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Fort Novosel

(Redirected fromFort Rucker)

Fort Novosel(formerlyFort Rucker) is aUnited States Armypost located primarily inDale County, Alabama,United States. It is named in honor of Chief Warrant OfficerMichael J. Novosel,an Army aviator and Medal of Honor recipient.[2][3]It was previously named for aCivil Warofficer,ConfederateColonelEdmund Rucker.[4]The post is the primary flight training installation forU.S. Army Aviatorsand is home to theUnited States Army Aviation Center of Excellence(USAACE) and theUnited States Army Aviation Museum.Small sections of the post also lie inCoffee,Geneva,andHoustoncounties. Part of the Dale County section of the base is acensus-designated place;its population was 4,636 at the2010 census.[5]

Fort Novosel
Fort Novosel, Alabama
Fort Novosel is located in Alabama
Fort Novosel
Fort Novosel
Coordinates31°20′15″N85°42′40″W/ 31.33750°N 85.71111°W/31.33750; -85.71111
TypeArmy post
Site information
Controlled byUnited States Army
Open to
the public		No (The Army Aviation Museum is open to the public. ID and proof of auto insurance are required to enter the installation.)
ConditionOperational
Site history
Built1 May 1942(1 May 1942)
In use1942–present
Garrison information
Current
commander		Major GeneralClair A. Gill
Past
commanders		Brigadier GeneralMichael D. Lundy Maj. Gen.James O. Barclay III,2008–2010[1]
Garrison1st Aviation Brigade
110th Aviation Brigade
23rd Flying Training Squadron
Occupants1st Aviation Brigade

The main post has entrances from three bordering cities,Daleville,OzarkandEnterprise.In the years before theSeptember 11, 2001 attacks,the main post (except airfields and other restricted areas) was an open post with unmanned gates allowing civilians to drive through. Following the attacks, this policy was changed, and the post is now closed to unauthorized traffic and visitors.

It was one of theU.S. Army installations named for Confederate soldiersthat was recommended for renaming byThe Naming Commission.Their recommendation was that the post be renamed Fort Novosel.[6]On 5 January 2023 William A. LaPlante, U.S. under-secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment (USD (A&S)) directed the full implementation of the recommendations of the Naming Commission, DoD-wide.[7]The post was redesignated Fort Novosel on 10 April 2023.[8]

Military facilities

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Coordinates:

TheU.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellenceis the dominant military facility at Fort Novosel. Training,doctrine,and testing are all key parts of the center's mission to develop Army Aviation's capabilities. All Army Aviation training has been undertaken at Fort Novosel since 1973, as well as training ofUnited States Air Force(USAF) and ally helicopter pilots and air crew. The center was home to theU.S. Army Aviation Technical Test Center(ATTC), which conducts developmental aircraft testing for Army Aviation.[9]In 2005, as part of the Base Re-alignment and Closure (BRAC) decision, ATTC was moved north to Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, and combined with theRedstone Technical Test Centerto form theRedstone Test Center.The United States Army Operational Test and Evaluation Command's Test and Evaluation Coordination Office andTH-67 Creekprimary and instrument training are both located atCairns Army Airfield.[10][11]The last TH-67 was retired in 2021 as the Army moved to theEurocopter UH-72 Lakotaas its trainer aircraft.[12]

Operational units on the post include the1st Aviation Brigadeand the110th Aviation Brigadehandling Army Aviation training,[13]and theUSAF23d Flying Training Squadronfor the training of Air Force helicopter pilots and air crew.[14]

The110th Aviation Brigadeconsists of four battalions using three different sites. 1st Battalion, 11th Aviation Regiment, operates and manages air traffic control services for USAACe/Fort Novosel and theNational Airspace System.[15]1st Battalion, 13th Aviation Regiment trains future air traffic controllers and aviation operations specialists who have recently graduatedUnited States Army Basic Training,or are transferring from anotherMilitary Occupational Specialty.1st Battalion, 14th Aviation Regiment operates fromHanchey Army Heliportand conducts graduate level training using theAH-64E Apache Longbowhelicopters. 1st Battalion, 212th Aviation Regiment operates fromLowe Army HeliportandShell Army Heliportand conducts combat and night operational training, using theUH-60 Black Hawkhelicopters. 1st Battalion, 223d Aviation Regiment operates from Cairns Army Airfield and Shell Army Heliport flying theEurocopter UH-72 Lakotafor introductory helicopter pilot training, and Knox Army Heliport for training pilots who fly theCH-47 Chinookhelicopter.[16][17][18]

Additionally, due to the large number ofwarrant officersstationed there, theWarrant Officer Candidate SchoolandWarrant Officer Career Collegeare both located at Fort Novosel.[19][20]Aviationbranched warrant officers remain at Fort Novosel to complete flight training and the AviationWarrant Officer Basic Course.Upon completion of their training, aviation warrant officers receive theArmy Aviator Badge.

Support and other facilities at Fort Novosel include theLysterArmy Health Clinic,[21]United States Army Aeromedical Research Lab,[22]United States Army School of Aviation Medicine,[23]United States Army Combat Readiness/Safety CenterandArmy Aviation Museum.

History

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The original name of the post was Ozark Triangular Division Camp, but before the camp was officially opened duringWorld War IIon 1 May 1942, theWar Departmentnamed it Camp Rucker. The post was named in honor of ColonelEdmund W. Rucker,a Civil War Confederate officer, who was given the honorary title of "General," and who became an industrial leader inBirminghamafter the war.[24] Fort Novosel (situated on 58,000 acres (235 km2) of sub-marginal farmland, and formerly a wildlife refuge) was opened on 1 May 1942 as "Camp Rucker". It had quarters for 3,280 officers and 39,461 enlisted personnel.[25]

In September 1942, 1,259 additional acres south of Daleville were acquired to construct an airfield to support the training camp. It was known as Ozark Army Airfield until January 1959, when the name was changed to Cairns Army Airfield. The first troops to train at Camp Rucker were those of the81st Infantry Division;the 81st Division left Rucker for action in thePacific Theaterin March 1943. Three other infantry divisions received training at Camp Rucker during the war—the35th,the98th,and the 66th. The66th (Panther) Divisionwas the last division to train at the post during WW II, and left for theEuropean Theaterin October 1944.

Camp Rucker was also used to train dozens of units of less than division size; these included tank, infantry replacement, andWomen's Army Corpsunits. During the latter part of World War II, several hundredGermanand a few Italian prisoners of war were housed in stockades near the railroad east of the warehouse area, on the southern edge of the post. The 91st Infantry Division was sent to Camp Rucker at the war's end, inactivating in December 1945.

Camp Rucker was inactive from March 1946 until August 1950. It was reopened during theKorean War.TheMinnesota Army National Guard's47th Infantry Divisionwas mobilized and sent to Camp Rucker in the fall of 1950; the division provided cadre that would conduct basic training of soldiers, who would later on, be sent as replacements to units in Korea. The 47th Infantry Division would remain at Camp Rucker throughout the war. After another short deactivation, it reopened and expanded when it became a helicopter training base. The name was changed to "Fort Rucker" in October 1955.

The Hanchey Army Airfield became the home of the Department of Rotary Wing Training of theArmy Aviation Schoolon 5 October 1959, marking the first time the department was centralized.

Fort Rucker suffered damage from three significanttornadoeswithin two years in 1972 and 1973. The first, ratedF2,struck on 13 January 1972. It damaged buildings and helicopters on the post and devastated two nearby trailer parks, killing four people and injuring 88, all army dependents. An F3 tornado struck the post on 29 December 1973, causing minor damage to residences and striking a tank storage area. A second F3 tornado hit a day later, heavily damaging 30 government and residential buildings at Fort Rucker, 5 of which were destroyed.[26][27]

Renaming

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The2021 National Defense Authorization Actcalls for the establishment of an eight-person committee to develop a plan to remove all names, symbols, displays, and monuments that honor or commemorate theConfederacyfrom allDepartment of Defenseassets, including the former Fort Rucker.[28]In 2021, the family ofHal Moorestarted a petition to rename the fort in honor ofBenjamin O. Davis Jr.,the first black brigadier general in the USAF.[29]

The Naming Commissionlater recommended that the fort be renamed in honor of Chief Warrant OfficerMichael J. Novosel,an Army aviator. The post was officially renamed on 10 April 2023.[30]

Geography

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Fort Novosel is located at 31°20'37 "north, 85°42'29" west (31.343654, -85.707995).[31]

According to theU.S. Census Bureau,the CDP area of the base has a total area of 10.9 square miles (28.2 km2), of which 10.9 square miles (28.2 km2) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km2) (0.18%) is water.

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
197014,242—
19808,932−37.3%
19907,593−15.0%
20006,052−20.3%
20104,636−23.4%
20204,464−3.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[32]

As of the census[33]of 2000, there were 6,052 people, 1,399 households, and 1,347 families residing on the base. The population density was 556.8 inhabitants per square mile (215.0/km2). There were 1,544 housing units at an average density of 142.0 per square mile (54.8/km2). The racial makeup of the base was 68.5% White, 18.1% Black or African American, 0.9% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 0.7% Pacific Islander, 5.3% from other races, and 4.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 11.7% of the population.

There were 1,399 households, out of which 79.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 85.4% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 3.7% were non-families. 3.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 0.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.47 and the average family size was 3.51.

On the base the population was spread out, with 35.3% under the age of 18, 15.9% from 18 to 24, 46.2% from 25 to 44, 2.4% from 45 to 64, and 0.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 131.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 145.1 males.

The median income for a household on the base was $34,603, and the median income for a family was $33,664. Males had a median income of $29,321 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income was $14,495. About 6.1% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under the age of 18 and 16.7% of those 65 and older.

Education

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Ellis D. Parker Elementary School

Fort Novosel is in theDepartment of Defense Education Activity(DoDEA) as its local school district.[34]Ellis D. Parker Elementary School is the on-post school.[35]The school opened in 2020, and is named afterEllis D. Parker.[36]The 2020 building replaced a previous school building.[37]The 2020 facility has three stories.[38]

Students beyond the elementary level may attend non-DoDEA schools for secondary levels, with an on-post family choosing one of the following three options:Daleville City School System,Enterprise City School System,orOzark City Schools.[39]Enterprise operatesEnterprise High Schooland Ozark operatesCarroll High School.

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^Brainard, Emily; Russell Sellers (19 August 2010)."Crutchfield assumes command of USAACE, Fort Rucker".Army.mil.Retrieved13 December2010.
  2. ^Gore, Leada (24 May 2022)."Fort Rucker to be renamed to honor Alabama man, Medal of Honor recipient Michael Novosel".al.Retrieved11 April2023.
  3. ^"Home of Army Aviation to be redesignated Fort Novosel".army.mil.Retrieved11 April2023.
  4. ^Levenson, Michael (11 June 2020)."These Are the 10 U.S. Army Installations Named for Confederates".The New York Times.Retrieved14 June2020.
  5. ^"U.S. Census website".United States Census Bureau.Retrieved14 May2011.
  6. ^The Naming Commission(Aug 2022)RecommendationArchived9 October 2022 at theWayback Machine
  7. ^(5 January 2023) Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder Holds an On-Camera Press Briefing
  8. ^Gast, Phil (10 April 2023)."Fort Rucker was named for a Confederate. The Army post will now be called Fort Novosel, for a Medal of Honor recipient who rescued thousands".CNN.
  9. ^"The Aviation Technical Test Center".army.mil.Archived fromthe originalon 27 April 2009.Retrieved5 April2018.
  10. ^"Information about Cairns Army Airfield".armyfleetsupport.Retrieved5 April2018.
  11. ^Pike, John."Cairns Army Airfield".globalsecurity.org.Retrieved5 April2018.
  12. ^Rotorcraft, Mark Huber • Contributor-."U.S. Army Retires Bell TH-67 Trainers | AIN".Aviation International News.Retrieved6 May2024.{{cite web}}:|first=has generic name (help)
  13. ^Reference to 1st Aviation Brigade references on Ft. Rucker WebsiteArchived3 June 2008 at theWayback Machine
  14. ^"Reference to summary of 23d Flying Training Squadron activities at Fort Rucker".militarymediainc.Retrieved5 April2018.
  15. ^"Describes duties of The 1st Battalion, 11th Aviation Regiment".militarymediainc.Archived fromthe originalon 27 December 2008.Retrieved5 April2018.
  16. ^"List of Aviation Regiments".militarymediainc.Archived fromthe originalon 27 December 2008.Retrieved5 April2018.
  17. ^"Activities of each Aviation Regiment".militarymediainc.Archived fromthe originalon 27 December 2008.Retrieved5 April2018.
  18. ^"Homepage for 1st Battalion, 223d Aviation Regiment".army.mil.Retrieved5 April2018.
  19. ^"National Guard".nationalguard.Retrieved5 April2018.
  20. ^"Link to support Warrant Officer Candidate School location at Fort Rucker"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 26 March 2009.Retrieved3 January2009.
  21. ^"US Army Aeromedical Center".army.mil.Archived fromthe originalon 27 August 2009.Retrieved5 April2018.
  22. ^"U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory".army.mil.Retrieved5 April2018.
  23. ^"United States Army School of Aviation Medicine".army.mil.Archived fromthe originalon 23 September 2012.Retrieved5 April2018.
  24. ^"Pentagon won't rename Alabama's Ft. Rucker, named after Confederate officer - Yellowhammer News - Yellowhammer News".yellowhammernews.July 2015.Retrieved5 April2018.
  25. ^Stanton, Shelby L. (1984).Order of Battle: U.S. Army World War II.Novato, California:Presidio Press. p.602.ISBN0-89141-195-X.
  26. ^Grazulis, Thomas P. (1993).Significant tornadoes, 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events.St. Johnsbury, Vermont: Environmental Films. pp. 1129, 1147.ISBN1-879362-03-1.
  27. ^"Storm Data: December 1973 Volume 15 No. 12"(PDF).National Centers for Environmental Information.National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. p. 2. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 15 December 2020.Retrieved15 December2020.
  28. ^"Text - H.R.6395 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021".January 2021.
  29. ^https:// fortmoore /wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Rename-Fort-Rucker-to-Fort-Davis-generic-address.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  30. ^"Home of Army Aviation to be redesignated Fort Novosel".army.mil.Retrieved11 April2023.
  31. ^"US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990".United States Census Bureau.12 February 2011.Retrieved23 April2011.
  32. ^"U.S. Decennial Census".Census.gov.Retrieved6 June2013.
  33. ^"U.S. Census website".United States Census Bureau.Retrieved31 January2008.
  34. ^"2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Dale County, AL"(PDF).U.S. Census Bureau.Retrieved4 July2022.-Text list- "Fort Rucker School District" refers to DoDEA schools.
  35. ^"Home".Parker Elementary School.Retrieved5 July2022.
  36. ^Hughes, Jim (12 August 2020)."Fort Rucker names new school Ellis D. Parker Elementary".Dothan Eagle.Retrieved26 October2024.- Author is credited as "Fort Rucker Public Affairs"
  37. ^Nelson, Abby (30 July 2020)."Fort Rucker's elementary school is ready to reopen after construction".WTVY-TV.Retrieved26 October2024.
  38. ^"Fort Rucker to open cutting edge elementary school named after 'godfather of Army aviation'".WDHN.31 July 2020.Retrieved26 October2024.
  39. ^"Fort Rucker Education".Military One Source.Retrieved5 July2022.- From a.mil site.
  40. ^Vergun, David (23 March 2021)."Sports Heroes Who Served: Singer, Songwriter, Actor Kris Kristofferson Is Also an Army Veteran".defense.gov.Retrieved17 June2022.
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