Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2825, the Dustoff Crews of the Vietnam War Congressional Gold Medal Act, sponsored by Senator Cornyn. Madam Speaker, we are honoring the United States Army Dustoff crews of the Vietnam war, who came from every State in the United States, with the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of their extraordinary heroism and lifesaving actions in Vietnam. The Dustoff crewmen served aboard helicopter air ambulances and performed medical evacuations for almost 900,000 Americans, South Vietnamese, and other individuals from allied forces for more than 10 years. In these efforts, they often proved to be the difference between life and death for wounded personnel. The Dustoff crews in Vietnam were innovative and resourceful. They took the new concept of helicopter medical evacuation and revolutionized it to meet the goal of quickly delivering a battlefield casualty to a hospital's operating table. Being a member of the Dustoff crew meant that there was an inherent danger to their work and a high likelihood of being wounded or killed. {time} 1430 Additionally, many of the evacuations took place at night, and Dustoff crews would find themselves searching for a landing zone in complete darkness, bad weather, and mountainous terrain, all while being the target of intense enemy fire as they rescued the wounded. Collectively, the members of the Dustoff crews earned 78 awards for their valor.…”