Genevieve de Galard
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Genevieve de Galard (b. ?) is a French nurse who gained an epithet of the "Angel of Dien Bien Phu" during the French war in Indochina.
Genevieve de Galard was born south of France. Second World War forced her family move from Paris to Toulouse
Galard passed the state exam for nurse and eventually became a flight nurse for French Air Force. She was posted to French Indochina by her own request and arrived there at May 1953, in a middle of a war between French forces and Vietminh.
Galard was stationed in Hanoi and flew in evacuation flights from Pleiku. After January 1954 she was in the flights that evacuated casualties from the battle of Dien Bien Phu. First patients were mainly soldiers who suffered from diseases but after mid-March most of them were battle casualties. Sometimes Red Cross planes had to land in a middle of Vietminh artillery barrage.
March 27 1954, when the Red Cross C-47 with Galard aboard tried to land at night on the short runway of Dien Bien Phu, the landing went long and the plane's left engine was seriously damaged. Plane mechanic could not repair it in field conditions. The plane was stranded and at daylight Vietminh artillery destroyed it and the runway beyond repair.
Galard went to a field hospital under command of doctor Paul Grauwin and volunteered her services as a nurse. Although the men of the medical staff were initially apprehensive - she was the only woman in the base - they eventually made accommodations for her. They also arranged a semblance of uniform; camouflage overalls, trousers, basketball shoes and t-shirt. Galard did her best in very unsanitary conditions, comforted those about to die and tried to keep up morale in the face of mounting casualties. Many of the men later complimented her efforts.
French troops on Dien Bien Phu finally capitulated on May 7. Vietminh allowed Galard and the medical staff continue the care of their wounded. Galard still refused other kind of cooperation. When some of the Vietminh begun to hoard medical supplies for their own use, she hid some of them under her stretcher bed.
On May 24, Genevieve de Galard was evacuated to French-held Hanoi, partially against her will.
Genevieve de Galard lives currently in Paris with her husband.