Valérie André started as a Medical Captain in the French Army, with her first post being in Indochina (1948). While in country, she realized that the most difficult part of her duties was retrieving the wounded, who were often trapped in the jungle. So, she returned to France to learn how to pilot a helicopter, then flew one to Indochina. From 1952-1953, she piloted 129 helicopter missions into the jungle, rescuing 165 soldiers, and on two occasions, completed parachute jumps in a combat zone to treat wounded soldiers who needed immediate surgery.
One typical mission occurred on 11 December 1951, casualties were in urgent need of evacuation from Tu Vu on the Black River. Captain André flew into Tu Vu despite heavy mist and anti-aircraft fire. There, she triaged the casualties, operated on the most pressing cases and then flew the urgent wounded back to Hanoi, two at a time.
She became the first female member of the French military to achieve the rank of General Officer and to have piloted a helicopter in a combat zone. She logged in 3200 flight hours, flew well over 360 combat missions, earned 7 Croix de Guerre and is one of only 8 women to earn the Grand-croix of the Legion of Honour. #flightstatus #ballsdeep #getsome #helo #stayzero #zerofoxtrot