Vietnam Dustoff crew member Jerry Paul receives Congressional Gold Medal challenge coin

That was the length of local veteran Jerry Paul’s service in Vietnam as a member of the United States Army’s 498th Medical Company.

Ten months and two days.

That was the length of local veteran Jerry Paul’s service in Vietnam as a member of the United States Army’s 498th Medical Company.

But for many, the helicopter medevac crews were commonly referred to by their radio call sign, “Dustoff.”

According to the Army’s website, the mission of the Dustoff crews during the Vietnam War was to evacuate wounded soldiers and retrieve the bodies of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, often while facing heavy fire from the North Vietnamese Army or the Viet Cong.

And they did all that without any means of defending themselves, per the website, as the Dustoff crews’ helicopters were not equipped with armament to return fire.

Paul, who was trained as a Huey helicopter repairman prior to deployment, actually volunteered for the job.

But that’s just who Paul is, those who know him well said, always one to put others first.

And so perhaps that’s what made the honor he received last Monday that much more special.

Last year, former President Joe Biden signed a bill into law awarding a collective Congressional Gold Medal to the Dustoff pilots and crews, publicly recognizing their missions under extreme conditions to rescue over 900,000 individuals throughout the Vietnam War.

But the medal itself won’t be minted for about two more years, and Paul — suffering from liver disease — doesn’t have that much time.

So last Monday, Paul, who currently resides at the Indiana Veterans Home in West Lafayette, got the next best thing.

A challenge coin.

Along with the coin, officials were also on hand to honor Paul with several proclamations, including one from Kokomo Mayor Tyler Moore, one from the Howard County Commissioners and one from Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, who also wrote Paul a personal letter.

Robin Williams, local artist, NOLAWORLD curator and Paul’s cousin, attended Monday’s ceremony.

She — along with Paul’s daughter — was also the one who made initial contact with the Vietnam Dustoff Association to see what could be done about honoring Paul before the actual medal minting is completed.

“I wanted to see him get his flowers,” Williams told the Tribune, referring to the coin and proclamations. “I think that’s so critically important in moments like this. … We all stood there and cried. We were all in tears, and Jerry was too.

“It’s just hard to see somebody at the very precipice of …,” she added trailing off for a moment. “I mean, just the weight of it in the room and what all of that means, to be able to wrap a red ribbon around his impacts was special.”

And Paul’s impacts are seen everywhere throughout Howard County too, Williams noted.

As president of the Howard County Memorial Corporation, Paul has been instrumental in helping design and bring several military monuments to the City of Firsts, most recently the Opha May Johnson Memorial at Veterans Memorial Park off Goyer Road.

“We all need to be able to recognize those who have served in a very impactful way,” Williams said. “And when Jerry left Vietnam, he could have gone anywhere else. But he came home to Kokomo and chose to create all of these monuments for us to see and learn from.”

But Paul’s contributions to Kokomo and Howard County also extend far past just the monuments, Howard County Veterans Service Officer Dale Truax told the Tribune.

“If you go past Chrysler (now Stellantis and where Paul once worked) or past any government building in town, they all fly a POW flag,” he said. “That’s Jerry Paul. It’s Jerry Paul that made sure every place had one. And he told me once that if they aren’t flying them, you better give them hell.”

Truax — who also attended last Monday’s ceremony — said Paul was a big proponent of assisting local veterans with their VA benefits too, often setting up shop at local businesses to catch veterans that might come inside.

“Who else does that?” Truax said. “It’s little things just like that. When he’s gone, no one can replace that. No one else can fill those shoes. It’s been more than a life mission for him. I mean, it’s almost like a religion.”

Which brings it all back to last Monday.

According to those interviewed, Paul would be the last one to say he’s a hero.

But, also according to those interviewed, he is.

And so when Paul was awarded with the Congressional Gold Medal — the oldest and highest civilian award in the United States — it’s easy to see why there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

“I had been cooking up this whole Congressional Gold Medal thing for a while,” Williams said. “It’s such a high honor. And when I met back up with him when I came back from