Ground troops often grouse – IMO with fair justification – about their Aviation brethren and about how \u201csoft\u201d an aviator\u2019s life is by comparison to their own. But there is one part of the aviation community I doubt you\u2019ll ever hear a Soldier or Marine – or Airman or Sailor, for that matter – disparage.<\/p>\n
That would be MEDEVAC pilots and crew – AKA \u201cDustoff\u201d in the Army (I believe the USAF equivalent is Pedro; not sure about Navy or USMC).\u00a0 These guys and gals do things – and take chances – that make one sometimes question their common sense if not their sanity.<\/p>\n
It’s risky as hell. They don’t always make it back.<\/p>\n
Michael J. Novosel was a Dustoff pilot.\u00a0 He had a very unusual career; for more details, see here<\/a> and here<\/a>.\u00a0 Short version:\u00a0 he served in the Army Air Forces in World War II, flying some missions over Japan near the end of the war.\u00a0 After the war, he reverted to the USAF Reserve.\u00a0 He was recalled to serve again in Korea, then again reverted to USAF Reserve status.<\/p>\n When Vietnam began to heat up, Novosel again volunteered.\u00a0 This time, however, the USAF said no.\u00a0 He was too old, and too senior, for the USAF\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n The Army, however, would let him return to active duty and fly – as a Warrant Officer.\u00a0 So Lt Col Michael J. Novosel, USAFR, became CW2 Michael J. Novosel, US Army.<\/p>\n Novosel served a tour of duty in Vietnam.\u00a0 He returned stateside, and was diagnosed with glaucoma.\u00a0 He convinced the Army to keep him on active duty, and to let him return to flying status.<\/p>\n That turned out to be two of the best decisions the Army ever made.<\/p>\n Novosel was promoted to CW3.\u00a0 He returned to Vietnam for a second tour.<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0 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\u2019s bird was disabled during a mission.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The Citation for his Medal of Honor tells the story<\/a> succinctly, but well.\u00a0 More details can be found here<\/a>, in the section entitled\u00a0 \u201cA Second Medal of Honor\u201d, and in the first two links above.<\/p>\n Flying into a \u201chot\u201d LZ once to pick up wounded, even once, takes Major-League guts. You know a priori<\/em> that you\u2019re going to take fire coming and going \u2013 and that you\u2019re 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\u2019re a sitting duck. \u00a0And given the size of a UH-1 (the airframe used for Dustoff in 1969), you\u2019re a damned large sitting duck – which burns like hell if it’s hit in a critical spot and catches fire.<\/p>\n To do that fifteen times during the same engagement<\/span>, bringing out wounded each time, until you\u2019re hit yourself and damn near end up among the dead . . . well, in my book that goes way beyond gutsy. In my book that\u2019s truly \u201cabove and beyond the call of duty.\u201d<\/p>\n CW4 Novosel retired in 1985.\u00a0 At the time, he was the last military aviator from\u00a0 World War II still on active flying status, and had accumulated 12,400 total flying hours (2,000+ in combat). \u00a0 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Thank you, my late elder brother in arms. Both for what you did, and for the example you were.<\/p>\n — — —<\/p>\n A personal postscript:\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Looking up Novosel and going over to Enterprise to\u00a0 meet\u00a0 him was something on my “to do” list.\u00a0 The pace of life kept pushing the visit down the list, and I just never got around to doing that.\u00a0 Now it won’t happen – in this life, anyway.\u00a0\u00a0 That’s something I’ll always regret.<\/p>\n 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.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Author’s Note<\/strong><\/em>: the original version of this article indicated that CW4 Novosel had received a second commission and retired as a Colonel.\u00a0 This was incorrect.\u00a0 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).\u00a0 I have seen references to “Colonel Novosel” in various documents.\u00a0 However, I have been unable to yet determine if he also received an honorary promotion to Colonel on or after his retirement.<\/em><\/p>\n My apologies for the error.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"