War Angel Valérie André with Charles Morgan Evans
A talk about France's first female helicopter pilot, her many dangerous missions in the First Indochina War and the legacy she created.
Have you made your parents proud lately with your accomplishments? Then don’t let them listen to this episode, because we’re talking about Valérie André, a neurosurgeon and helicopter pilot who served with overwhelming distinction in war, saving countless soldiers and civilians. On her fifty-fourth birthday Valérie André became France’s first female general while not long after she was inducted into the Grand Legion of Honor.
Her story is told in the book Helicopter Heroine: Valérie André—Surgeon, Pioneer Rescue Pilot, and Her Courage Under Fire by Charles Morgan Evans. Evans is a writer based in Coos Bay, Oregon, and Reno, Nevada. He has known Valerie Andre for over 20 years and worked from numerous primary sources while researching his book. He is also the author of The War of the Aeronauts—A History of Ballooning in the Civil War. Evans is also a graduate with a Master of Arts degree in history from San Francisco State University and the founding curator of the Hiller Aviation Museum in northern California. Today we’ll be talking about his longtime friend and hero to many.
*script forthcoming*
Charles Morgan Evans
Charles Morgan Evans is a writer based in Coos Bay, Oregon, and Reno, Nevada. He has known Valerie Andre for over 20 years and worked from numerous primary sources while researching his book. He is also the author of The War of the Aeronauts—A History of Ballooning in the Civil War. Evans is also a graduate with a Master of Arts degree in history from San Francisco State University and the founding curator of the Hiller Aviation Museum in northern California.
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