Mary Grace Baloyo

Mary Grace P. Baloyo

Air Force Captain Mary Grace Baloyo in the uniform of an Aviation Cadet
Born Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
Died 26 March 2001
Bgy Mabiga, Mabalacat, Pampanga
Burial Site Bacolod City
Allegiance Philippines Philippines
Service/branch Philippine Air Force
Years of service 1995 - 2001
Rank Captain
Unit 15th Strike Wing, Philippine Air Force
Awards
Philippine Medal of Valor

Mary Grace Baloyo was a First lieutenant in the Philippine Air Force who posthumously received the Philippines' highest military award for courage - the Philippine Medal of Valor.[1] The circumstances in which she was awarded the medal is unique in that it was not given for actions against enemy forces but rather for self-sacrifice. On 26 March 2001, the plane she was flying, a North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco, experienced engine trouble and rapidly descended into a heavily-populated area. Instead of ejecting, she chose to stay on board and diverted the plane before it crashed, subsequently killing her. To date, Baloyo is one of only four recipients of the medal from the Philippine Air Force and the only female recipient of the medal. She was posthumously promoted to the rank of Captain.[2]

External links

References

  1. Gomez, Carla (4 April 2001). "Gloria Confers Medal of Valor on Heroine Pilot". Philippine Daily Inquirer. pp. A4. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  2. Gomez, Carla (9 April 2001). "She Showed All of Us How a Soldier Should Die". Philippine Daily Inquirer. pp. A6. Retrieved 1 September 2015.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, April 19, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.