The 45th Medical Company
Air Ambulance "Dustoff" is
the epitome of Helicopter Aeromedical Evacuation.
Recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal.
On Thursday, September 26, 2024, the President signed
into law: S. 2825, the "Dustoff Crews of the Vietnam War
Congressional Gold Medal Act," which provides for the award
of 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.
"Dustoff" - Acronym Definition - DedicatedUnhesitatingServiceToOurFightingForces. The terms "medevac" and "medivac" were used synonymously for
Army "Aeromedical evacuation" or "Dustoff" (Dust Off).
There was no more welcome sound to a wounded soldier in
Viet Nam than the whop-whop-whop of the "Dustoff Huey" coming to
get them out of hell. Anyone that has ever flown in a "Dustoff Huey"
will never forget that heavenly sound.
Dustoff in Vietnam was a crew of four dedicated
(and most people would likely say, "certifiably insane") men
that flew unarmed helicopters to the front line and beyond to
rescue wounded soldiers. The mission for Dustoff was to
get the wounded soldiers out of harm's way, save their life by
providing basic medical care, and get them to the nearest or
best hospital to treat their wounds.
Life as we know it could have been a lot
different for the casualties of the Vietnam War had it not been
for the outstanding bravery and dedication of Dustoff crews.
One of my favorite standbys was with the Aussies at Nui Dat. Nui
Dat was the Australian base in the middle of Viet Cong territory in
Phuoc Tuy province. The nearby villages of Long Tan and Long Phuoc
were both considered Viet Cong strongholds.
I was a Dustoff Medic.
Without a doubt the Dustoff Medic
witnessed more of the brutality of war than anyone.
It took a man with incredible intestinal fortitude to face the
type and quantity of wounds and injuries he faced many times every
day. Anything and everything imaginable to mutilate the human body
were the types of challenges he faced each and every day.
As I stated above, Dustoff in Vietnam was a crew of four
dedicated men. Each Dustoff Crew consisted of two Pilots,
a Flight Medic, and a Crewchief. The Pilots were responsible for
flying our unarmed helicopter, the Medic cared for the wounded, and
the Crewchief maintained the helicopter. We all depended on each other,
and we trusted each other with our lives.
This trust was never more apparent than when we flew a night
"Hoist Mission" to rescue a wounded "American GI" or a wounded
"Australian Baggy". Everyone on the crew had their own job to do PLUS
watch and make sure we did not hit anything with the main rotor or
especially the tail rotor. It was quite common for the Crewchief
and Medic to stand out on the skids and lean out so we could see the
tail rotor and watch the jungle penetrator or the "Stokes Litter" spinning
from the downdraft from the rotating helicopter blades as we hoisted
the wounded up through the trees as the bullets whizzed by our heads and
made Swiss Cheese out of our helicopter.
"Si" Simmons summed it all up from a Pilots point of view with what I think is the
most beautiful heartfelt tribute to the Dustoff Medic and Crewchief ever written.
With special permission from "Si" here is that tribute:
The "MEDIC" & "CREWCHIEF" Dustoff Personified
It's been said that when Dustoff pilots are flying, they talk about
women --- and when they're with women, they talk about flying ---
But when they tell war stories of the "You Had To Be There"
calibre, the subject usually locks in on the feats of their grungy
MEDIC and CREWCHIEF.
As Dustoff pilots in Vietnam, our task was to insure that timely
medical care was delivered to the wounded; a job that was
probably helped along by having a bent for foxy flying and being a button short ---
The "medical care" we "delivered" was a different story ---
Our "Medic and Crewchief team" aboard was the precious cargo
for whom the wounded watched and prayed --
Through the plexiglass we've watched them ---- and we've
watched the wounded watch them --- with litter and weapon in
hand, trudge through waist-deep rice paddies, through tangled
jungle growth, up rocky mountainsides, hang from skids with
outstretched hand, jump to watery depths, tear into burning
cockpits, hug a jungle penetrator as it takes them through
triple canopy -- all too often under withering enemy fire.
We've watched both as they've emptied clips into treelines,
bunkers and jungled hideouts -- buying altitude -- before
turning to continue tending the wounded, halt hemorrhage,
close a sucking chest, start fluids, calm hysteria, breath life,
cuddle babies maimed.
As their wounded were off-loaded to definitive care-- we've watched
the "thumbs up" as their tired eyes and muddy faces grin at a life
given -- and too often we've watched a sudden stiffness --
a desperation -- as they carefully -- almost reverently --
slide a lifeless litter from the hold --- then resignation --
then --"clear on the right"! -- and back to the job --
Leaving the flightline at mission's end, we've turned and watched
both - in searing heat or monsoon storms and dead of night -- tie
the blade, check the damage, hose the red from their rotten smelling
station -- refit gear and ammo, and begin the tedious and demanding
postflight or the too-often twenty five hour inspection. -- And we
get the "high sign" as we yell, "We'll save chow!"
Then as we trot back to the flight line as quickly as we'd left, we
watched their fatigue unveil as we yelled, "Wind'er up! - got C's on
board?" -- and we watched them suck-it-up -- again -- and scurry to
lift off -- again --
to save a poor soul --
again -- again -- and again ----
As a Dustoff pilot, it has been my greatest honor
to serve with this awe-inspiring team and be a part of it. SiSimmons
"DUSTOFF"
THE CALL SIGN As told by SiSimmons
The DUSTOFF call sign
was acquired by the 57th Medical Detachment
(Helicopter Ambulance)in January, 1964, ironically and quite appropriately/
proudly, by way of medical necessity.
The occasion was a bloody two-day operation, West of Saigon, near the
Cambodian border in early Jan 1964 that churned out many casualties
throughout a day and night of battle.
I was a newly arrived peter pilot flying with a seasoned pilot,
(NAME - wish I knew), as he handled the call sign problem with all
concerned in the emergency with great skill as I sat in the co-pilot
seat attempting to determine who in the hell was who on the ground,
in the air and back at DUSTOFF Operations.
At the time, all combat units utilized randomly selected call signs
controlled by the Navy Support Activity, Vietnam and were changed
periodically in accordance with Signal Operating Instructions (SOI)in
the interest of security. The call sign of 57th Med Det
(HA) on that day and at that time, per the SOI, happened to be
"DUSTOFF".
Fighting was heavy, casualties were mounting, evacs were continuous
and communication between the evac helicopters and ground commanders
was ever-running. At the time that the code changeover was ordered to
occur in accordance the SOI, the major ground commander as well as
the medevac aircrews became concerned that due to the battlefield chaos
that included some loss of communications between units, switching
to a new call sign may jeopardize evacuation. At the request
of the ground commander, the 57th Med Det commander, MAJ Lloyd
Spencer, agreed immediately to delay the call sign changeover while
also requesting a temporary exception to the SOI from the approving
headquarters. The exception was approved for a specified period
(probably for 24 hours or possibly until the time of the next call
sign change, per the SOI).
After the operation, MAJ Lloyd Spencer and MAJ Charles Kelly discussed
the call sign dilemma and determined that a permanent aeromedical
evacuation call sign would help avoid possible future mission impairment
and more closely conform to the spirit of the Geneva Convention. (At the
time, MAJ Spencer was outgoing commander - MAJ Kelly, incoming commander,
assuming command on 11 Jan 64)
Within a few days, in concert with ground unit commanders, MAJ Spencer
requested and received official approval for the permanent call sign
change to "DUSTOFF".
The permanent, dedicated DUSTOFF call sign was placed into the SOI on a
permanent basis and published within a few weeks. Soon afterward, DUSTOFFers
discontined carrying personal SOI's on board.
(The above is based on my recollection of the circumstances which necessitated the
first use of "DUSTOFF" as a call sign in nonconformance with an SOI -- which
precipitated it's adoption on a permanent basis. At the time, I was the detachment
2nd Lieutenant who was "detailed" to manage the aircrew "SOIs".)
More than 900,000 soldiers survived their injuries and owe their lives
to the outstanding bravery and dedication of Dustoff crews.
The average time from when the soldier was wounded to the time he was on the surgical table was under an hour and
97% of all soldiers who reached the hospital alive survived.
All of the Brave Medics, Crew Chiefs, and Pilots that flew "Dustoff"
in the Vietnam War were volunteers and many served more than one tour.
Most people that served in Vietnam will tell you that "Dustoff" was one of the
most dangerous jobs of the war. It has been said that the life expectancy of a
Dustoff crew in a hot LZ was 30 seconds, BUT if you hear a mortar round
explode that time drops to about eight seconds. I can't begin to tell you how any
of us ever lived to talk about it. We went rain or shine in the light of day and the
dead of night. We never turned down a mission and quite often we didn't have
gunship support.
I served with the 45th Medical Company Air Ambulance from
October 1968 - October 1969.
Major General Patrick Henry Brady served two tours in Viet Nam
and is only one of two living Army Veterans of the Vietnam War
to hold both a Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service
Cross. Dustoff, because of the nature of the missions a Dustoff Crew
Member could just quit and walk away without any consequences.
Other Dustoff units included the 54th Medical Detachment, the 57th
Medical Detachment, the 159th Medical Detachment, the 236th
Medical Company, the 247th Medical Detachment, the 498
th Medical Company, and the 571st Medical Detachment.
In the ten year war, those who actively flew Dustoff missions on a
24/7 basis numbered less than 3000. Our casualty rate was33%.
All Dustoff crews flew with the same spirit and dedication as the
legendary MEDEVAC pilot Major Charles "Combat" Kelly, who died
while flying a Dustoff mission in Vietnam in 1964. Major Charles
Kelly coined what is now the motto for all MEDEVAC crews: "No compromise. No rationalization. No hesitation. Fly the mission. Now!"
Unsung Hero
Main Entry: unsung hero
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: a person who makes a substantive yet
unrecognized contribution; a person whose bravery is unknown or unacknowledged.
On a daily basis these dedicated Dustoff crews performed their mission
with conspicuous gallantry and with great risk to their lives as a part
of the call of duty while engaging in selfless actions supporting the United States of America.
I'd like to offer up the following poignant poem to the
dedicated 33% who gave their all in support of this great nation.
On behalf of my late dad, the author, I'd be pleased to have the
poem appear on your site.
Randy Vaincourt www.vaincourt.homestead.com
JUST A COMMON SOLDIER
(A Soldier Died Today)
by A. Lawrence Vaincourt
He was getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past.
Of a war that he had fought in and the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies; they were heroes, every one.
And tho' sometimes, to his neighbors, his tales became a joke,
All his Legion buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke.
But we'll hear his tales no longer for old Bill has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer, for a soldier died today.
He will not be mourned by many, just his children and his wife,
For he lived an ordinary and quite uneventful life.
Held a job and raised a family, quietly going his own way,
And the world won't note his passing, though a soldier died today
When politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing and proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell their whole life stories, from the time that they were young,
But the passing of a soldier goes unnoticed and unsung.
Is the greatest contribution to the welfare of our land
A guy who breaks his promises and cons his fellow man?
Or the ordinary fellow who, in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his Country and offers up his life?
A politician's stipend and the style in which he lives
Are sometimes disproportionate to the service that he gives.
While the ordinary soldier, who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal and perhaps, a pension small.
It's so easy to forget them for it was so long ago,
That the old Bills of our Country went to battle, but we know
It was not the politicians, with their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom that our Country now enjoys.
Should you find yourself in danger, with your enemies at hand,
Would you want a politician with his ever-shifting stand?
Or would you prefer a soldier, who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin and Country and would fight until the end?
He was just a common soldier and his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us we may need his like again.
For when countries are in conflict, then we find the soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles that the politicians start.
