Born: Unknown, Vietnam
Died: November 1965
Country most active: Vietnam
Also known as: Tiger Lady of the Mekong Delta, Madame Death
Ho Thi Que, the Tiger Lady of the Mekong Delta, was a master sergeant during the Vietnam War. Her South Vietnamese 44th Ranger Battalion, also known as “The Black Tigers” fought against the Viet Cong, who nicknamed her “Madame Death”.
A field medic and nurse, Ho Thi Que was famous for her bravery, and was decorated for valour three times. Among her fellow rangers she was known a ferocious, but also compassionate – she would attack any soldier she found looting after battle, but would also comfort and tend to wounded or dying soldiers, often risking her own life to reach them on the battlefield. She sometimes shaved her head to show her grief at the loss of fellow rangers. She fought for the families of the dead men to receive the benefits due them or lent them money so they could become financially independent.
The Chicago Tribune noted that “she fought beside the men with a pair of .45 automatics strapped to her hips and wearing a polished steel helmet emblazoned with a tiger’s head.” The Tiger Lady was an inspirational figure, often on the frontlines of the battle with the men, charging through paddy fields, encouraging her fellow soldiers on to victory. Just a few months before her death she reportedly emerged from a fierce battle against 1,000 enemies without a scratch.
Previously, she spied on the French for the Viet Minh during the First Indochina War, until she saw that communists were taking control of the Viet Minh. During this time she met her husband, Nguyen Van Dan, who later became commander of the 44th Rangers and whom followed into battle. They had six children. In 1965, her husband shot and killed Ho Thi Que during an argument. He claimed self defence, saying Ho Thi Que had attacked him with a knife because she was jealous of his affair with another woman. The prosecutor in the case asserted that Nguyen Van Dan had killed his wife because he blamed her for the decline of his career. He only served one year in prison for her murder.