Michael J. Novosel

Michael J. Novosel Sr. (September 3, 1922 – April 2, 2006) of Enterprise, Alabama, served in the United States military during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

He flew the B-29 Superfortress bomber in World War II.

To serve in the Vietnam War, he gave up the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve and became a chief warrant officer in the Army.

He was awarded the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration, for his bravery in conducting a medical evacuation under fire in the Vietnam War.

In April 2023, Fort Rucker, Alabama, was renamed Fort Novosel in his honor.

Novosel was born in Etna, Pennsylvania, the son of Croatian immigrants, and he grew up during the Great Depression.

He served his first tour in Vietnam flying medevac helicopters (Dustoff) with the 283rd Medical Detachment.

He joined the Army Air Corps at age 19, ten months before Pearl Harbor, and by 1945 he was a captain flying B-29 Superfortress bombers in the war against Japan.

He briefly left the service as the military shrank after the war, and he settled in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, to raise his family.

During the Korean War, Novosel joined the Air Force Reserve and went back on active duty to serve his country.

He left the service again in 1953 and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve in 1955.

In 1963, Novosel was working as a commercial airline pilot when he decided to return to active military duty.

By then, he was 41 and the Air Force did not have space for any more officers in the upper ranks.

He decided to give up his rank of lieutenant colonel in the Air Force to join the Army and fly helicopters as a chief warrant officer (CW4) with the elite Special Forces Aviation Section.

On the morning of October 2, 1969, Novosel set out to evacuate a group of South Vietnamese soldiers who were surrounded by several thousand North Vietnamese light infantry near the Cambodian border.

Radio communication was lost and the soldiers had expended their ammunition.

Without air cover or fire support, Novosel flew at low altitude under continuous enemy fire.

He skimmed the ground with his helicopter while his medic and crew chief pulled the wounded men on board.

He completed 15 hazardous extractions, was wounded in a barrage of enemy fire, and momentarily lost control of his helicopter, but when it was over, he had rescued 29 men.

"Rank and organization: Chief Warrant Officer, U.S. Army, 82d Medical Detachment, 45th Medical Company, 68th Medical Group. Place and date: Kien Tuong Province, Republic of Vietnam, October 2, 1969. Entered service at: Kenner, La. Born: September 3, 1922, Etna, Pa.

He completed his tour in March 1970.

In 1971, President Richard Nixon placed around Novosel's neck the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor in combat.

His many other awards included the Distinguished Service Cross (which was later upgraded to the MOH), Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Purple Heart.

He was inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame in 1975.

Upon his retirement, he received a rare honor for a living hero when the main street at Fort Rucker, Alabama, was renamed "Novosel Street".

He also received the Distinguished Service Medal during his retiring ceremony.

In May 2022, the Naming Commission, created by Congress, recommended that Fort Rucker be renamed Fort Novosel.

The renaming ceremony and presentation of a new monument took place on April 10, 2023.

His second tour in Vietnam was with the 82nd Medical Detachment.

During that war, Novosel flew 2,543 missions and extracted 5,589 wounded personnel, among them his own son Michael J. Novosel Jr. The following week, Michael Jr. returned the favor by extracting his father after he was shot down.

Novosel retired as the senior warrant officer with the Warrant Officer Candidate Program in 1985.

He had been a military aviator for 42 years and was the last World War II military aviator in the U.S. to remain on active flying duty.

He accumulated 12,400 military flying hours, including 2,038 in combat.

He remained active in the military community while residing in Enterprise, Alabama, during his retirement, and he was frequently invited as an honored guest for military lectures and ceremonies throughout the nation.

His book Dustoff – The Memoir of an Army Aviator was published in 1999.

He co-piloted the liftoff of the Bell UH-1 Iroquois for the In the Shadow of the Blade mission in 2002.

Novosel was diagnosed with a recurrent cancer in November 2005, and he underwent a series of treatments at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. The cancer tumor was greatly reduced in December 2005 and January 2006.

In February, he concluded chemotherapy and other treatments and waited to regain strength in preparation for surgery on March 7.

His prognosis appeared excellent, yet he never fully recovered from the shock of the surgery.

He died on April 2, 2006, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia.