Valerie Andre ( April 21, 1922 , Strasbourg , France) - a veteran of the French Resistance , an aviator, a neurosurgeon, the first female soldier who received the rank of general in France.
Valerie Andre | ||||||||||||
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fr Valérie andré | ||||||||||||
Date of Birth | April 21, 1922 (97 years old) | |||||||||||
Place of Birth | Strasbourg , Alsace , France | |||||||||||
Affiliation | France | |||||||||||
Type of army | ||||||||||||
Years of service | 1948-1981 | |||||||||||
Rank | general | |||||||||||
Battles / Wars | ||||||||||||
Awards and prizes | ||||||||||||
Content
Biography
From childhood she dreamed of being both a doctor and a pilot. During the Second World War, participated in the Resistance. After the war, she continued her education, receiving a diploma of doctor. At the same time I studied skydiving . She dreamed of becoming a pilot, but at that time it was impossible for a woman in France.
She signed a contract for military service, as a captain of the medical service. Since 1948 she participated in the campaign in Indochina . At first she was an assistant neurosurgeon at a hospital in Saigon . However, when the authorities learned that Valerie had experience with skydiving, she was sent to study military surgery. It was assumed that the paratrooper could provide emergency assistance to the wounded, who can not be evacuated from the jungle. Soon, Valerie was already carrying out her first combat mission in Southern Laos .
Seeing the two helicopters bought by the generals by Robert at his own expense, he decided that the helicopter was exactly what was needed to rescue the wounded from the jungle. She also decided that she herself could be a medical pilot. She managed to convince the general of this, after which she took a helicopter piloting course in France.
In 1952-1953, during the campaign in Indochina, she flew 129 combat sorties on a Hiller 360 helicopter, becoming the first female helicopter pilot to take part in hostilities. Commanded a helicopter platoon. Evacuated 165 wounded soldiers, twice jumped with a parachute to provide emergency surgical care to the wounded [1] [2] .
Returning to France in April 1953, Captain Andre served as a medic in the flight test center in Bretigny , participated in several experimental flights. In addition, she participated in the creation of an aerospace medicine laboratory.
From 1959 to 1962 she took part in the campaign in Algeria , where she made 365 more sorties on Alouette 2 and Sikorsky H-34 , receiving the rank of major.
After the war, she served as the first surgeon at the air base, an adviser to the military command of air transport.
In 1965 she was awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel of the medical service, and in 1970 - the colonel. It has 3200 flight hours.
In 1976, Valerie Andre was promoted to the rank of General Medical Service. She became the first woman in France to deserve this title. The question arose of how to address her, since the appeal of Madame la Générale was traditionally intended for the wives of generals. As a result, it was decided to treat like a man: “Général”.
Since 1981, she has been appointed Inspector General of Medicine. In 1987 she was awarded a large cross of the Order of Merit . On December 16, 1999, President Chirac elevated Andre to the rank of Chevalier of the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor .
The author of two collections of memoirs: “Ici, Ventilateur! Extraits d'un carnet de vol. ” (Calmann-Lévy, 1954) and Madame le général (Perrin, 1988).
She is married with her husband, Colonel Alexis Santini, with whom she met while serving in Indochina. nephew - French politician Andre Santini.
Awards
- Cavalier of the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor (12/16/1999), before that, a great officer from 09/17/1981
- Commander of the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit (1987)
- Military Cross 1939-1945 (seven mentions in the orders)
- Military Cross Foreign Theaters of War
- Cross of Military Valor
- SEP Gold Medal (2012)
- Memorial Medal of the Indochinese Campaign
- Medal of Ballooning
- Cross of the Volunteers (1944)
- Médaille de Vermeil du service de santé.
- Grande Médaille d'or du l'Aéro-club de France
Foreign awards
- Order "Legion of Honor" ( USA )
- National Order ( South Vietnam )
- Cross of Valor (Vietnam) ( South Vietnam )
Notes
- M Le médecin général inspecteur Valérie André à l'honneur . French Ministry of Defense. The appeal date is August 14, 2011. Archived September 15, 2012.
- Tain Captain Valerie Andre: First Woman to Pilot a Helicopter in a Combat Zone . Daytips. The appeal date is August 14, 2011. Archived September 15, 2012.
Links
- Valerie Andre . Société d'aviation de la Gruyère. The appeal date is March 18, 2011. Archived May 26, 2012.
- Valerie Andre on the French Ministry of Defense website