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11-08-2008, 06:37 AM
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#1
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Montana Master
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Kville
Posts: 2,865
M.O.C. #7871
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Speaking Of Veterans...Ed Freeman
A measure of heroism that is not so obvious in the Mel Gibson movie:
"We Were Soldiers Once......And Young"
Ed Freeman
You're an 18 or 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded, and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley, November 14,1965. LZ Xray , Vietnam . Your Infantry Unit is outnumbered 8 to 1, and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the medevac helicopters to stop coming in.
You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns, and you know you're not getting out. Your family is 1/2 way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day.
Then, over the machine gun noise, you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter, and you look up to see a Huey, but it doesn't seem real, because no medevac markings are on it.
Ed "Too Tall" Freeman is coming for you. He's not a medevac, so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the medevac's were ordered not to come.
He's coming anyway.
And he drops it in, and sits there in the machine gun fire, they load 2 or 3 of you onboard, as they drop off much needed water and ammunition. Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire, to the Doctors and Nurses.
And, he kept coming back......13 more times..... and took about 30 of you and your buddies out, who would never have gotten out.
Medal of Honor Recipient Ed Freeman died Wednesday Sept. 3, 2008 at the age of 80, in Boise, Idaho .
Thanks Ed....... Blue Skies.
The MOH was finally approved for Ed Freeman in the late 1990s...some times the Army's paperwork is a bit slow. However, Ed refused to accept the award from then President Clinton. Once a man of honor was in the White House, Ed Freeman accepted the MOH from President George W. Bush on 16 July 2001.
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11-08-2008, 10:18 AM
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#2
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Montana Master
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Casa Grande
Posts: 5,369
M.O.C. #6333
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Tom, I have heard of others not wanting clinton to award them anything either. This only strengthens by admiration for these folks. Currently there are only 3 requirements to be Commander in Chief; 1. US Citizen, 2. Born on US soil, and 3. Over the age of 35. In my opinion there should be one more. 4. Served in US Military. IMHO!!!!
May Ed Freeman Rest in Peace for Eternity.
Phil
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11-08-2008, 10:30 AM
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#3
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Lobelville
Posts: 2,128
M.O.C. #6650
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I understand why our Hero Ed Freeman waited for a honorable President to award the highest award. I retired from the Army because I just couldn't work for that President. What a Giant of a man, would have given his life for the life of a total stranger. Words just can't express my thoughts of this man, Ed Freeman. The Hueys were a most beautiful sound, and those who rode those Iron horses of the sky had the courage and guts that are hard to find. Thank you Mr ED Freeman. And thank you TLightning for bringing this to our attention. Vietnam 67/68. GBY...
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11-08-2008, 02:13 PM
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#4
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Montana Master
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Bangor
Posts: 770
M.O.C. #8816
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Tlightning, i never served didn't have to. the twist of the whole thing, i'm not the lucky one. the hero's who served are!!!!!! i told my son about that story his reply, that's what we do for bothers.
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11-08-2008, 04:38 PM
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#5
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Montana Master
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Texas City
Posts: 5,736
M.O.C. #7673
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May you rest in peace Ed Freeman.
Your duty has been done.
May you now fly with Sky Pilot and help watch over all of us.
'Nam 68/69
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11-09-2008, 01:46 AM
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#6
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Montana Master
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Sulphur Springs
Posts: 748
M.O.C. #2220
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Loss of words...wow.
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11-09-2008, 03:32 AM
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#7
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Montana Master
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Fallon
Posts: 6,064
M.O.C. #1989
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What a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing it.
Happy trails....................
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11-09-2008, 09:29 AM
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#8
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Palm Bay
Posts: 423
M.O.C. #4308
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I heard that wonderful sound twice once during Tet in 1968 and again on the DMZ in 1971 and I am not ashamed to say that of all the heroes I met in Vietnam those Chopper Pilots had nerves of steel and more guts than anyone else. God Bless each and every one of them. To this day if there is a Huey in the sky anywhere near me I can pick it up.
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11-09-2008, 09:39 AM
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#9
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Montana Master
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: anywhere
Posts: 912
M.O.C. #6260
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To me the Huey IS the sound of Nam.
Nam 70/71
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11-09-2008, 01:26 PM
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#10
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Montana Master
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Kville
Posts: 2,865
M.O.C. #7871
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I too, still love to hear a Huey over head. I served a ground tour (67-68) with the 25th ID, and Hueys and Chinooks were our life lines...bringing ammo, chow, water, mail...and taking our wounded and sick. Interestingly enough, I went back (70-71) and served a tour as a Chinook pilot and got to see the war from that perspective.
BTW, we were winning when I left! 
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11-09-2008, 02:40 PM
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#11
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Powell
Posts: 250
M.O.C. #7880
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Thanks for the post. We can never read enough about our heros. Jon
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