Michael J. Novosel

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.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.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.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.
Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Regiment transporting Novosel's casket during his funeral procession at Arlington National Cemetery.
Etna, PennsylvaniaArlington National CemeteryArlington, VirginiaUnited States ArmyUnited States Air ForceMedal of HonorArmy Distinguished Service MedalDistinguished Flying CrossBronze StarPurple HeartAir MedalBrian ClevingerEnterprise, AlabamaB-29 Superfortresslieutenant colonelAir Force Reservechief warrant officerFort RuckerGreat DepressionArmy Air CorpsPearl HarborFort Walton Beach, FloridaDustoffBell UH-1 IroquoisIn the Shadow of the Blade3rd Infantry RegimentWalter Reed Army Medical CenterRichard NixonDistinguished Service CrossDistinguished Service MedalArmy Senior Aviator BadgeAir Assault Badgeoak leaf clustersBronze Star MedalAward numeralArmy Good Conduct MedalAmerican Defense Service MedalAmerican Campaign MedalAsiatic-Pacific Campaign Medalcampaign starsWorld War II Victory MedalArmy of Occupation MedalArmed Forces Expeditionary MedalNational Defense Service Medalservice starAir Force Longevity Service AwardVietnam Service MedalArmy Service RibbonArmed Forces Reserve Medalhourglass devicePhilippine Independence MedalVietnam Gallantry CrossVietnam Armed Forces Honor MedalRepublic of Vietnam Campaign Medalthe Naming Commission68th Medical GroupKien TuongVietnamKenner, La.