Congratulations David P. Tousignant, Congressional Gold Medal Recipient

During the Vietnam War, US Army helicopter air ambulance crews flew 496,573 combat missions and rescued approximately 900,000 wounded from the battlefields. These Dustoff crews, named for their radio call sign, accepted extraordinary risk, flying mission after mission, with a singular focus: “So Others May Live.”

Beloved parishioner, David Tousignant was a member of this heroic group, serving as a Dustoff aircraft commander and pilot from November 1968 to November 1969. According to the Army’s Center of Military History, Army air ambulances evacuated more patients in 1969 than in any other year of the war. David estimates that he and the crew members under his command rescued approximately 1500 wounded soldiers and civilians.

A standard Dustoff crew had four members: two pilots—an aircraft commander and a pilot—a dedicated flight medic, and a crew chief. As aircraft commander and lead aviator, David oversaw mission command, flight safety, and tactical decisions. He navigated and managed communications to and from the pickup zone and destination hospital. He assessed weather, terrain, and enemy threats to decide where to land, whether to land, or whether to abort the mission. He also shared flying duties with the pilot and was ready to take control if the pilot could no longer fly.

Being a Dustoff crew member in Vietnam was dangerous work; there was a one in three chance of being wounded or killed on a typical mission. The odds rose dramatically with night flights, bad weather, mountainous terrain and the need for a hoist operation to extract the wounded. Yet, David and his fellow Dustoff crew members continued to fly, exemplifying courage, professionalism, and selfless devotion to duty.   

In recognition of their extraordinary heroism and life-saving actions in Vietnam, Congress awarded a Congressional Gold Medal to the US Army Dustoff Crews of the Vietnam War, collectively. Authorized by an Act of Congress, the medal honors individuals, groups or institutions whose distinguished achievements have had a lasting impact on American history and culture. David received his medal at a ceremony in Oklahoma City on September 20, 2026, where he and fellow Dustoff veterans were honored for their distinguished service and unwavering willingness to risk their own lives in service to others.

In accepting this award, David wishes to acknowledge the Dustoff crew members who were lost in the line of duty and the wounded who could not be saved.

From all of us at St. Paul’s, congratulations David and thank you for your “Dedicated Unhesitating Service To Our Fighting Forces.”