Date of Award: June 15, 1971
Conflict: Vietnam War
Branch: U.S. Army

Serving with the 82nd Medical Detachment, 45th Medical Company, 68th Medical Group, CWO Michael Novosel found himself facing hostile attacks in the Kien Tuong Province, South Vietnam, as his team responded to a mission to extract wounded Vietnamese soldiers who were pinned down near an enemy training area. Novosel was forced to pull back from the location six times due to heavy fire, but managed to successfully perform 15 evacuations, risking his life to move the soldiers to a safer location In his career, Novosel evacuated more than 5,500 wounded men, including the 29 he saved in the heroic actions on October 2, 1969, that earned him the most distinguished honor in the Armed Forces a few years later.

Citation: “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.”