08/31/2026
On October 2, 1969, Michael Novosel flew into an area under intense enemy fire to evacuate wounded soldiers.
Then he went back.
And back.
And back.
15 hazardous extractions in total.
His helicopter was hit by enemy fire. During his final extraction, Novosel himself was wounded.
He still completed the mission.
By the end of it, 29 men had been rescued.
For his actions that day, Michael J. Novosel Sr. would receive the Medal of Honor.
But here's the part of his story that sounds almost impossible:
Novosel's son was also flying medevac helicopters in Vietnam. Michael helped rescue his son's unit after his helicopter was shot down.
Seven days later, his son returned the favor and rescued his father after Michael was shot down.
If Hollywood wrote it, you'd probably call it unrealistic.
It happened.
This is the man behind the Novosel name.