The pilot of a military helicopter that crashed on a rescue mission in the quake zone has been granted a posthumous first-class medal for outstanding achievement. The Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Hu Jintao, has signed the order to honor to Qiu Guanghua.

A memorial ceremony for the crew was held on Monday morning. The award is in recognition of Qiu's contribution in the rescue and relief operations in Sichuan's earthquake. The helicopter crashed in bad weather on May 31st while evacuating wounded.

All 5 crew members and 13 passengers aboard were killed. The Chengdu Military Area Command is also awarding the medal to Qiu's crew, Li Yue, Wang Huaiyuan, Chen Lin, and Zhang Peng.

(CCTV June 17, 2008)