Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael J. Novosel, Sr. received the Medal of Honor for action in Vietnam, when he, under intense enemy fire, evacuated 29 stranded South Vietnamese soldiers, who were surrounded by thousands of enemy troops near the Cambodian boarder.
During his second tour as a medial evacuation pilot, Novosel had the unique opportunity to serve with his son, Mike, Jr. who earned his Army aviation wings 27 years to the day after his father. One of the more than 5500 troops Mike, Sr. evacuated from the battlefield was his own son, who was unwounded after his helicopter went down. A week later, Mike, Jr. repaid the favor and rescued his father after he also crashed.
When the senior Novosel left Vietnam for was everyone knew would be the last time, his call sign - Dustoff 88 - was officially transferred to Mike, Jr., who, like his father, would also serve a full career in the Army and retire a chief warrant officer 4.
On the day Novosel retired in 1984, he was the last WWII pilot still actively flying for the US military. That same day, a main street at the Army's helicopter training post, Fort Rucker, Alabama, was named after him.
Novosel passed away in 2006 at age 83.
He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, in Section 7A, Grave 178-C.
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