43 Years Ago Today

Ground troops often grouse – IMO with fair justification – about their Aviation brethren and about how “soft” an aviator’s life is by comparison to their own. But there is one part of the aviation community I doubt you’ll ever hear a Soldier or Marine – or Airman or Sailor, for that matter – disparage.

That would be MEDEVAC pilots and crew – AKA “Dustoff” in the Army (I believe the USAF equivalent is Pedro; not sure about Navy or USMC).  These guys and gals do things – and take chances – that make one sometimes question their common sense if not their sanity.

It’s risky as hell. They don’t always make it back.

Michael J. Novosel was a Dustoff pilot.  He had a very unusual career; for more details, see here and here.  Short version:  he served in the Army Air Forces in World War II, flying some missions over Japan near the end of the war.  After the war, he reverted to the USAF Reserve.  He was recalled to serve again in Korea, then again reverted to USAF Reserve status.

When Vietnam began to heat up, Novosel again volunteered.  This time, however, the USAF said no.  He was too old, and too senior, for the USAF’s needs.

The Army, however, would let him return to active duty and fly – as a Warrant Officer.  So Lt Col Michael J. Novosel, USAFR, became CW2 Michael J. Novosel, US Army.

Novosel served a tour of duty in Vietnam.  He returned stateside, and was diagnosed with glaucoma.  He convinced the Army to keep him on active duty, and to let him return to flying status.

That turned out to be two of the best decisions the Army ever made.

Novosel was promoted to CW3.  He returned to Vietnam for a second tour.

Novosel was no naive youngster at the time. At the time of his second tour, he was literally old enough (47) to be a grandfather.  Indeed, Novosel and his son were both Dustoff pilots, and served together in Vietnam at the same time. They share a rather unique distinction: each rescued the other within the space of a week by performing an emergency combat evacuation after the other’s bird was disabled during a mission.

On October 2, 1969, CW3 Michael J. Novosel, US Army, was a again flying Dustoff. On that day he performed acts of heroism for which he was later awarded the Medal of Honor.

The Citation for his Medal of Honor tells the story succinctly, but well.  More details can be found here, in the section entitled  “A Second Medal of Honor”, and in the first two links above.

Flying into a “hot” LZ once to pick up wounded, even once, takes Major-League guts. You know a priori that you’re going to take fire coming and going – and that you’re going to have to stay on the ground or at a low hover, completely exposed, long enough to take on wounded. Coming and going, you’ve got a good chance to get hit. On the ground or hovering, you’re a sitting duck.  And given the size of a UH-1 (the airframe used for Dustoff in 1969), you’re a damned large sitting duck – which burns like hell if it’s hit in a critical spot and catches fire.

To do that fifteen times during the same engagement, bringing out wounded each time, until you’re hit yourself and damn near end up among the dead . . . well, in my book that goes way beyond gutsy. In my book that’s truly “above and beyond the call of duty.”

CW4 Novosel retired in 1985.  At the time, he was the last military aviator from  World War II still on active flying status, and had accumulated 12,400 total flying hours (2,000+ in combat).   A street at Fort Rucker, Alabama (the home of Army Aviation) is named in his honor. This is particularly apropos, as Novosel chose to live out his later years in Enterprise, Alabama – just a few miles away.

Michael J. Novosel – Army officer and aviator extraordinaire, Dustoff pilot, and Medal of Honor recipient – passed away on April 2, 2006. May he rest in peace.

Thank you, my late elder brother in arms. Both for what you did, and for the example you were.

— — —

A personal postscript:  for years after Novosel had retired, I had friends and family in the Fort Rucker area, and visited I them once or twice a year.  Looking up Novosel and going over to Enterprise to  meet  him was something on my “to do” list.  The pace of life kept pushing the visit down the list, and I just never got around to doing that.  Now it won’t happen – in this life, anyway.   That’s something I’ll always regret.

If you have the opportunity, make it a point to meet one of the few surviving Medal of Honor recipients – if for no other reason than to say, “Thank you.”

 

Author’s Note: the original version of this article indicated that CW4 Novosel had received a second commission and retired as a Colonel.  This was incorrect.  Subsequent research on my part indicates that Novosel remained a CW4 until his retirement in 1985, and was almost certainly retired at his highest rank held (Lt Col).  I have seen references to “Colonel Novosel” in various documents.  However, I have been unable to yet determine if he also received an honorary promotion to Colonel on or after his retirement.

My apologies for the error.

Category: Real Soldiers