From the wheatfields of the Civil War to the jungles and paddies of Vietnam, the United States has led the world in adapting modern transport technology to the humanitarian goal of saving the lives of the sick and wounded. Drawing on its first experiments with helicopters in Korea, the Army in Vietnam came to rely almost entirely on the helicopter for medical evacuation. The Dust Off and Medevac helicopter ambulance unites tested and perfected for medical use the Army's new helicopter, the UH-1, and developed several new devices, especially the hoist, that helped save thousands of American and allied lives between 1962 and 1973. The pilots of these helicopter ambulances displayed a courage and devotion to duty that earned them widespread respect from soldiers in Vietnam. This book chronicles the early problems of medical evacuation in Vietnam, recounts the valor of several of the Dust Off crews, and describes the procedures and equipment used to speed the movement of patients to in-theater Army hospitals. It also shows the effect that the helicopter had on traditional Army procedures dating back to the Civil War. The widespread use of the helicopter for medical evacuation in America since the Vietnam War testifies to the broader issues raised by this study, and of the relevance of Army history to the civilian community.
