Vietnam-era pilot retires after more than 40 years of service --August 17, 2010

The Virginia National Guard’s longest serving aviator conducts his final flight as an Army warrant officer Aug. 17 to mark his retirement after nearly 42 years of service. Chief Warrant Officer Norman H. McIntosh officially retires Aug. 18 after he takes off for the last time from the Army Aviation Facility in Sandston to take a final flight around the Richmond area in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
McIntosh joined the Army Oct. 16, 1968 and completed his pilot training Dec. 1, 1969. He served in Vietnam from March 1970 to March 1971 where he served as an aircraft commander for both Huey and Cobra helicopters in the 229th Aviation Battalion of the 1st Cavalry Division.
During his service in Vietnam, McIntosh flew a total of 1,334 combat hours and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star Medal and 54 Air Medals. He was also awarded the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm and was presented the award by then Vice President Spiro Agnew.
After his release from active duty in 1971, McIntosh joined the Virginia National Guard. During his years of service in Virginia, he volunteered and participated in rescue and relief efforts for numerous disaster responses including Southwest Virginia floods in 1976, Shenandoah Valley and Southwest Virginia floods in 1985, Madison County flood in 1995 and Hurricane Dennis and Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
McIntosh flew medical evacuation missions from 1978 to 1995 and assisted in establishing the 986th Medical Detachment in 1978. The detachment was one of the first Army National Guard units mobilized from 1990 to 1991 for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and he deployed with the unit. The 986th was consolidated with the Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment effective Sept. 1, 1995, and the Headquarters Company carries the two campaign streamers and Meritorious Unit Commendation earned by the 986th.
After the Army created the new chief warrant officer 5 rank, in 1996 McIntosh was the first aviator and the second warrant officer in Virginia to be appointed to the rank. Of his 41 years and 10 months of service, he spent 40 years and nine months as a rated aviator.
McIntosh is a native of Portsmouth and graduated from Cradock High School and graduated from Old Dominion University in 1974.
During his career, McIntosh has flown the Hughes TH-55, the Bell UH-1 Huey, the Bell AH-1G Cobra, the Hiller OH-23D Raven the Sikorsky CH-34 Choctaw and the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk. He has a total of 5,600 flight hours. He is a UH-1 Instructor Pilot, a UH-60 Instructor Pilot and an Instrument Flight Examiner.