Orlowski, Hedwig Diane, 1LT

 
C-7B HIT MOUNTAIN ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTH OF QUI NHON DURING BAD WEATHER MISSED APPROACH 19671130


Date of Birth April 13, 1944
Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan
Single (Never Married)
 
Nick names Heddi or Harriet
 
Parents:
Bronislaw Orlowski worked at Chrysler at the time of Hedwigs death.
Zuzanna Orlowski was a nurse. Died in 1997.
 
Brother - Jerry Orlowski
Sister  Barbara / Barb  also became a nurse (RN).

St. Florian High School
Catholic High School, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit
Graduated
Hamtramck, Michigan
[Information from her sister, Barb, as quoted in a newspaper article of the Detroit Free Press].
 
General H. H. Arnold High School
(U.S. Department of Defense School)
Wiesbaden, Germany
Hedwig may have only attended H.H. Arnold during her freshman year of High School per Paul C. Burton, a fellow classmate during that period.

[Information from two fellow classmates as stated in a 2005 remembrance messages at The Vietnam Veterans Memorial The Wall  USA for Orlowski]

Hurley Hospital School of Nursing
Flint, Michigan
Graduated 1966
Photo of Hedwig in her nurse cap is of her 1966 Nursing School Graduation Photo.
 
Joined the U.S. Army while attending nursing school  U.S. Army Reserve.
 
Hedwig worked for a short time after graduating from nursing school at the Harper University Hospital, Detroit, Michigan; now part of the Detroit Medical Center.

U.S. Army Active Service was about one year.
Enlisted in U.S. Army Reserve Nurse Corps October 18, 1966.
 
Vietnam Tour of Duty Started January 27, 1967.
 
Died in an U.S. Army aircraft accident along with 23 other individuals in the Binh Dinh Province, near Qui Nhon, U.S. Military Region 2, Republic of South Vietnam.  1LT died as a result of non-hostile action while a passenger on a US Army C-7 Caribou fixed wing plane.
 
Age at death 23
 
From C-7A Caribou Association web site  Caribou Losses 30 November 1967, regarding aircraft C-7B Caribou:
 
Date: 30 November 1967
Aircraft: C-7B 62-4175
Unit: 458 TAS, 483 TAW
Base: Cam Ranh Bay
 
Crew:

• MAJ Thomas Dewey Moore (Died)
• MAJ William Jerome Clark (Died)
• SSG Arturo Delgado-Marin (Died)
• SSG Stanley Joseph Yurewicz (Died)

• CPT Eleanor G. Alexander, 85th Evacuation Hospital
• 1LT Jerome E. Olmsted, 85th Evacuation Hospital
• SP5 Phillip A. Ogas, 85th Evacuation Hospital
• 1LT Hedwig D. Orlowski, 67th Evacuation Hospital
• 1LT Kenneth R. Shoemaker, 55th Medical Group

Congressional Record
103rd Congress (1993-1994)
November 8, 1993
United States Senate
By: Senator Donald W. Riegle, Jr., Michigan
 
"Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Hedwig Diane Orlowski, a nurse from Michigan who served with the 67th Evacuation Hospital during the Vietnam War. Twenty-six years ago this month Heddi Orlowski died along with two of her fellow nurses when her plane attempted to land in bad weather at Qui Nhon. She was just 23 years old.
 
Heddi studied at the Hurley Medical Center School of Nursing in Flint, MI. In January of 1967, she began her tour of duty in Vietnam at Qui Nhon. She was temporarily assigned to Pleiku to assist with the large number of wounded there. On November 30, 1967, Heddi's plane went down as it returned her to her post.
 
In observing Veteran's Day this year, [1993] I would like to pay special tribute to this outstanding young woman for the ultimate sacrifice she made for our country. At the age of 22, Heddi traveled to Vietnam to provide medical attention and personal support to the young American soldiers who were wounded in the war. During each day of the 11 months she spent in Vietnam, she faced death with courage that few of us possess. She gave all her strength to those who needed her help. Today, her memory is carried on by the people she nursed back to health, as well as her family and friends who loved her.
 
With the dedication of the Women's Vietnam Veterans Memorial on November 11, our Nation is paying a long-overdue tribute to the service and sacrifice of Hedwig Orlowski and the 11,500 women who served with her in Vietnam. This bronze statue honors all the women who served in Vietnam--those who served with the armed forces, and the volunteers who served with humanitarian organizations such as the USO and the Red Cross.
 
Like Heddi, these women faced the horrors of the Vietnam conflict on a daily basis. They offered support and comfort to thousands of young men in their final moments of life and they helped save the lives of hundreds of thousands more. The fortitude and courage that these women displayed also helped keep many soldiers from falling into despair. These women deserve recognition for their important service to their country. The Women's Vietnam Veterans Memorials will help to ease the pain that many of these women still feel. It will also remind Americans today and in future generations of their tremendous courage and let them know that this Nation is grateful for their service.
 
The women who served in Vietnam were willing to give their lives in service to others and their country; Heddy was 1 of 8 who sacrificed their lives to save the lives of others. The Women's Vietnam Veterans Memorial can never completely make up for the loss of a young woman like Heddi who was so full of life. But it will remind us of the bravery that she displayed and the sacrifice she made. Not only will the soldiers whom she helped always be grateful to her, but all Americans are grateful for Hedwig Diane Orlowski's selfless service to her country. Through this memorial, her memory lives on."

Remembrances From the web site The Vietnam Veterans Memorial The Wall  USA:
 
High School Classmates
 
From Paul C. Burton
Classmate
Heddi, was a member, of the H.H., Arnold, High School, class, of '62. She was one, of the Angels of Mercy, who served, her country and her fellow, service men and women. She went selflessly, into harm's way, to help others. She will, always be remembered, as long, as this Vietnam Veteran, is alive. Rest in Peace, Heddi. You were an angel, then and now. We miss you! Paul C. Burton, Class, of '63. [Paul Contributed the H.S. Photo].
2005
 
From Sandy Whalen
Classmate
Salute to Heddy
As a fellow classmate from Gen. H. H. Arnold High School, Wiesbaden, Germany, I want to honor the memory of one of our own.  So many gave so much, the nurses risked their lives to help those at war.  I wish she had lived to share her life with those of us who meet often to share the times at H H Arnold.
2005
 
Note:
 
Two different High Schools found for Hedwig Orlowski on the internet - She attended both schools.
 
St. Florian High School
Catholic High School, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit
Hamtramck, Michigan
[information from a sister Barb, who was quoted in a newspaper article from the Detroit Free Press, May 26, 2013, titled Michigan nurse was one of 8 female soldiers killed in Vietnam War.]
 
And,
 
General H. H. Arnold High School
(U.S. Department of Defense School)
Wiesbaden, Germany
[information from two fellow classmate as stated in a 2005 remembrance messages at The Vietnam Veterans Memorial The Wall  USA for Orlowski]