With Honor Action Celebrates Honoring the Dustoff Crews of the Vietnam War
Washington, D.C. – Today, the House passed the Dustoff Crews of the Vietnam War Congressional Gold Medal Act to award a Congressional Gold Medal, one of our nation’s highest honors, to members of the Dustoff crews of the Vietnam War. This bipartisan legislation was led in the House by Rep. Derek Kilmer and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and passed in the Senate earlier this year after being led by Sen. John Cornyn and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. With Honor Action celebrates the passage of this legislation in both chambers with the support of Members from the For Country Caucus.
“Awarding the brave men and women who heroically served in the Dustoff crews during the Vietnam War with a Congressional Gold Medal is long overdue, and the least we can do to honor their service and sacrifice to our nation. I am thrilled to see that Congress took the necessary steps to make this recognition a reality,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “With Honor Action applauds House lawmakers for passing this critical legislation in an overwhelmingly bipartisan fashion, and urges the president to swiftly sign it into law.”
The Dustoff Crews of the Vietnam War Congressional Gold Medal Act was originally introduced in 2023, passed through the Senate in May of 2024, and, as a result of its passage in the House today, will now be sent to the President’s desk to be signed into law. With Honor Action has played an active and key role in the advocacy of this bill and looks forward to seeing these brave servicemembers finally recognized for their heroic service. Although it’s been 49 years since the end of the war, it’s never too late to honor these brave men for their service.
Background
Due to the logistical complications posed by Vietnam’s terrain, the U.S. Army reconsidered a dangerous tactic used sparingly during the Korean War to evacuate wounded servicemembers: aeromedical evacuations. The U.S. Army Air-Ambulance units, referred to as the Dustoff crews, were in charge of these evacuations and consisted of four men: two pilots, a medic, and a crew chief. The skillful flying of these pilots, combined with the increased capacity of the Huey helicopters they flew in, led to the successful transportation of roughly 900,000 United States, Vietnamese, and allied troops.
Unfortunately, this incredible feat came at a great price to the crewmembers. Due to the space required to transport and operate on patients, the Hueys were unable to carry weapons. Their only safety was red crosses on the nose and doors of the aircraft, a signal of peace that was often used instead as a target. As a result, one-third of the 1,400 Dustoff pilots were killed or wounded. Their motto, “So Others May Live” underscores the sacrifice of these heroic pilots who flew directly into combat unarmed to save their fellow soldiers.
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With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress by supporting principled veterans across party lines who pledge to serve with integrity, civility, and courage. With Honor Action works alongside the bipartisan For Country Caucus in Congress to pass critical legislation for our nation. Learn more about our work at withhonor.org
With Honor Action is a 501(c)(4), which serves as the organization’s policy and social-welfare arm.
With Honor has an affiliated federally registered “super PAC” called With Honor Fund II.
With Honor Action Celebrates House Passage of Key Priorities During China Week
Washington, D.C. – This week, Congress returned to session after the annual August recess, and kicked off what is expected to be a busy month with “China Week,” where the House voted on a series of bills aimed at countering the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its influence in America. During the week, House lawmakers voted on and passed 25 different pieces of legislation pertaining to this issue that will ultimately strengthen our national security. With Honor Action has played a key role in advocating for several pieces of legislation that made it to the House floor this week, and celebrates the passage of the following with overwhelming bipartisan support:
- H.R. 8333 – The BIOSECURE Act, led by For Country Caucus Member Rep. Brad Wenstrup, would protect sensitive American information from the CCP by prohibiting federally funded medical providers and executive agencies from obtaining materials produced or provided by foreign biotechnology companies of concern.
- H.R. 8152 – The Remote Access Security Act, led by For Country Caucus Member Rep. Jeff Jackson, would take necessary steps to protect advanced American semiconductor chip information from the CCP. Despite current restrictions on the export of these chips, Chinese companies have been able to exploit a loophole in U.S. export control laws to access this technology remotely and use it to develop AI capabilities. This legislation would close that loophole and protect sensitive information.
- H.R. 7159 – The Pacific Partnership Act, supported by For Country Caucus Members Rep. Steve Womack and Rep. Don Bacon, would strengthen U.S. engagement in the Indo-Pacific, and ensure the U.S. has an enduring presence in this critical region. Specifically, it would augment our cooperation with the Indo-Pacific by codifying the 2022 Pacific Partnership Strategy with four-year updates, designates the Pacific Islands Forum with diplomatic status, and requires presidential reporting on implementation of these strategies.
- H.R. 8361 – The Economic Espionage Prevention Act, led by For Country Caucus Member Rep. Rich McCormick, would bolster our national security by authorizing the Administration to impose sanctions on foreign persons or entities that knowingly engage in economic or industrial espionage.
- H.R. 9456 – The Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act would take necessary steps to prevent adversarial nations, such as the CCP, from buying and owning U.S. agricultural land in sensitive areas. This is critical as the CCP continues to buy U.S. land close to military bases as a measure to obtain surveillance and intelligence on our armed forces. Specifically, this legislation would add the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to the Committee on Foreign Investments in the U.S. (CFIUS), allowing the Department of Agriculture to better monitor transactions related to land, biotechnology, transportation, storage, and processing.
With Honor Action also applauds the passage of the following legislation that passed with bipartisan support:
- H.R. 2864 – Countering CCP Drones Act
- H.R. 1103 – Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) Certification Act
- H.R. 7589 – Removing Our Unsecure Technologies to Ensure Reliability and Security (ROUTERS) Act
- H.R. 554 – Taiwan Conflict Deterrence Act
- H.R. 4741 – Securing Global Telecommunications Act
- H.Res. 1056 – Recognizing the importance of trilateral cooperation among the United States, Japan, and South Korea
“As China week comes to a close, With Honor Action celebrates the passage of several key pieces of legislation to curb the CCP’s influence in the United States,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “The U.S. has a responsibility to lead the free world in standing up to authoritarian governments, and we applaud the House lawmakers who came together this week to do just that.”
As the Chinese Communist Party grows increasingly aggressive, pushing back against their authoritarian influence is critical to our national security as well as our allies’ national security. With Honor Action applauds House lawmakers for advancing these bills and strongly urges the Senate to pass them swiftly in a bipartisan manner.
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With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress by supporting principled veterans across party lines who pledge to serve with integrity, civility, and courage. With Honor Action works alongside the bipartisan For Country Caucus in Congress to pass critical legislation for our nation. Learn more about our work at withhonor.org
With Honor Action is a 501(c)(4), which serves as the organization’s policy and social-welfare arm.
With Honor has an affiliated federally registered “super PAC” called With Honor Fund II.
U.S. Servicemembers Killed During Afghanistan Withdrawal Honored With Congressional Gold Medal
Washington, D.C. – Thirteen Gold Star families of the servicemembers killed during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan were posthumously presented with the Congressional Gold Medal this morning in the United States Capitol Rotunda. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and sponsors of the legislation, Senator Steve Daines and Rep. Lisa McClain, presented the medals to the families of the fallen this morning in a solemn ceremony.
The fallen servicemembers, including eleven Marines, a Navy Corpsman, and an Army Soldier, were killed in a suicide bombing at the Abbey Gate outside Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 26th, 2021. The attack also killed around 170 Afghan civilians.
“Three years ago, thirteen of our nation’s bravest men and women made the ultimate sacrifice while evacuating civilians from Kabul,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “While we can never bring them back, we can and must honor them for their sacrifice. With Honor Action extends our deepest gratitude to the fallen and their families, and applauds these servicemembers being honored with the Congressional Gold Medal today.”
The Afghanistan withdrawal will forever be remembered as one of the darkest times in our nation’s history. As our longest war came to a close, thirteen heroes were killed in a senseless act of violence as they worked to evacuate civilians from the area. We can never repay them for their sacrifice, and we can never bring them back, but honoring these servicemembers posthumously with the Congressional Gold Medal today helps make sure they will never be forgotten.
Rest in Peace
- Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo
- Sgt. Nicole L. Gee
- Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover
- Cpl. Hunter Lopez
- Cpl. Daegan W. Page
- Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez
- Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza
- Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz
- Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum
- Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola
- Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui
- Petty Officer 3rd Class Maxton W. Soviak
- Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss
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With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress by supporting principled veterans across party lines who pledge to serve with integrity, civility, and courage. With Honor Action works alongside the bipartisan For Country Caucus in Congress to pass critical legislation for our nation. Learn more about our work at withhonor.org
With Honor Action is a 501(c)(4), which serves as the organization’s policy and social-welfare arm.
With Honor has an affiliated federally registered “super PAC” called With Honor Fund II.
With Honor CEO discusses role of military veterans in public office
Op-Ed: A nonpartisan way to make a difference this election
A nonpartisan way to make a difference this election
By Rye Barcott
In December 2005, my Marine regimental combat team planned to provide security for elections in Fallujah, one of Iraq’s most violent cities. We anticipated a volatile day with low voter turnout. After all, very few people voted in Fallujah in the prior election just 11 months earlier.
That Election Day, as the sun rose, I watched from a machine gun turret as scores of Iraqi poll workers in Fallujah set up local polling stations. The presence of these local poll workers, few of whom wore protective flak jackets, helped instill confidence with other war-weary residents. Shockingly, by evening, more than 70% of eligible Iraqi citizens had risked their lives and voted in Fallujah. My experience in Iraq gave me an even greater appreciation for our system of elections here in the U.S. As vitriolic and divisive as our politics can be today, election administrators across the country work hard to ensure our elections are free, safe and accessible to all eligible voters.
Even so, in this time of division and chaos, it’s difficult for many Americans to think about ways they can actually make a difference in our civic life. It’s a natural instinct to disengage. This is especially true for the near majority of Americans who don’t want to be partisans; according to Gallup, 43% of Americans now identify politically as independents.
However, this election season, regardless of political affiliation, any American can do something that can make a difference: take a day, work the polls.
According to the Election Assistance Commission, it takes about 1 million poll workers to responsibly execute a general election in a presidential election year. And election administrators across the country are facing critical needs for poll workers as we barrel ahead toward what may be one of the most contentious elections in our history, and at a time when public confidence in elections is waning.
Poll workers are the guardians of electoral integrity. These normal citizens check in voters, answer technical questions, ensure unfettered access to ballots, verify voter eligibility, and help citizens with language limitations or disabilities participate in their civic duty.
Years after my military service in Iraq, I witnessed a similar scene in Kenya, a relatively young multi-party democracy where I volunteered as an election monitor with the Carter Center and the International Republican Institute. Thousands of Kenyans of all ages volunteered and worked the polls, many of them for more than 14 hours, setting up before dawn and turning in well after dusk.
American poll workers may also be asked to work 14 hours on Election Day (though some jurisdictions do offer shifts, and the role is almost always paid). All poll workers — whether for elections in Iraq, Kenya, or here in America — play a similarly important and inspiring role in the democratic process.
Inspired by these experiences, I recently joined the Advisory Council of Power the Polls, a national, nonpartisan initiative committed to recruiting the next generation of poll workers to ensure fair, free and accessible elections. Through Power the Polls, you can quickly find the local poll worker requirements, schedule, pay, and apply to work the polls in your community.
Serving as a poll worker increases trust in the elections process. Poll workers often find their experiences rewarding, and are eager to serve again.
Our nation gives freedoms and opportunities unimaginable to most humans who have ever lived. America doesn’t ask much in return. For most citizens, the only service that’s actually required is jury duty, if summoned. In fact, fewer than 2% of Americans now serve in military or civilian service in the United States.
Full-time service is not realistic for many Americans. Nonetheless, those Americans are serving you. In the military, they are defending your freedoms. In civilian service like the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, they are strengthening democracies and making our nation better. In the offices of election administrators, they are doing the work to run safe and smooth elections.
This election season, do more than vote. Serve. It will make a difference, and you don’t have to be partisan. Take a day. Work the polls.