Valerie André
| Valérie André | |
|---|---|
 André in 2014 | |
| Born | 21 April 1922 Strasbourg, France |
| Died | 21 January 2025 (aged 102) Issy-les-Moulineaux, France |
| Allegiance |  France |
| Service/branch | French Army |
| Years of service | 1948–1981 |
| Rank | Médecin Général Inspecteur |
| Awards | Légion d'honneur ordre national du Mérite Croix de Guerre 1939-1945 Croix de guerre T.O.E Croix de la Valeur Militaire Médaille commémorative d'Indochine Médaille de l'Aéronautique Croix du Combattant Volontaire Médaille de Vermeil du service de santé |
| Relations | André Santini (nephew) |
Valérie André (fr; 21 April 1922 – 21 January 2025) was a French resistance official, neurosurgeon and aviator. She was the first female member of the military to achieve the rank of General Officer, in 1976.[1] She was also a founding member of the Académie de l'air et de l'espace.[2][3]
As a member of the military, she was not addressed as "Madame la Générale" (a term reserved for spouses of generals) but as "General".[4]
She wrote two collections of memoirs : Ici, Ventilateur! Extraits d'un carnet de vol. (Calmann-Lévy, 1954) and Madame le général (Perrin, 1988).
André is one of eight women to hold the Grand-croix (Great Cross) rank in the Legion of Honour, with Germaine Tillion, Geneviève de Gaulle-Anthonioz, Jacqueline de Romilly, Simone Rozès, Christiane Desroches Noblecourt, Yvette Farnoux and Gilberte Champion.
André died of natural causes on 21 January 2025 in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France at the age of 102.[1][5]
Foreign honors
- Legion of Merit (United States)
- National Order of Vietnam
- Cross of Valour (Canada)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Valérie André, première Française générale, est décédée à 102 ans (in French)
- ↑ "Valerie Andre". Société d'aviation de la Gruyère. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2020-08-21. Retrieved 2011-08-14.
{cite web}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2020-08-21. Retrieved 2011-08-14.
{cite web}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ↑ "Valérie André, first woman to fly helicopter rescue missions in combat, dies at 102". The Washington Post. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
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