OREGON CITY, Ore. (KOIN) -- When Gary Hagen was 18, he enlisted in the military during the Vietnam War. He joined the Dustoff Crew, specialized medivac helicopter crews risking their lives to evacuate wounded soldiers. "We're the pioneers for what we know as Life Flight today," he said. From 1962 through 1973, the Dustoff Crews managed to evacuated hundreds of thousands of soldiers. Last year, US Sen. Ron Wyden pushed a bill through Congress to award a collective Congressional Gold Medal to the Dustoff Crew members, signed by President Biden last year. Wyden honors Dustoff Crews for work in Vietnam Even before the formal announcement, Hagen was ecstatic -- though not so much for himself. He's thrilled for the others he worked with side-by-side to get some long overdue recognition. Dustoff Crew member Gary Hagen at an event in Oregon City with Sen. Ron Wyden, May 25, 2024 (KOIN) "It's the greatest honor any of us and Dustoff could ever receive to have our Congress and the people of the United States honor what we did in Vietnam," Hagen told KOIN 6 News on Memorial Day 2024. Hagen previously was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action for his efforts in evacuating 21 patients while under fire. "We were busy almost 24 hours a day, very little sleep," he said. "And, we picked up a lot of guys and we got shot up a lot, almost every time going and coming out." It was a dangerous assignment. Members of a Dustoff Crew in Vietnam, undated (Courtesy: Gary Hagen) "It was pretty rough. We didn't have machine guns on our helicopters. We just had to get in and get out," he said. "Big red crosses for a target. So there was, three or 4 or 5 times a week we'd get shot up." He was "shot down once and crashed once in a helicopter. So almost everybody will tell you the same thing." Dustoff Crew members were among those killed in action, including fellow Oregonians Rodney Keith Arnold, Joseph Gordon Brown, Terence Arnold Handley -- all Army Chief Warrant officers -- and Army specialist John William Murphy. "I was able to find family members of these guys, and they all came to the event, and, it was so such an honor to meet them," Hagen said. “This is a very significant recognition,” Wyden said when he sat down with Nexstar's KOIN. “It is hard after you listen to the stories to recognize how important it is that we all recognize the Dust Off crews.” Gary Hagen of Oregon City was a member of a Dustoff Crew in Vietnam, May 27, 2024 (KOIN) "We didn't typically get awards. It was told to us, 'This is your job, and this is what you do," he said. Most members weren't put up for awards, "but ours was put in by the ground unit. So that was really nice. " Hagen said the Dustoff Crews, "everyone of us," saved thousands of lives. ...read more read less