Geneviève de Galard Geneviève de Galard ( born 13 April 1925 ) is a French nurse who was dubbed " l ' ange de Dien Bien Phu " ( " the Angel of Dien Bien Phu " ) during the French war in Indochina by the press in Hanoi , although in the camp she was known simply as Geneviève . Early life . Geneviève de Galard was born in the southwest of France . The Second World War forced her family to move from Paris to Toulouse . She passed the state exam to become a nurse and eventually became a flight nurse for the French Air Force . She was posted to French Indochina by her own request and arrived there in May 1953 , in the middle of the war between French forces and the Vietminh . Serving as a " convoyeuse " or in - flight nurse , she was stationed in Hanoi and flew on casualty evacuation flights from Pleiku . After January 1954 , she was on the flights that evacuated casualties from the Battle of Dien Bien Phu . Her 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 the midst of Vietminh artillery barrages . Dien Bien Phu . Galard found herself stuck in Dien Bien Phu on March 28 when the C - 47 on which she was the " convoyeuse " landed in fog and damaged an oil tank which prevented its taking off again . The mechanics could not repair the plane in the field , so the plane was stranded . At daylight Vietminh artillery destroyed the C - 47 and damaged the runway beyond repair . Volunteering to work in the field hospital , Galard was the only female nurse at Dien Bien Phu . Her special status earned her a small parachute silk - lined cell with a cot and chair for a bedroom . In a letter , her mother expressed gratitude for her safety , mentioning that there was no longer a risk of her plane crashing . At the hospital she served under Dr . Paul Grauwin . The men of the medical staff were initially apprehensive about her presence as she was not just the only female nurse on the base , but the sole French woman there , although there were two Bordels Mobiles de Campagne populated with Algerian and Vietnamese prostitutes . Her hard work and willingness to tackle even the most gruesome tasks eventually won them over and they made accommodations for her . They also arranged a semblance of uniform ; camouflage overalls , trousers , basketball shoes , and a t - shirt . Galard did her best in very unsanitary conditions , comforting those about to die and trying to keep up morale in the face of the mounting casualties . Many of the men later complimented her efforts . Eventually , she was placed in charge of a forty - bed room for housing some of the most gravely wounded . Légion d´honneur . On 29 April 1954 , Geneviève de Galard was awarded the " Légion d´honneur " ( as a knight ) and the " Croix de Guerre TOE " . It was presented to her by the commander of Dien Bien Phu , General de Castries . The following day , during the celebration of the French Foreign Legion ' s annual " Camerone " , de Galard was made an honorary " Légionnaire de 1ère classe " alongside Lieutenant Colonel Marcel Bigeard , the commander of the 6th Colonial Parachute Battalion . After the induction ceremony she told her Foreign Legionnaire sponsor : " If we ever get out of this alive , I ' ll pay you a bottle of champagne no matter where we meet . " In 1963 while driving with her husband in Paris she saw the Legionnaire , got out of her car , embraced him and made good on her promise . French troops at Dien Bien Phu finally capitulated on 7 May . However , the Vietminh allowed Galard and the medical staff continue to care for their wounded and she worked changing bandages despite short supplies . Galard still refused any 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 . Release . On 24 May , Geneviève de Galard was evacuated to French - held Hanoi , partially against her will . She was the first of the medical staff to leave and quickly became a media sensation , appearing on the cover of " Paris Match " that week . As early as May 19 , when Galard was still in captivity , U . S . Congresswoman Frances P . Bolton urged United States Secretary of State John Foster Dulles to invite the French nurse to the United States . When she arrived in New York City in July , she was met at the plane by Mayor Robert Wagner and a large crowd . Congresswoman Bolton introduced her as a " symbol of heroic femininity in the free world " and a parade down Broadway in her honor was attended by perhaps 250 , 000 spectators . She was then given a reception at city hall . Having flown to Washington , D . C . on a U . S . Air Force plane , she was recognized before the House of Representatives . On 29 July 1954 , President Dwight D . Eisenhower awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden , calling her the " woman of the year " She was then sent on a tour of six states where she met with luminaries and appeared before large crowds in cities such as Cleveland , Chicago , New Orleans , and San Francisco . The French ambassador to the United States called her visit " an exceptional success " . Later life . Geneviève de Galard lives in Paris with her husband General Jean de Heaulme de Boutsocq .