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The father of one of Chapter 108's own members, Michael Novosel Jr., made the presentation for October.  CWO Michael J. Novosel was an instructor, B-24 and B-29 pilot in WWII.  He served two tours at Eglin AFB as a test pilot until entering the Reserves in 1949.  He was recalled during the Korean War and attended Air Command and Staff School.  When the conflict in South East Asia flared up, Novosel, a reserve Lieutenant Colonel, volunteered for active duty but was turned down.  Determined to do his part, he joined the Army as a Warrant Officer and began flying helicopters.  He served as a "Dust Off" pilot in Viet Nam for two tours and during the second tour he earned America's highest award for valor, the Congressional Medal of Honor.  At the time he retired from active duty in 1985, he was the last WWII pilot still flying.  In 1996 he was honored at the Oshkosh annual air show for his accomplishments.  Below are his Medal of Honor Citation and a transcript of his comments at the chapter meeting.   

Editor's Note:  See the October 1998 issue of Sport Aviation for more about another Dust-Off pilot that won the Medal of Honor in Viet Nam. 
 

Rank and organization: Chief Warrant Officer, U.S. Army, 82d Medical Detachment, 45th Medical Company, 68th Medical Group. Place and date: Kien Tuong Province, Republic of Vietnam, 2 October 1969. Entered service at: Kenner, La. Born: 3 September 1922, Etna, Pa. 

Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. CWO Novosel, 82d Medical Detachment, distinguished himself while serving as commander of a medical evacuation helicopter. He unhesitatingly maneuvered his helicopter into a heavily fortified and defended enemy training area where a group of wounded Vietnamese soldiers were pinned down by a large enemy force. Flying without gunship or other cover and exposed to intense machinegun fire, CWO Novosel was able to locate and rescue a wounded soldier. Since all communications with the beleaguered troops had been lost, he repeatedly circled the battle area, flying at low level under continuous heavy fire, to attract the attention of the scattered friendly troops. This display of courage visibly raised their morale, as they recognized this as a signal to assemble for evacuation. On 6 occasions he and his crew were forced out of the battle area by the intense enemy fire, only to circle and return from another direction to land and extract additional troops. Near the end of the mission, a wounded soldier was spotted close to an enemy bunker. Fully realizing that he would attract a hail of enemy fire, CWO Novosel nevertheless attempted the extraction by hovering the helicopter backward. As the man was pulled on aboard, enemy automatic weapons opened fire at close range, damaged the aircraft and wounded CWO Novosel. He momentarily lost control of the aircraft, but quickly recovered and departed under the withering enemy fire. In all, 15 extremely hazardous extractions were performed in order to remove wounded personnel. As a direct result of his selfless conduct, the lives of 29 soldiers were saved. The extraordinary heroism displayed by CWO Novosel was an inspiration to his comrades in arms and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army. 
 
Transcript of comments at the chapter meeting: 
 
Will be posted soon...