Medevac Missions Designated “Dust Offs”

U.S. Army Major Lloyd E. Spencer adopts the call sign “Dust Off” for the 57th Medical Detachment’s helicopter medical evacuation (medevac) missions. The name will become synonymous with all helicopter medevac missions throughout the war. Dust Offs—a vital link between battlefields and hospitals—save countless lives in Vietnam. They are a major reason why survival rates among the wounded increase significantly from those of previous American wars. Servicemen who arrive alive at a medical facility during the war have over a 97 percent chance of survival.1