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Dustoff Heroes

So Others May Live: Dustoff - Medical Evacuation in the Vietnam War
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In a secured area on the outskirts of Saigon, medics and members of an Aviation Medical Evacuation Unit practice airlifting a soldier from the ground, up into a Huey using a cable hoist, and then fly to a local medical facility. Speed and technique were graded and all concerned received a thumbs-up.
(Robert Lafoon Collection [VA029713])

During the course of the war many medals were awarded to the Dustoff pilots and crews; however two Dustoff pilots were awarded the Medal of Honor.

Major Patrick H. Brady

On January 6, 1968 Major Brady was called out on a mission to an area heavily blanketed in fog with almost zero visibility. Despite the difficulty he made it to the camp and evacuated the wounded. Later that day, he was called to another area also enclosed in fog where a company of the 198th Light Infantry Brigade suffered heavy casualties. Brady led three other helicopters to the landing zone, but he was the only one to make it through the fog; the others had to abort due to the poor visibility. He made four trips to the camp to evacuate all of the wounded. Then he was called to an area near Chu Lai that was under enemy attack. Despite the machine gun fire, he got the wounded out. Brady flew his final mission of the day going back to the Chu Lai area. He landed in a mine field to pick up men wounded in an ambush and a mine detonated near his helicopter while the crew loaded the wounded. Despite the danger and damage to his helicopter and crew, Brady evacuated all of the casualties. At the end of the day he had evacuated 51 seriously wounded men, using three separate helicopters to complete his missions. For his actions Brady was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. Novosel

On October 2, 1969 Novosel and his crew were called in to evacuate some wounded soldiers from a heavily embattled ARVN unit. The soldiers had been pinned down and trapped by the enemy. Novosel flew into the area under heavy fire without gunship support. On his first pass, none of the soldiers signaled his ship to land and pick up the wounded. Novosel figured out that the troops were scattered and lost. He made several passes through the area, all under enemy fire, and rallied the troops. After numerous trips he eventually picked up the wounded. On his final pass through the area he noticed one last wounded soldier signaling his crew for help. He went to pick the man up when the enemy opened fire on the helicopter. Novosel was shot but managed to get the wounded man out of the area and to the hospital. That day he saved 29 men and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his courage and service.

They kept people alive. Those guys were magnificent. If they knew somebody was hurt and needed to get out of there, they would come in anytime day or night. They would come in under fire, take chances.
- Don Cuneo, Marine Corps Radio Operator and Forward Air Controller, 1966 [Oral History #OH0249], Transcript page 50, lines 22-24. (listen; read; more information)

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