Atlanta, Ga. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is working across the aisle to pass bipartisan legislation that honors Vietnam War Dustoff crew veterans.
Sen. Ossoff is launching a push to pass the bipartisan Dustoff Crews of the Vietnam War Congressional Gold Medal Act, legislation he co-sponsored to honor Vietnam War Dustoff crew veterans.
“I see one of my most solemn duties in the U.S. Senate as serving Georgia’s veterans and their families. This bipartisan bill will honor these Vietnam veterans for their heroic service,” Sen. Ossoff said.
The Dustoff crews, more commonly known as medevacs, operated during the Vietnam War between 1962 and 1973, transporting and treating almost 900,000 people to medical facilities during the 11 years they operated.
Dustoff crews saved lives by reaching the previously unattainable goal of delivering the sick or injured to an operating table within the vaunted “golden hour,” ––the standard for best medical outcomes.
A prominent Dustoff crew servicemember, Maj. Charles L. Kelly, was born in Georgia. Major Kelly died on a Dustoff crew mission evacuating wounded soldiers.
This is the latest step in Sen. Ossoff’s push to honor Georgia’s veterans.
Last month, the U.S. Senate passed Sen. Ossoff’s bipartisan amendment to expand access to breast cancer screenings for Georgia veterans.
Sen. Ossoff also launched an inquiry with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) into excessive delays with the VA Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA), which decides whether or not veterans are entitled to claimed veterans’ benefits and services.
Last year, Sens. Ossoff and Braun passed into law their bipartisan Access for Veterans to Records Act to help address the backlog of veterans’ service records nationwide and ensure veterans receive the benefits they earned.
This summer, Sens. Ossoff and Joni Ernst (R-IA) passed their bipartisan Investing in VETS Act as part of this year’s National Defense Authorization Act to help service-disabled veteran business owners compete for Federal government contracts, helping expand their business opportunities to new markets.
# # #
