GALLANT RESCUE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25849, 21 May 1945, Page 4

GALLANT RESCUE

PILOT OF BLAZING PLANE AMERICAN SOLDIER’S BRAVERY (P.A.) WELLINGTON, May 19. The Governor-General, Sir Cyril Newall, has been advised that the King has approved of the immediate award of the Military Medal to Technician (Fifth Grade) Frank John Gudeyro, of the United States Army. The medal is being presented to-day in the field at Luzon by the senior British officer attached to General MacArthur’s headquarters in the Philippines, Lieutenantgeneral C. H. Gardner. This is the first British operational award conferred upon a United States soldier. The outstanding courage displayed by this soldier was responsible for saving the life of a pilot of the R.N.Z.A.F. whose aircraft was burning furiously following a crash at Bougainville on August 18 of last year. Arriving on the scene a few minutes after the crash. Technician Gudeyro, with disregard of his own safety, ran to the aircraft, where the pilot was trapped with a broken back and grave head injuries. The navigator was on the ground near the aircraft severely injured, and Technician Gudeyro promptly dragged him clear. He then climbed into the aircraft and attempted to pull out the pilot in spite of the fierce blaze. v Although partially overcome by smoke and heat and by the flames, which singed his face and hair, Technician Gudeyro persisted in his endeavours and got the pilot partly out of the side window, when he was assisted by another American soldier, and they jointly completed the rescue.