For decades, the number 5700 has been synonymous with a Soldier’s arrival to Fort Rucker. Beyond the gates, the first welcome a Soldier receives is at the Soldier Service Center, Building 5700, serving as a hub where careers launch, families transition, ID cards are printed and good coffee can always be found. This makes it a fitting tribute to Medal of Honor recipient Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael J. Novosel, whose story of selfless service continues to inspire all who walk its halls.
The Army Aviation community gathered April 9, 2026, to honor a legacy of service and sacrifice during the renaming of the Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael J. Novosel Soldier Service Center, with Maj. Gen. Clair A. Gill calling the facility a fitting tribute to one of Army Aviation's finest.
“Home is such a powerful word, and we take it seriously here,” Gill said. “As with any home, the Army Aviation Center of Excellence has a front door, and we greet all who enter with a warm ‘Welcome home,’ and we mean it.”
Gill thanked the Novosel family for attending, including the late chief warrant officer’s children, emphasizing the significance of their presence at Fort Rucker, a place he described as the heart of Army Aviation. “Fort Rucker has been home for so many generations of Army Aviation Soldiers and their families,” he said. “Stories begin and end within homes, and it is safe to say that no name carries more weight in the home of Army Aviation than Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Novosel.”
Born in 1922 in Etna, Pennsylvania, to Croatian immigrants, Novosel developed a passion for both service and aviation at an early age. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1941 and went on to fly B-29 Superfortress bombers during World War II.
After continuing his career through the newly established U.S. Air Force and serving during the Korean War, Novosel faced a crossroads. Despite reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel, he sought a return to active flying.
“Mike made a remarkable decision to lay down his rank and join the Army as a warrant officer at 42,” Gill said. “He didn’t do it to go to war; he wanted to teach and mentor young aviators, but the Army had other plans.” Novosel served two tours in Vietnam, flying more than 2,500 missions and evacuating 5,589 wounded personnel. During one mission, he rescued his own son; just a week later, his son returned the favor.
On Oct. 2, 1969, Novosel distinguished himself during a mission near the Cambodian border, flying 15 hazardous extractions under intense enemy fire to rescue 29 South Vietnamese soldiers.
“Even after being injured and briefly losing control of his aircraft,” Gill said, “he never stopped trying to find a way to help others. Men like Mike Novosel are rare indeed.”
Gill said Novosel’s legacy of selfless service made him the ideal namesake for the Soldier Service Center, a place where Soldiers and families begin their journey at Fort Novosel.
“He was the pilot who would never quit trying to find a way to serve others,” Gill said. “There has never been a better example of dedicated service in all of Army Aviation’s history.” Gill expressed confidence that those working inside the facility would carry forward that same commitment.
“I know the team of Soldiers, civilians and contractors in this building will dedicate themselves to serving others in the same spirit,” he said.
Before introducing Michael Novosel’s son, John Novosel, Gill emphasized the impact of Novosel’s legacy on future generations of Soldiers.
“It is our hope that his example will inspire similar service at the heart of our home, the Soldier Service Center,” Gill said. “As professionals meet each day to serve all those who come home, I am certain the name and legacy of your father will inspire excellence in the future of Army aviation. Thank you, and all the best.”
John Novosel spoke on behalf of himself and his sisters, Patty and Jeannee, who were in the audience, expressing their family’s continued gratitude to the people of Fort Rucker.
“Your kind words and efforts to memorialize our father consistently remind us of just how highly respected and cherished the name Michael J. Novosel is in the fabric of Fort Rucker and the Army Aviation community at large,” Novosel said. “As Maj. Gen. Gill mentioned, our father’s character was grounded in service and humility.”
Novosel noted the installation of Novosel Street at his father’s retirement in 1984, the same street on which the building sits, along with continued recognition through the temporary renaming of the installation and the naming of Big Mike’s Bar and Grill shortly after.
“You see, within our family, we often refer to Dad as Big Mike,” Novosel said. “And our older brother, Chief Warrant Officer Mike Novosel Jr., as Little Mike. These family names evoke memories of wonderful days in life, and we certainly hope that Soldiers and their families are building their own memories while keeping the memory of Big Mike alive.”
“Now, many people arriving here for duty will first find their way along Novosel Street and follow the signs to this building, the Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael J. Novosel Soldier Service Center,” Novosel said. “These newly arrived Soldiers are often just beginning what is sure to be a great career in Army aviation. Other Soldiers, like my father in 1984, may come to this building to process their retirement and conclude a lifetime of service to the nation.”
“It is poetic to consider how many careers will start and end right here,” Novosel said, recognizing that the facility represents “support, guidance and care” for all who pass through, including families and civilian employees. According to John, his father always considered Fort Rucker his professional home.
“The truth is, he never really wanted to stop serving,” he said. “Even while undergoing cancer treatments at Walter Reed, he visited service members wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq. He felt a bond not only with his Soldiers, but with all who bore the burdens of this profession.”
“Associating his name with this Soldier Service Center reflects not only his service, but his lasting connection to the Soldiers he cared about so deeply,” Novosel said. “It is fitting that his name continues to endure through service to others. Today, our family would like to say to all of you, thank you.”
Find more photos from the ceremony here https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCQAD8