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Once and a while chain emails are worthwhile.
A True Story.
This happened during the Battle of the Ia Drang, which was the first major engagement between US Forces and the North Vietnamese Regular Army (NVA). The unit was the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Calvary Division, commanded by LTC Hal Moore. The 1st of the 7th was Custer's old unit (1876 Battle of The Little Big Horn) and the Battle of the Ia Drang was the first time the US Army had used "air moble" (helicopters) tactics in a major engagement. The book "We Were Soldiers Once...And Young", written by LTG Hal Moore and Joe Galloway, who were both there during the battle, later became the basis of the movie, "We Were Soldiers", staring Mel Gibson as Hal Moore.
In addition to the Medal of Honor awarded to Ed."Too Tall" Freeman, described below, another helicopter pilot named Bruce Crandal also received the Medal of Honor for his similar actions during the Battle of the Ia Drang. Both Freeman and Crandal were helicopter pilots with the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division. Crandal was a Major then and commanded the 229th. Freeman received his Medal of Honor in Jult 2001 and Crandal received his in February 2007. Both waited all those years since 1965, when the battle took place, to receive their awards because during that time a general officer in the field could not approve an award higher than the Distinguished Service Cross (the 2nd highest award for valor). Between the two of them, they evacuated over 70 US wounded soldier from the field under fire.
You're a 19 year old kid.
You're critically wounded and dying in The jungle somewhere in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam.
It's November 11, 1967.
LZ (landing zone) X-ray.
Your unit is outnumbered 8-1 and the enemy fire is so intense from 100 yards away, that your CO (commanding officer) 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 half 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.
You look up to see a Huey coming in. But . . . It doesn't seem real because no MedEvac markings are on it.
Captain Ed Freeman is coming in for you.
He's not MedEvac so it's not his job, but he heard the radio call and decided he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire anyway.
Even after the MedEvacs were ordered not to come. He's coming anyway.
And he drops it in and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 3 of you at a time on board.
Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire to the doctors and nurses and safety.
And, he kept coming back!! 13 more times!!
Until all the wounded were out.
No one knew until the mission was over that the Captain had been hit 4 times in the legs and left arm.
He took 29 of you and your buddies out that day. Some would not have made it without the Captain and his Huey.
Medal of Honor Recipient, Captain Ed Freeman,United States Air Force, died last Wednesday at the age of 70, in Boise, Idaho
May God Bless and Rest His Soul.
I bet you didn't hear about this hero's passing, but we've sure seen a whole bunch about Lindsay Lohan, Tiger Woods and the bickering of congress over Health Reform.
Medal of Honor Winner Captain Ed Freeman
Shame on the media !!!
Now . . . YOU pass this along.
Honor this real hero.
Please.
A True Story.
This happened during the Battle of the Ia Drang, which was the first major engagement between US Forces and the North Vietnamese Regular Army (NVA). The unit was the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Calvary Division, commanded by LTC Hal Moore. The 1st of the 7th was Custer's old unit (1876 Battle of The Little Big Horn) and the Battle of the Ia Drang was the first time the US Army had used "air moble" (helicopters) tactics in a major engagement. The book "We Were Soldiers Once...And Young", written by LTG Hal Moore and Joe Galloway, who were both there during the battle, later became the basis of the movie, "We Were Soldiers", staring Mel Gibson as Hal Moore.
In addition to the Medal of Honor awarded to Ed."Too Tall" Freeman, described below, another helicopter pilot named Bruce Crandal also received the Medal of Honor for his similar actions during the Battle of the Ia Drang. Both Freeman and Crandal were helicopter pilots with the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division. Crandal was a Major then and commanded the 229th. Freeman received his Medal of Honor in Jult 2001 and Crandal received his in February 2007. Both waited all those years since 1965, when the battle took place, to receive their awards because during that time a general officer in the field could not approve an award higher than the Distinguished Service Cross (the 2nd highest award for valor). Between the two of them, they evacuated over 70 US wounded soldier from the field under fire.
You're a 19 year old kid.
You're critically wounded and dying in The jungle somewhere in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam.
It's November 11, 1967.
LZ (landing zone) X-ray.
Your unit is outnumbered 8-1 and the enemy fire is so intense from 100 yards away, that your CO (commanding officer) 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 half 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.
You look up to see a Huey coming in. But . . . It doesn't seem real because no MedEvac markings are on it.
Captain Ed Freeman is coming in for you.
He's not MedEvac so it's not his job, but he heard the radio call and decided he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire anyway.
Even after the MedEvacs were ordered not to come. He's coming anyway.
And he drops it in and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 3 of you at a time on board.
Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire to the doctors and nurses and safety.
And, he kept coming back!! 13 more times!!
Until all the wounded were out.
No one knew until the mission was over that the Captain had been hit 4 times in the legs and left arm.
He took 29 of you and your buddies out that day. Some would not have made it without the Captain and his Huey.
Medal of Honor Recipient, Captain Ed Freeman,United States Air Force, died last Wednesday at the age of 70, in Boise, Idaho
May God Bless and Rest His Soul.
I bet you didn't hear about this hero's passing, but we've sure seen a whole bunch about Lindsay Lohan, Tiger Woods and the bickering of congress over Health Reform.
Medal of Honor Winner Captain Ed Freeman
Shame on the media !!!
Now . . . YOU pass this along.
Honor this real hero.
Please.
