Editing Fort Novosel (section)

== History ==
The original name of the post was Ozark Triangular Division Camp, but before the camp was officially opened during [[World War II]] on 1 May 1942, the [[United States Department of War|War Department]] named it Camp Rucker. The post was named in honor of Colonel [[Edmund W. Rucker]], a Civil War Confederate officer, who was given the honorary title of "General," and who became an industrial leader in [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]] after the war.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://yellowhammernews.com/politics-2/pentagon-wont-rename-alabamas-ft-rucker-named-after-confederate-officer/|title=Pentagon won't rename Alabama's Ft. Rucker, named after Confederate officer – Yellowhammer News – Yellowhammer News |website=yellowhammernews.com|date=July 2015 |access-date=5 April 2018}}</ref>
Fort Novosel (situated on {{convert|58000|acre|km2|0}} 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.<ref>{{cite book |last=Stanton |first=Shelby L. |title=Order of Battle: U.S. Army World War II |year=1984 |publisher=Presidio Press |location=[[Novato, California]] |isbn=0-89141-195-X |page=[https://archive.org/details/orderofbattleusa00stan/page/602 602] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/orderofbattleusa00stan/page/602 }}</ref>

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 the [[81st Infantry Division (United States)|81st Infantry Division]]; the 81st Division left Rucker for action in the [[Pacific Ocean theater of World War II|Pacific Theater]] in March 1943. Three other infantry divisions received training at Camp Rucker during the war—the [[35th Infantry Division (United States)|35th]], the [[98th Division (United States)|98th]], and the 66th. The [[66th Infantry Division (United States)|66th (Panther) Division]] was the last division to train at the post during WW II, and left for the [[European theater of World War II|European Theater]] in October 1944.

Camp Rucker was also used to train dozens of units of less than division size; these included tank, infantry replacement, and [[Women's Army Corps]] units. During the latter part of World War II, several hundred [[German prisoners of war in the United States|German]] and 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 the [[Korean War]]. The [[Minnesota Army National Guard]]'s [[47th Infantry Division (United States)|47th Infantry Division]] was 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 the [[United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence|Army Aviation School]] on 5 October 1959, marking the first time the department was centralized.

Fort Rucker suffered damage from three significant [[tornado]]es within two years in 1972 and 1973. The first, rated [[Fujita scale|F2]], 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. Most of the significant damage from this storm was in the Enterprise area. A second F3 tornado hit a day later, heavily damaging 30 government and residential buildings at Fort Rucker, 5 of which were destroyed. Twenty-three people were injured.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Grazulis |first1=Thomas P. |title=Significant tornadoes, 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events |date=1993 |publisher=Environmental Films |location=St. Johnsbury, Vermont |isbn=1-879362-03-1 |pages=1129, 1147}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Storm Data: December 1973 Volume 15 No. 12 |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-7B2F2B2F-3537-4625-A341-9E7FB4063B3F.pdf |website=National Centers for Environmental Information |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=15 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215051013/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-7B2F2B2F-3537-4625-A341-9E7FB4063B3F.pdf |archive-date=15 December 2020 |page=2}}</ref>

=== Renaming ===

The [[William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021|2021 National Defense Authorization Act]] calls for the establishment of an eight-person committee to develop a plan to remove all names, symbols, displays, and monuments that honor or commemorate the [[Confederated States of America|Confederacy]] from all [[Department of Defense]] assets, including the former Fort Rucker.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/6395/text|title = Text – H.R.6395 – 116th Congress (2019-2020): William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021|date = January 2021}}</ref> In 2021, the family of [[Hal Moore]] started a petition to rename the fort in honor of [[Benjamin O. Davis Jr.]], the first black brigadier general in the USAF.<ref>https://www.fortmoore.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Rename-Fort-Rucker-to-Fort-Davis-generic-address.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>

[[The Naming Commission]] later recommended that the fort be renamed in honor of Chief Warrant Officer [[Michael J. Novosel]], an Army aviator. The post was officially renamed on 10 April 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home of Army Aviation to be redesignated Fort Novosel |date=27 March 2023 |url=https://www.army.mil/article/265188/home_of_army_aviation_to_be_redesignated_fort_novosel |access-date=11 April 2023 |publisher=United States Army |language=en}}</ref>