[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 46 (Tuesday, April 25, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E574]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    MEDAL OF HONOR WINNER REMEMBERED

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. G.K. BUTTERFIELD

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 25, 2006

  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr Speaker, I rise today to remember a great 
American warrior and patriot. Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. Novosel 
was a veteran of three wars, a Medal of Honor recipient, and a major 
figure in Army aviation history. He passed away on April 2 at Walter 
Reed Army Medical Center after a long battle with cancer. CWO Novosel 
spent his last days as he spent most days at Walter Reed, talking with 
soldiers that were recovering from injuries sustained in Iraq and 
Afghanistan.
  Novosel received the Medal of Honor for his ``gallantry and 
intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call 
of duty.'' His citation reads:

       He unhesitatingly maneuvered his helicopter into a heavily 
     fortified and defended enemy training area where a group of 
     wounded [South] Vietnamese soldiers were pinned down by a 
     large enemy force. Flying without gunship or other cover and 
     exposed to intense machine gun 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.

  As a dustoff pilot, CWO Novosel flew 2,543 missions and rescued 5,589 
wounded or stranded soldiers, according to Army records. He was an 
excellent soldier and an extraordinary American. May God bless him and 
his family.

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