[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 99 (Monday, June 12, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3397-S3398]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CORNYN (for himself, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Isakson, 
        Mr. Toomey, Mr. Coons, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Cotton, and Mr. 
        Perdue):
  S. 1338. 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; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 1338

       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 in the Vietnam War aboard a helicopter air 
     ambulance under the radio call sign ``Dust Off'';
       (2) Dust Off crews performed aeromedical evacuation for 
     United States, Vietnamese, and allied forces inside South 
     Vietnam 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 rescued 
     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 South Vietnam;
       (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 33 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;

[[Page S3398]]

       (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) 5 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, and 
     the cost of the gold medal.

     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.
                                 ______