Nguyen Quy An is a former Major in the Republic of Vietnam Air Force who risked his life to rescue four Americans in a downed chopper while he was on a different mission. For his actions he was awarded the United States Distinguished Flying Cross. In a subsequent combat mission he lost both of his arms when his helicopter was shot down during a combat mission.
On June 14, 1969, he was awarded the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross for `Heroism while...
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Nguyen Quy An is a former Major in the Republic of Vietnam Air Force who risked his life to rescue four Americans in a downed chopper while he was on a different mission. For his actions he was awarded the United States Distinguished Flying Cross. In a subsequent combat mission he lost both of his arms when his helicopter was shot down during a combat mission.
On June 14, 1969, he was awarded the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross for `Heroism while participating in aerial flight'.
The United States passed special laws designed to help South Vietnamese who had experienced special hardship during the war to immigrate to the United States. One provision of this law is that those South Vietnamese who spent a year or more in North Vietnamese "re-education camps" were allowed to enter the United States by special provision. However, because of his amputated arms, Major An was released from such a camp after only nine weeks, and so did not qualify. What he had done for his American comrades-in...
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