Helicopter Medical Evacuation Ambulance Crew 
     Defined.--In this section, the term ``member of a helicopter 
     medical evacuation ambulance crew'' means any person who 
     while a member of the Army served in combat on or after June 
     25, 1950, as a pilot or crew member of a helicopter medical 
     evacuation ambulance.

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