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Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael J. Novosel Sr., Medal of Honor recipient. Photo By: U.S.Army

Episode 2621 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast features a story about U.S. Army Vietnam Veteran Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Joseph Novosel Sr. who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. 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, a writer for DOD News.

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.

Novosel 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.

Novosel received the nation’s highest honor for valor from President Richard M. Nixon on June 15, 1971, during a White House ceremony. His family attended with him.

Novosel died April 2, 2006, after being hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for liver cancer complications, according to his Pittsburgh Post-Gazette obituary. The 83-year-old is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Novosel has been honored in many ways since his death, including via a bronze bust of his likeness that’s on display at the Spaatz Center’s Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base. However, no honor may be greater than the recent redesignation of Fort Novosel earlier this year.

Listen to episode 2621 and discover more about U.S. Army Vietnam Veteran Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Joseph Novosel Sr. who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

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A salute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice by Australian Vietnam Veterans.

Episode 2620 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast features a story about how Australia is honoring its Vietnam Veterans on the 50^th anniversary of the end of the War for the country. The featured story appeared in the Noosa Today of Noosaville, Queensland, Australia. The story is titled: Vietnam veterans encouraged to apply for Commemorative Medallion.

The Australian Government has produced a 50th anniversary commemorative medallion and certificate of recognition, honouring the service of Australians who served in the Vietnam War.

On 29 March 2023, Prime Minister Hon Anthony Albanese MP and Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Matt Keogh officially announced the medallion, presenting a group of Vietnam veterans with their commemorative medallion and certificate, at a special ceremony held at Parliament House, acknowledging their service and sacrifice in Vietnam.

Mr Llew O’Brien MP
Member for Wide Bay
House of Representatives

Llew O’Brien is a Federal Member for Wide Bay in the Australian Parliament. He is Deputy Chair of Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement in the House of Representatives.

At a recent event in Noosaville he stated; “Between 1962 and 1975, almost 60,000 Australians served during the Vietnam War and while Australia can never repay the debt we owe these veterans, the medallion and certificate are a small way to honor their service,”

“More than 500 Australians lost their lives in the Vietnam War, and we remember their sacrifice and honor the veterans who returned home bearing the physical and mental scars of their service.”

All Australian veterans who served in the Vietnam War are eligible to receive a medallion, and the widow or family member of an Australian veteran who served is also eligible to apply.

CLICK HERE for applications for the Vietnam War Commemorative Medallion and Certificate .

Listen to episode 2620 and discover more about how Australia is honoring its Vietnam Veterans on the 50^th anniversary of the end of the War for the country.

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The Beaufort National Cemetery entrance

Episode 2618 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast features a story about the service to be held for two unclaimed Vietnam Veterans at the Beaufort National Cemetery. The featured story by Explore Beaufort appeared on the explorebeaufortsc.com website and was titled; Unclaimed Veterans with no family being laid to rest at Beaufort National Cemetery.

The military says, ‘no man left behind.’ That’s why two unclaimed Vietnam Veterans are being laid to rest at the Beaufort National Cemetery and the invitation for attendance is open to literally anyone and everyone.

The Beaufort National Cemetery has put out a call for volunteers to attend the service of two Veterans who are being interred at our National Cemetery, and stand as their family, because they have none.

The two veterans are Donald L. Brown and David R. Dickson, both US Navy and Vietnam Veterans.

The Staff will be positioned throughout the cemetery to provide instructions on where to park and then walk back to the committal shelter for the service. Accommodations will be made to allow the drop off and pickup of guests with mobility issues at the shelter.

The Beaufort National Cemetery is a beautiful and historically important site located along Boundary Street and is a must-see when visiting Beaufort’s historic sites. With Spanish moss-draped live oaks looking down on the lines of white headstones, the cemetery holds a lot of historic significance.

The cemetery staff asks that all share and help get the word out that these Veterans are NOT forgotten. They’re unclaimed veterans; in Beaufort, we are all their family.

If you have any additional questions about the service, please contact the staff at Beaufort National Cemetery at 843-524-3925

CLICK HERE for more information about The Beaufort National Cemetery.

Listen to episode 2618 and discover more about the service to be held for two unclaimed Vietnam Veterans at the Beaufort National Cemetery.

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The attack on the USS Maddox (DD-731) by three North Vietnamese patrol torpedo boats in August 1964.

Episode 2618 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast features a story about the spark that ignited the Vietnam War. The featured story comes from the U.S. Naval Institute and is titled Face Tonkin Ghosts Before Cyber Phantoms Strike. It was submitted by Senior Chief Petty Officer Ryan Harris, U.S. Navy.

Anytime an event such as the Vietnam War that resulted in the death of 58,281 Americans occurs in our history as a country, it is imperative that we know the real reason it started. Hopefully, when the reason for the spark is known, our leaders will take action to prevent the reoccurrence of the tragedy of war.

The featured story explains the sorry situation that led to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which lit the fire of war. Senior Chief Petty Officer Harris described the situation in his article as follows; The USS Maddox (DD-731) was ordered to the Gulf of Tonkin to conduct covert signals intelligence gathering missions dubbed Desoto patrols. At the same time, the United States secretly backed South Vietnamese raids into North Vietnam under a separate clandestine operation codenamed OPLAN 34A. These operations were carried out separately, with Desoto patrols only providing intelligence support to the OPLAN 34A raiders.

However, the Maddox’s proximity to the North Vietnam coast at the same time as the raids ignited a spark in the Gulf of Tonkin. On 2 August, two days before the phantom fight, the Maddox engaged in a real skirmish against three North Vietnamese torpedo boats. The Maddox suffered only a single bullet hole and continued on patrol, joined soon after by the Turner Joy.

The sonar operator on board the Maddox did not expect to be at the tipping point of war. Summer 1964 seemed routine, even with escalating tension in Vietnam. An officer in charge of the ship’s intelligence mission said he assumed it would be a “leisure cruise” suitable for catching up on administrative chores.13 Mere hours before the 2 August incident, the crew was enjoying the holiday routine, lounging and grilling steaks topside.14 The escalation occurred in a flash.

Listen to episode 2618 and discover more about the spark that ignited the Vietnam War.

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Vietnamese Museum Australia

Episode 2617 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast features a story about the Vietnamese Museum Australia. The featured story comes from the Diplomat and is titled: Surviving the Refugee Boats and Building a Vietnamese Museum in Australia. The story was submitted by Luke Hunt. He is a Southeast Asia correspondent for The Diplomat. He has spent three decades working in the region and produces the Mekong Deep Dive podcast.

Mylinh Lee

In 1979, Mylinh Lee arrived in Australia as a child, by boat and as a refugee. More than four decades later she is a public relations specialist in Melbourne where she is also dedicated to the construction of the Vietnamese Museum Australia.

The mission statement of the group building the museum is as follows: The museum, due to open in 2025, is the first in the world dedicated to the plight of Vietnamese refugees, who began arriving in Australia shortly after the fall of Saigon in April 1975, signaling the end of the Vietnam War and the communist takeover of South Vietnam.

The Vietnamese Museum Australia is an exciting national and international project for the community. The Museum has received bi-partisan support from members of the local and national parliament, who have granted the Vietnamese community a lifelong dream to build its own museum.

The Vietnamese Australia Museum will form the sixth cultural museum located in the heart of Footscray, Melbourne, Australia.

The grand opening of the museum is planned for April 2025, which will mark the 50th year of Vietnamese refugees being welcomed to Australia.

The “Vietnamese Museum Australia” (ACN: 635 162 088) is overseen by a Board of Directors with decades of experience in museum activation and operation, community projects, governance, legal practice and risk management.

CLICK HERE to learn more about The Vietnamese Museum Australia.

Listen to episode 2617 and discover more about the Vietnamese Museum Australia.

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Episode 2616 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the appearance of the Wall that Heals in NYC through an op-ed by James Hendon, the NYC Commissioner of the Department of Veterans’ Services. The op-ed appeared on QNS website titled: The Wall That Heals: A tribute to healing, unity and reflection.

James Hendon is the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Veterans’ Services.

James Hendon is the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Veterans’ Services. Previously, Commissioner Hendon served as Director of the NYU Veterans Future Lab, a small business incubator for practicing and aspiring entrepreneurs who are US Military Veterans or Veteran Spouses. A Veteran entrepreneur himself, Commissioner Hendon worked in the energy sector founding his own small business, operated as the COO for BlockPower, and helped successfully develop other small green energy-related business ventures. Prior to that, Commissioner Hendon worked as an Associate in the Real Estate Investment Banking Group at Deutsche Bank.

Before entering the civilian workforce, Commissioner Hendon spent seven years in the US Army as an Active Duty Infantry Officer where he deployed as a Mortar Platoon Leader and Battalion Public Affairs Officer to Iraq (2005), worked as an Admissions Officer for West Point (2006-2007), and served as the Senior Advisor to the Afghan Border Police in Afghanistan (2007-2009).

Commissioner Hendon is a 2002 graduate of West Point, a 2012 graduate of Harvard Kennedy School and Columbia Business School, and a 2015 graduate of the Earth Institute’s Program in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability.

Hendon wrote this in his op-ed about the visit of he Wall that Heals:In the words of Abraham Lincoln, “Honor to the Soldier and Sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country’s cause.” Let us honor our Vietnam Veterans by visiting The Wall That Heals and may its presence in our city be a testament to the enduring power of remembrance, healing and unity. Together, as we stand before The Wall That Heals, we can ensure that the sacrifices made by our Vietnam Veterans are never forgotten and their legacy of courage and resilience lives on in our hearts.

CLICK HERE to learn more about The Wall That Heals’ visit to New York City.

Listen to episode 2616 and discover more about the appearance of the Wall that Heals in NYC through an op-ed by James Hendon, the NYC Commissioner of the Department of Veterans’ Services.

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Above – Army OV-1, below – MiG-17 like the one shot down by Army pilot Ken Lee.

Episode 2615 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Ken Lee, the only Army aviator who shot down a North Vietnamese jet during the Vietnam War. The featured story comes from the Aviation Geek Club and is titled: US Army OV-1 pilot explains how he was able to shoot down a North Vietnamese MiG-17 by means of his Mohawk’s rockets and gun – OV-1 Mohawk pilot Ken Lee is the only US Army aviator to have shot down an enemy airplane in combat since the US Air Force was founded as a separate service. The story was submitted by Dario Leone.

Dario Leone

Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviation Geek Club” one of the world’s most read military aviation blogs. His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news media. He has reported from Europe and flown Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force.

Army aviator Ken Lee was denied recognition for an incredible feat he accomplished over the A Shau Valley in Vietnam. On February 24, 1968 while flying an OV-1 on a rccon mission he was attacked by a North Vietnamese MiG-17 fighter. Lee proceeded to shoot down the enemy aircraft.

For the Army, Lee’s “victory” could turn into a major defeat if it became widely known that an Army airplane had shot down a MiG, which the Air Force considered its prerogative.

As Lee explained, “The Army was terrified the Air Force would force them to either disarm the Mohawks or even turn them over to the Air Force.” The event was officially forgotten until 2004, when Lee’s story was published in an aviation history magazine and the Army confirmed it had happened.

Listen to episode 2615 and discover more about Ken Lee, the only Army aviator who shot down a North Vietnamese jet during the Vietnam War.

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Memorial wreaths are presented during the Inaugural Gold Star Families-Matson Wreaths Across the Islands Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Purple Heart Memorial in Skinner Plaza, Hagåtña, Dec. 18, 2021. PDN file photo

Guam senator Dwayne San Nicolas

Episode 2614 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the Guam senator who is proposing the establishment of a memorial to Vietnam Veterans at Skinner Plaza in Guam. The featured story comes from the Marianas Variety, Micronesia’s Leading Newspaper since 1972, and was titled; Senator looks at establishing Vietnam veteran’s memorial. It was submitted by Shane Tenorio Healy.

Guam played an important role during the Vietnam War. It housed the largest U.S. Air Force installation for B-52 bombers. It lost 77 of its own sons in the war. After the War ended it hosted 112,000 boat people who were escaping the new communist paradise that was established in the former South Vietnam.

Today the good people of Guam are still standing tall for freedom while honoring those who served in the past.

The Pacific Daily News recently reported that Sen. Dwayne San Nicolas, along with five other senators, on Monday introduced a bill seeking to establish a Vietnam veteran’s memorial monument at Skinner Plaza in Hagåtña.

The proposed monument would honor the 77 sons of Guam who made the ultimate sacrifice and all Vietnam veterans in service of the island and country, according to San Nicolas, chairman of the Committee on Emergency Response, Military and Veteran Affairs, Border Safety and Mayors Council.

“Vietnam Veterans served during a long, dark war for all the freedom we have today,” San Nicolas said in a statement on Bill 170-37. “It’s our time to honor and remember the sacrifices made by many Americans, including our people of Guam, through this memorial monument.”

The Bill to authorize the proposed memorial monument is co-sponsored by Vice Speaker Tina Muña Barnes and Sens. Joe San Agustin, Amanda Shelton, William Parkinson and Roy Quinata.

Listen to episode 2614 and discover more about the Guam senator who is proposing the establishment of a memorial to Vietnam Veterans at Skinner Plaza in Guam.

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The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall

Episode 2612 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the appearance of the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall at Dunnellon, Florida. The featured story comes from the Citrus County Chronicle and was titled: Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall arrives in Dunnellon . It was submitted by Matthew Beck, the Chronicle photo editor.

The 288-foot-long Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall memorial is a 3/5-scale exact replica of the original Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. The memorial will be open 24 hours each day until Sunday, Sept. 24, at 4 p.m. when a closing ceremony will be held at Ernie Mills Park on Bostick Street in Dunnellon.

The wall has names of all 58,281 U.S. service personnel who died in the Vietnam War, just like the Vietnam Memorial in the nation’s capital. Of those, there are three sets of father-and-son casualties and six women’s names etched in the panels.

In addition to the memorial to those lost in the Vietnam War there are also tributes with names of those who died on 9/11, Iraq and Afghanistan, Desert Storm and Desert Freedom.

The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall is part of the Vietnam and All Veterans of Brevard (V V B) located in Brevard County Florida. The V V B is a 501(c)(3) organization that was formed and incorporated in December of 1985. The VVB is a grass roots, community based organization.

It strives to be an active member of the community by having a color guard and a rifle team to participate in local events. It also supports a transitional housing facility which helps veterans in getting back up on their own.

The members plan on taking this same dedication and putting it into the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall; not only in Brevard County, but other Florida counties and all of the United States as well.

CLICK HERE for more information about the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall.

Listen to episode 2613 and discover more about the appearance of the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall at Dunnellon, Florida.

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Retired Navy Capt. Dave Carey speaks in Monticello about life after his plane was shot down in North Vietnam nearly six decades ago.

Episode 2612 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about POW Vietnam Vet Dave Carey. The featured story appeared in the News-Gazette of Champaign, Illinois and was titled: Surviving and thriving: Vietnam POW recounts harrowing tales during Monticello visit. By Nora Maberry-Daniels nmaberry@news-gazette.com. She is editor of the Piatt County Journal-Republican, a Community Media Group newspaper.

Dave Carey, recently spoke to a group in Monticello about his experiences as a POW in North Vietnam. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy and was a carrier-based pilot during the Vietnam War.

On Aug. 31, 1967, he was 30 miles off the coast of Vietnam on what he remembers being a hazy day. The pilots manned their airplanes at 7 a.m. Their target that day was a small airport bridge. In the air they went, crossing from over the water to over the beach. That’s when the shooting started.

“They fired in succession from way out in front of us two surface-to-air missiles,” Carey said. The first missile missed his plane. The second did not. There was a huge explosion that destroyed the entire tail section of his plane, which was on its back, spinning and tumbling through the air.

Carey ejected and landed in a small Vietnamese village, where he “started running across the rice paddy.” He was quickly captured, tortured and taken to Hanoi where he spent the next five years in a North Vietnamese POW prison.

Carey was ultimately released during Operation Homecoming on March 14, 1973. When he and other POWs returned home, they weren’t met with the same animosity that other soldiers returning from Vietnam experienced.

Despite his rough treatment in North Vietnam, he sympathized with his fellow Vietnam Vets with this declaration: “We came back home completely different than the troops, The way the troops came home from Vietnam was a disgrace. Those folks went because we made them, and then when they came back, we spit on them. It is absolutely a disgrace.”

Dave Carey believes that people can survive anything.

Listen to episode 2612 and discover more about POW Vietnam Vet Dave Carey’s story.