Michael J. Novasel

Michael Novosel was born in Etna, Pennsylvania, on September 3, 1922, and his Medal of Honor citation lists Kenner, Louisiana, as where he entered service. On October 2, 1969, in Kien Tuong Province, South Vietnam, he flew a medevac helicopter into fire to pull out surrounded South Vietnamese soldiers. He made 15 extractions and rescued 29 men, though wounded and once briefly out of control of the aircraft. He retired in 1984 and published a memoir, Dustoff, in 1999. Fort Rucker was renamed Fort Novosel in 2023.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu — 1.1 mi
  A 6,000-square-foot museum of southwest Louisiana Carnival with about 275 costume mannequins and 14 animated figures, opened in April 2026.
• Imperial Calcasieu Museum — 1.4 mi
  Lake Charles's history museum, founded by the Junior League in 1963, with parish artifacts, Claire Chennault's uniform and the Sallier Oak.
• Sam Houston Jones State Park — 5.0 mi
  A 1,087-acre park on the West Fork of the Calcasieu with longleaf pine, cypress-tupelo swamp, five trails, cabins and kayak rentals.
• Creole Nature Trail Adventure Point — 9.4 mi
  A free visitor center at the western gateway of Louisiana's only All-American Road, with exhibits on alligators, migrating songbirds and the estuary.

More markers nearby

• Douglas B. Fournet — steps away
• Edward Schowalter, Jr. — steps away
• Jefferson J. DeBlanc — steps away
• Hulon Brooks Whittington — steps away