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Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael J. Novosel Sr., Medal of Honor recipient.
Episode 2759 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Novosel Sr. and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. The featured story comes from The U.S. Department of Defense website and was titled: Medal of Honor Monday: Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Novosel Sr. It was submitted by Katie Lange, the outstanding writer for DOD News.
Lange, in her story, reported that Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Joseph Novosel Sr. served in three wars, including a stint in which he flew side-by-side with his son. He was the last World War II pilot to actively fly in the military, and he’s so revered across the services that he recently became the new namesake of a storied military base. With all these accolades, it’s no surprise that he also earned the Medal of Honor.
Lange added this about Novosel, he was born on Sept. 3, 1922, in Etna, Pennsylvania. Since his parents emigrated from Yugoslavia and only spoke Croatian, Novosel said he didn’t begin to learn English until he started school. He did well, however, and graduated high school in 1940.
Less than a year later, in February 1941, 18-year-old Novosel joined the Army Air Corps so he could further his education and pay back the U.S. for welcoming his family with open arms.
The Air Force denied Novosel’s request to rejoin the service, so in 1964, he joined the Army to help alleviate its need for combat helicopter pilots.
He eventually caught a break and was quickly designated an Army aviator. He reported to Fort Bragg in early September 1964 and flew missions in the Dominican Republic with his new unit in 1965. He was there when he learned he’d be going to Vietnam.
Listen to episode 2759 and discover more about Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Novosel Sr. and his Congressional Medal of Honor award honors.
