; (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; (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