Helicopter Heroine: Valrie Andr--Surgeon, Pioneer Rescue Pilot, and Her Courage Under Fire Evans Charles Morgan

Valrie Andr is one of the great military aviators of the twentieth century. Flying more than 150 helicopter rescue missions during the French war in Indochina (including at Dien Bien Phu), and parachuting into the field twice, Andr was a trailblazer, a pioneer of flying helicopters in combat and an innovator of battlefield medicine, who risked her life to treat the wounded, whether they were French or Vietnamese, whether they were friend, civilian, or foe. She was the first woman to fly a helicopter in combat and one of the first three helicopter medevac pilots.

Andr was born in Strasbourg, France, in 1922. Aviation historian Charles Morgan Evans tells her story with verve and pathos. From an early age, she wanted to fly, but as a woman, she faced challenges.

While boys could receive government-funded flight lessons, Andr had to pay for hers by tutoring. During World War II, she left