Dustoff: The Memoir of an Army Aviator [Mass Market Paperback]

Michael J. Novosel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2003

MICHAEL NOVOSEL IS A MAN WITH JUST AS MUCH “RIGHT STUFF” AS ANY ASTRONAUT—AND A MEDAL OF HONOR TO BOOT.

Michael Novosel never set out to be a hero. In fact, it looked like he might never see military action. After fast-talking his way into the aviation cadet program (he was too short to pass the physical) and earning his wings, he became a heavy-bomber instructor for the Army Air Corps. But it wasn’t until Germany’s defeat that the ace pilot finally saw combat. Assigned as a B-29 Super-fortress command pilot, he reached Tinian just before the Enola Gay took off to end World War II in the skies over Hiroshima.

Despite being a senior airline pilot, when the war in Vietnam started, Novosel applied again for active duty. The only thing that the air force was willing to give reserve lieutenant colonels like Novosel to fly, however, was a desk. Resigning his commission, he approached the army, which decided that flying dustoffs (medevac helicopters) in Vietnam was a perfect job for this seasoned aviator. With two tours, 2,038 hours of combat flight, 2,345 aerial missions that evacuated 5,589 wounded, and a Congressional Medal of Honor, it’s easy to see that Mike Novosel is a genuine, 24-karat American war hero.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A REMARKABLE READ . . . [Novosel’s] career is an inspiration to anyone who has ever needed to overcome an obstacle or achieve a desired goal. . . . A lively and universally engrossing account.”
—Vietnam Magazine

From the Back Cover

“A REMARKABLE READ . . . [Novosel’s] career is an inspiration to anyone who has ever needed to overcome an obstacle or achieve a desired goal. . . . A lively and universally engrossing account.”
—Vietnam Magazine

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Presidio Press (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891418024
• ISBN-13: 978-0891418023
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #511,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An "Old Warhorse" Turned "Nightingale", March 24, 2000

By 

Armond C. Simmons "SiSim" (Pell City, Alabama) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dustoff: The Memoir of an Army Aviator (Hardcover)

"Flying" has been described as "a period of continual euphoria interrupted by moments of sheer terror". "DUSTOFF flying" would approach the antithesis.

This book vividly captures the intrinsic unconventionality of "DUSTOFF helicopter flying" in a masterful and dazzling detail that I'd not yet read, describing mission after "hairy" mission to extract casualties from the battlefield, simply in essence, the DUSTOFF mission.

It takes the reader along as it highlights the continual struggles, weariness and adversity encountered by DUSTOFF units and crews as they struggled to meet ever increasing demands on their aviation resources as well as those physical and mental inflicted by the enemy. It also frankly and and factually highlights struggles encountered on another front, sadly and incomprehensibly, that eminating from a higher headquarters which operated from within a "state-side" environment, generating the all too voluminous "state-side" reports, ceremonies, VIP accords, et al, and command inspections, cavalierly administered inconsiderate of the relentless demands on the DUSTOFF units and crews in the midst of battle, somewhat akin to what might be equated to a scenario wherin Inspector General (IG) inspectors await on the shores of Normandy to administer their "unannounced".

The Vietnam related pages offer galvinizing excitement to a book that is equally exciting in a vein of the life of on old aviator war horse, truly a captivating journey of an aviator exraordinaire from the cockpits of WWII Army Air Corps B-24's, B-29's, B-17's, in the skies over Korea, flying the "Sneaky Petes" in the Dominican Republic, an airline pilot, two tours in Vietnam to flying the "Golden Eagles" parachute team.

Touchingly intertwined throughout is the life of an old aviator war horse's dedication to family, an extraordinary wife who was obviously his "wind beneath my wings" and great kids, one of whom eventually came to join him in Vietnam combat.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Read, December 8, 1999

By 

Mark (Ft. Hood Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dustoff: The Memoir of an Army Aviator (Hardcover)

I am currently serving my country as a crew chief in the U.S. army. I read Mr. Novosels book because he a legend. There is not a person that is in Army Aviation today that has not heard of Mr. Novosel. This is why I read his book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was like reading his own personal journal or diary. I actually had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Novosel a few years ago and felt honored when he shook my hand. The word hero and Novosel go hand in hand. This past summer I read Tom Brokaw's "Then next Generation" and Novosel is the epitamy of what Mr. Brokaw wrote in his book. Typical of the "Next Generation" Novosel in no way takes all the credit for all his heroic efforts in his 2 tours of vietnam. He acknowledges the "bit players" because they helped him save over 5000 lives. I'm kinda upset after reading the review from the guy from Washington state. I have no idea where he is coming from with his comments. He obviously bought the wrong book, but to blame Mr. Novosel an American hero is preposterous to me... Granted, he is no W.E.B. Griffin but who besides the man himself is?

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Forthright, December 24, 1999

By 

Dustoff 40 (1969) (Puyallup, Washington) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dustoff: The Memoir of an Army Aviator (Hardcover)

This book is a memoir from Mike's perspective and probably penned by his hand in lieu of a ghost writer--for which he is to be commended. Mike earned the awards and recognition he received and probably some more that were lost in the bowels of an inefficent administrative system present in Vietnam. I was in the 45th Med Co (AA) during the same time frame as Mike was in the 82d (HA). My only reservation in having read his book is the repeated inferences of the marginal flying skills of his fellow aviators. An aviation unit was comprised of aviators with a varying number of flight hours and combat experience. I knew many of the people referenced in the book and felt their contributions and capabilities as fellow Dustoff pilots were understated. The pilot's of the 45th Med Co (AA) seemed to be held in low esteem by Mike which is unfortunate in that our crews logged as much flight time as his folks did and our killed in action ratio was higher. At the same time, I thought he did an excellent job in not denegrating the leadership of the 45th Med Co (AA) any further than he did especially since leadership in that company at the time was sorely lacking. Mike's book tells how it was to fly combat mission as a Dustoff pilot during that era and his insights are appreciated. I have shared this book with my young adult children so they might better understand that period of time. If there was a little less of I'm better than you conveyed in the book (obviously my interpretation), this would have been a five star rating. Buy the book, you will enjoy it.