View Full Version : Fort Rucker renamed Fort Novosel
chopper2004
28th Mar 2023, 18:09
No more Mother Rucker term for grads
https://www.army.mil/article/265188?fbclid=IwAR0tYHsCTj1ggEhn4zcFl7a7iShjSKe6w19gXvdJhity DEtefsks3rZrYZg
as the base is being renamed after this legendary WW2 and Vietnam veteran …
As it Happens i hav e scope of his autobiography ‚Dustoff‘
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1504/36e2d8f5_b1bc_4b33_896c_4b83f5075eb7_ef3f0da7db706182a726c9b e69de7b0f50311325.jpeg
and at Heli Expo fortnight ago, the Friends of Army Aviation Huey painted in Dustoff markings, bore his name on the starboard door as I saw on arrivals (my below)
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1504/f64a1709_d4a0_4845_9b58_7bfb4958d027_c071e69cde5aac3eb8073dc e511245d651ea0d7b.jpeg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1504/deb1ed81_23f7_40d8_94bf_90ba4e1bae8c_a396a0ece9da50f5c8c15de 9d779dd26fda2e437.jpeg
jolihokistix
29th Mar 2023, 00:51
Whoever spray-painted the handwriting "Michal Novasel" made two mistakes, or am I missing something? His signature?
Turbo Encabulator
29th Mar 2023, 06:47
As a graduate of Mother Rucker I approve.
Chugalug2
29th Mar 2023, 13:27
Is this the reason? Wiki :-
Edmund Winchester Rucker (July 22, 1835 – April 13, 1924) was a Confederate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_States_Army) officer during the American Civil War (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War). After the war he became an industrial leader of Birmingham, Alabama (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham,_Alabama). Fort Rucker (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Rucker), Alabama was named in his honor.
Are there any associated statues to be summarily dealt with too?
Carl Spaatz
29th Mar 2023, 20:33
The could save future name-change costs by calling it Fort Stalin or Fort Lenin.
Null Orifice
30th Mar 2023, 14:23
That'll be the 'port' door chopper! There could be a similar decoration on the starboard door?
The Medal of Honor recipient surely deserves his name to be properly spelt, too! He was a very brave man.
See here: https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2018/03/30/medal-of-honor-recipient-michael-novosel-saved-more-than-5000-lives-in-vietnam/
chopper2004
30th Mar 2023, 15:23
That'll be the 'port' door chopper! There could be a similar decoration on the starboard door?
The Medal of Honor recipient surely deserves his name to be properly spelt, too! He was a very brave man.
See here: https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2018/03/30/medal-of-honor-recipient-michael-novosel-saved-more-than-5000-lives-in-vietnam/
Yeppers
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1500x2000/fc347880_532d_4687_9108_c9e7ca5c31ef_d83664000bb120ed117a863 d47bbfc2588902afe.jpeg
Cheers
Null Orifice
31st Mar 2023, 10:31
Another brave Dust off crewman.
Thanks for the pic chopper!
Salute!
Although I resent some of the name changes for various installations, this one seems overdue. Mike Novosel was one of a kind.
I had the honor to talk with him about twenty years ago at a small cafe his son was starting up. Dropped by in early afternoon to see how things were going for the grand opening that night and he was there. Great small place with an aviation theme. Even the outside had been painted with various aircraft - the Dustoff Huey most prominent.
After introducing myself and my son who was with me, we sat down and over a beer or two traded war stories. Both Mike and I being 'nam vets, there was that instant bond among warriors who had fought together. I covered many a Huey doing insertions and extractions including Dustoff's as well as basic units as you see in "We were soldiers...", plus special ops and SOG Prarie Fire dudes in strange places we couldn't talk about back then......
As expected, he was very humble and had the standard "just doing my job" descriptions of things. I had not read his MoH citation yet. Wow. BTW, he and his son traded "get home" missions.... gotta love it.
I was fascinated that he flew B-29's in WW2. So he was basically about my own father's age. His story of trying to "help" the "cause" during early years of 'nam was great. His version was the U.S. Army would love him as an IP up at Ft Rucker and so he was thinking he would be right here close to home and could drive home on weekends to Ft Walton or wherever he had a place. Uh oh! One day he gets orders. Meanwhile, Mike Jr is going thru the schools and they wind up being assigned to the same unit down in IV Corps. Army had made a mistake and after the infamous Sullivan brother tragedy in the Navy did not put family together.
What a great afternoon, and later that evening I got to sit across from him at the formal part of the cafe dedication. That was a real blow out, as next to him was another MoH recipient - Bud Day of Misty fame, and a student of mine that just got his first star. Needless to say, I felt like a tiny worm in the garden.
Gums sends...