,i  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #eici  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,november #g1 #bjbe  
,mr4 ,davis of ,north ,carolina 7for    
himself and ,mr4 ,murphy7 introduced the
 following bill2 which was referred to  
the ,committee on ,financial ,services  
,a ,,bill  ,to award a ,congressional   
,gold ,medal to ,united ,states ,marines
 who served as part of helicopter       
support missions in the ,vietnam ,war4  
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,,usmc ,helicopter ,support in  
,vietnam ,congressional ,gold ,medal    
,act4  #b4 ,findings  7a7 ,by the end of
 the war in ,vietnam in #aige1 there had
 been approximately #cia1jjj ,u4,s4     
,marines and #aj1jjj ,navy ,corpsmen who
 had served in ,vietnam4 ,out of all of 
these men it is estimated that roughly  
#ij percent of them served in either the
 ,first or ,third ,marine ,division1    
while the remaining #aj percent served  
in the ,first ,marine ,air ,wing 7#ast  
,,maw74  7b7 ,the #ast ,,maw itself     

consisted of both fixed-wing and        
helicopter 7rotary7 ,marine ,air ,groups
 7,,mag71 and over #fj percent of the   
,marines and ,corpsmen who served in the
 #ast ,,maw were assigned to the ,,mag4 
7c7 ,during ,vietnam's #ac years of war 
the #ast ,,maw saw #be of its helicopter
 squadrons deployed to ,vietnam1 and by 
,january #aifh there would be #aa       
squadrons flying in the country on any  
given day until mid-#aiga4  7d7 ,the    
first ,marine helicopter squadron to be 
deployed to ,vietnam was ,,hmm-#cfb on  
,april #ae1 #aifb4 ,their mission in    
,vietnam was to both advise and train1  
transport troops1 passengers1 and cargo1
 and to provide aeromedical support to  
the troops of the ,army of the ,republic
 of ,vietnam 7,,arvn74  7e7 #e months   
later1 at the request of the ,united    
,states ,military ,assistance ,command  
in ,vietnam1 and with the ,marines      
having much more capable aircraft and   
instrument-qualified pilots in country1 
the squadron that replaced ,,hmm-#cfb1  

,,hmm-#afc1 was relocated to the        
airfield in ,da ,nang4 #ba days later1  
tragedy struck when one of their        
helicopters flying on a medical support 
mission crashed into a mountainside due 
to a mechanical problem1 killing #g of  
the #h men aboard4 ,the casualties would
 include the first ,navy ,corpsman1     
first ,navy ,flight ,surgeon1 and the   
first ,marine aircrew members to die in 
,vietnam4  7f7 #a year later while      
flying on a search and rescue mission1  
#b helicopters from yet another ,marine 
,squadron1 #j ,,hmm-#cfa1 collided in   
mid-air while trying to avoid ground    
fire1 killing #ab men4 ,the casualties  
in this mishap included the first       
,hispanic1 and the first                
,african-,american ,corpsmen to die in  
,vietnam1 as well as another ,navy      
,flight ,surgeon and #i ,marines4  7g7  
,in ,march of #aife1 upon the orders of 
,president ,lyndon ,johnson1 #c1ejj     
,marines of the #ith ,marine            
,expeditionary ,brigade made an         

amphibious landing on ,red ,beach1 #i   
miles north of ,da ,nang1 making them   
the first ,united ,states combat troops 
to be deployed to ,vietnam4 ,with their 
arrival came the need for a much larger1
 and more diverse system of helicopter  
support4  7h7 ,by the time the last     
,united ,states ,marine ground troops   
were pulled out of ,vietnam1 the number 
of ,marines having served in the country
 was estimated to be between #ha1jjj and
 #he1jjj4 ,it was because of who and    
what they were1 that they were tasked   
with conducting both large and small    
scale ground operations1 search and     
destroy missions1 counterinsurgency     
operations in both rural and urban      
settings throughout the #aj1edj         
square-miles of what was known as the   
,,ictz1 or the ,i-,corps ,tactical      
,zone4  7i7 ,comprised of the perhaps   
the #e most hotly-contested provinces in
 all of ,south ,vietnam2 ,quang ,tri1   
,thua ,thien1 ,quang ,nam1 ,quang ,tin1 
and ,quang ,ngai1 the ,marines often    

found themselves engaged with the enemy 
in places whose names became synonymous 
with the horrors of the war4 ,these were
 places like ,khe ,sanh1 ,hill #hha,s1  
,mutter's ,ridge1 ,the ,rockpile1 ,dong 
,ha1 ,con ,thien1 ,a ,shau ,valley1 ,phu
 ,bai1 ,hue1 ,marble ,mountains1 ,hill  
#ee1 the ,que ,son ,mountains1 ,,lz     
,baldy1 ,,lz ,ross1 ,an ,hoa1 ,hoi ,an1 
,liberty ,bridge1 ,chu ,lai1 and ,go    
,noi ,island4  7j7 ,these became the    
very places where ,marine helicopter    
aircrews flew into1 and always hoped    
that they would leave again4 ,and not   
fearing to do so1 some of these places  
became the same places where the        
,marines decided to establish some of   
their helicopter bases4  7k7 ,from these
 bases the helicopter aircrews would    
support those on the ground by flying   
large troop insertions or extractions1  
as well as large civilian relocation4   
,they also inserted or extracted small  
reconnaissance teams1 flew life-saving  
medical evacuations or participated in  

search and rescue missions1 delivered   
much needed ammunition1 food1 water1    
medical supplies1 or mail from home     
which to those on the ground proved     
crucial because it impacted both their  
morale and emotional well-being4 ,other 
missions flown were because someone     
needed an overhead escort1 aerial       
reconnaissance1 target spotting1 a night
 time flare drop1 or because a ,,vip    
needed to be flown around4  7l7 ,no     
matter what the mission was1 or who it  
was for1 or where it was needed1 there  
were always great risks involved4 ,it   
might be from the automatic weapons or  
small arms ground fire1 mortars1        
rockets1 landmines in the landing zone1 
,,rpg's that the enemy used1 or perhaps 
because of something as simple as a     
barbed wire entanglement or a triple    
canopy forest4 ,mountains1 the weather1 
pilot error1 a mechanical1 electrical1  
or fuel problem1 basically you name it  
and it could kill you4 ,but the aircrews
 flew anyway4  7m7 ,there was one       

mission flown by helicopters1 however1  
that not only carried these same risks1 
but was also known by intelligence and  
the aircrew members themselves to be    
much more of a prize target to the      
enemy1 the ,medevac4  7n7 ,flown by an  
exceptionally skilled1 calm1 decisive1  
dedicated1 compassionate and both       
physically and mentally resilient crew  
consisting of a pilot and co-pilot1 crew
 chief1 two gunners1 and a skilled      
combat-trained ,navy ,corpsman1 they    
were ready to fly anywhere and anytime1 
#g days a week4 ,of note is the fact    
that the corpsman and gunners all       
volunteered to fly medevac missions4    
7o7 ,these medevac aircraft were        
normally accompanied by a chase ship    
7minus a corpsman7 that shadowed them1  
and #b gunship escorts that would       
accompany them into what many aircrew   
members described as hell and back4  7p7
 ,this medevac package of #d helicopters
 and their crews demonstrated the       
foresight that the ,marines had put into

 these packages in that they were       
strategically located throughout the    
,,ictz and were always ready to go4 ,to 
have such a package on standby and      
already in place when a mission was     
called was considered better than trying
 to piecemeal one at the last minute1   
thus endangering the life of a casualty4
 ,bullets could kill1 but so could a    
delay in launching4  7q7 ,medevac       
helicopters often flew into some of the 
most formidable1 dangerous1 and hostile 
environments in all of ,vietnam4 ,and as
 a result of where they went1 and what  
they were doing1 there would be #bf     
,medevac ,corpsmen who were killed in   
the line of duty4  7r7 ,there were      
however1 times when a medevac helicopter
 was not readily available1 which in    
time served as the impetus for creating 
a plan where another nearby helicopter  
that was already tasked with another    
type of mission would be re-tasked to   
conduct the much needed evacuation      
instead4 ,this was what the aircrews    

considered to be a flight of            
opportunity4  7s7 ,those who were being 
evacuated were usually ,united ,states  
,marines1 ,south ,korean ,marines       
7,r,o,ks7 ,,arvn ,troopers1 or the      
occasional ,vietnamese civilian who was 
sick1 wounded1 or oftentimes deceased4  
,some evacuees were carried on1 while   
some walked on1 and there were also     
those who had to be hoisted up into the 
helicopter in a stretcher1 or on a      
jungle penetrator4 ,in any case1 because
 the pilots were always aware of the    
golden hour they would often inform the 
corpsman in the back how soon it would  
be until they would touch down4  7t7    
,depending on the circumstance of the   
evacuation1 the evacuee or evacuees     
would either be flown to the #gjj-;bed  
,naval ,support ,activity hospital in   
,da ,nang1 or to whichever ,united      
,states ,navy hospital ship like the    
#gej-;bed ,repose1 or the #ghf-;bed     
,sanctuary1 either which was in the ,da 
,nang harbor at the time4 ,sometimes it 

was to either the #ast or #crd ,medical 
,battalion1 or the civilian hospital in 
,da ,nang4 ,it is difficult to forget   
that amongst all of the other missions  
that the aircrew members flew1 those    
were those missions that carried the    
bodies of many of the #ah1hdd ,marines  
and #fde ,navy ,corpsmen who lost their 
lives in ,vietnam4 ,these missions would
 take them directly to ,graves          
,registration4  7u7 ,the aircrews       
believed that those who were on the     
ground expected helicopter support1 that
 they needed helicopter support1 and    
because of this1 they made sure that    
they received helicopter support4  7v7  
,there was a saying that went that those
 who flew did so outside the wire while 
those who never flew stayed inside the  
wire4 ,these were those young men1 who  
in their own specialized way1 supported 
both those ,marines who flew and those  
,marines who were out in the bush4  7w7 
,these were the forgotten heroes of the 
#ast ,,maw4 ,they were the men who      

maintained1 serviced1 and repaired the  
helicopters1 fueled them and armed them1
 worked in air traffic control1         
maintained the runway1 the hootches1 the
 admin buildings1 the clubs1 cooked the 
meals1 did the paperwork1 studied the   
intelligence1 worked in base security1  
drove the vehicles on and off base1 and 
like the chaplains1 prayed for everyone4
  7x7 ,by the end of the war1 the       
,marines would lose #bhj of their       
helicopters and #hde of their helicopter
 crew members and passengers in         
,vietnam4 ,not quantified anywhere1     
however1 is the exact number of those   
,marines on base who were killed and did
 not fly4  7y7 ,the helicopter aircrews 
of the #ast ,,maw who flew in ,vietnam  
between #aifb and #aige transported more
 than #c1baj1jjj troops and passengers1 
flew more than #a1fjj1jjj various       
sorties1 delivered more than #cch1jjj   
tons of cargo1 and medically evacuated  
approximately #ahi1jjj patients4  7z7   
,but it was the former ,commandant of   

the ,marine ,corps1 ,general ,leonard   
,f4 ,chapman1 who best summarized what  
helicopter support meant to the ,marines
 on the ground in ,vietnam when he      
stated that ,when a ,marine in ,vietnam 
is wounded1 surrounded1 hungry1 low on  
ammunition or water1 he looks to the    
sky1 he knows the choppers are coming4  
#c4 ,congressional gold medal  7a7      
,presentation authorized ,the ,speaker  
of the ,house of ,representatives and   
the ,president pro tempore of the       
,senate shall make appropriate          
arrangements for the presentation1 on   
behalf of ,congress1 of a single gold   
medal of appropriate design in honor of 
the ,medevac ,marines and ,navy         
,corpsmen of the ,vietnam ,war1         
collectively1 in recognition of their   
heroic military service1 which saved    
countless lives and contributed directly
 to the defense of the ,united ,states4 
7b7 ,design and striking ,for purposes  
of the presentation referred to in      
subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of the   

,treasury 7referred to in this ,act as  
the ,secretary7 shall strike a gold     
medal with suitable emblems1 devices1   
and inscriptions1 to be determined by   
the ,secretary1 in consultation with the
 ,secretary of ,defense4  7c7 ,united   
,states ,navy ,medical ,department      
,museum  7#a7 ,in general ,following the
 award of the gold medal in honor of the
 ,medevac ,marines and ,navy ,corpsmen  
of the ,vietnam ,war1 the gold medal    
shall be given to the ,national ,museum 
of the ,united ,states ,navy1 where it  
will be available for display as        
appropriate and available for research4 
7#b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the     
sense of ,congress that the ,national   
,museum of the ,united ,states ,navy    
should make the gold medal awarded      
pursuant to this ,act available for     
display elsewhere1 particularly at      
appropriate locations associated with   
the ,vietnam ,war1 and that preference  
should be given to locations affiliated 
with the ,national ,museum of the       

,united ,states ,navy4  #d4 ,duplicate  
medals ,the ,secretary may strike and   
sell duplicates in bronze of the gold   
medal struck under section #c1 at a     
price sufficient to cover the costs of  
the medals1 including labor1 materials1 
dies1 use of machinery1 and overhead    
expenses4  #e4 ,status of medals  7a7   
,national medal ,medals struck pursuant 
to this ,act are national medals for    
purposes of chapter #ea of title #ca1   
,united ,states ,code4  7b7 ,numismatic 
items ,for purposes of section #eacd and
 section #eacf of title #ca1 ,united    
,states ,code1 all medals struck under  
this ,act shall be considered to be     
numismatic items4  #f4 ,authority to use
 fund amounts1 proceeds of sale  7a7    
,authority ,to use fund amounts ,there  
is authorized to be charged against the 
,united ,states ,mint ,public           
,enterprise ,fund such amounts as may be
 necessary to pay for the costs thereof 
struck under this ,act4  7b7 ,proceeds  
of sale ,amounts received from the sale 

of duplicate bronze medals authorized   
under section #d shall be deposited into
 the ,united ,states ,mint ,public      
,enterprise ,fund4