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Author Topic: Thought I would pass this on....  (Read 856 times)

Offline badhorse

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Thought I would pass this on....
« on: October 11, 2008, 03:00:39 PM »
This was sent to me by a friend. Thought I would share it with the AH community.
 :salute

                    Ed Freeman

You're an 18 or 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded, and dying in the jungle in the La Drang Valley, 11-14-1965. LZ Xray , Vietnam . Your Infantry Unit is outnumbered 8 - 1, and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the MediVac 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 Medi-Vac markings are on it.

Ed Freeman is coming for you. He's not Medi-Vac, so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the Medi-Vacs 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 2 or 3 of you on board.

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 last Wednesday
at the age of 80, in Boise , ID ......
May God rest his soul.....
 
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Offline Spikes

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Re: Thought I would pass this on....
« Reply #1 on: October 11, 2008, 03:04:15 PM »
I've read that before, hell of a man. <<S>>
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Offline humble

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Re: Thought I would pass this on....
« Reply #2 on: October 11, 2008, 03:17:02 PM »
Both he and the CO (Bruce Crandall) got the MOH....

You never really know how accurate a movie is but I actually read the book years before it was made a movie and from what I recall the book also indicates that the medi-vacs just cut and ran.
« Last Edit: October 11, 2008, 03:30:37 PM by humble »
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Offline Dragon

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Re: Thought I would pass this on....
« Reply #3 on: October 11, 2008, 03:20:33 PM »
 :salute :salute Ed
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Offline Capt.Joe

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Re: Thought I would pass this on....
« Reply #4 on: October 11, 2008, 04:46:31 PM »
Wow  :salute
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Offline humble

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Re: Thought I would pass this on....
« Reply #5 on: October 11, 2008, 05:37:13 PM »
Here is the official citation for the MOH...

Captain Ed W. Freeman, United States Army, distinguished himself by numerous acts of conspicuous gallantry and extraordinary intrepidity on 14 November 1965 while serving with Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). As a flight leader and second in command of a 16-helicopter lift unit, he supported a heavily engaged American infantry battalion at Landing Zone X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam.  The infantry unit was almost out of ammunition after taking some of the heaviest casualties of the war, fighting off a relentless attack from a highly motivated, heavily armed enemy force.  When the infantry commander closed the helicopter landing zone due to intense direct enemy fire, Captain Freeman risked his own life by flying his unarmed helicopter through a gauntlet of enemy fire time after time, delivering critically needed ammunition, water, and medical supplies to the besieged battalion.  His flights had a direct impact on the battle's outcome by providing the engaged units with timely supplies of ammunition critical to their survival, without which they would almost surely have experienced a much greater loss of life.  After medical evacuation helicopters refused to fly into the area due to intense enemy fire, Captain Freeman flew 14 separate rescue missions, providing life-saving evacuation of an estimated 30 seriously wounded soldiers -- some of whom would not have survived had he not acted.  All flights were made into a small emergency landing zone within 100 to 200 meters of the defensive perimeter where heavily committed units were perilously holding off the attacking elements. Captain Freeman’s selfless acts of great valor, extraordinary perseverance, and intrepidity were far above and beyond the call of duty or mission and set a superb example of leadership and courage for all of his peers.  Captain Freeman’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
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Offline USRanger

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Re: Thought I would pass this on....
« Reply #6 on: October 11, 2008, 06:12:26 PM »
Hooah  :salute
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Offline UdieNow

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Re: Thought I would pass this on....
« Reply #7 on: October 11, 2008, 08:08:42 PM »
 :salute

Now that is a true Hero

 :salute
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Offline Yossarian

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Re: Thought I would pass this on....
« Reply #8 on: October 11, 2008, 08:45:30 PM »
Wow..... <<S>>

God bless him and RIP
 :salute

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Offline stodd

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Re: Thought I would pass this on....
« Reply #9 on: October 11, 2008, 09:14:18 PM »
Wow. Now there is a hero, thx for sharing badhorse.    Wasnt the movie "we were soldiers" based on that battle?(just wondering)

  :salute Ed Freeman
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Offline MajWoody

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Re: Thought I would pass this on....
« Reply #10 on: October 11, 2008, 09:47:32 PM »
Quote from: stodd on October 11, 2008, 09:14:18 PM
Wow. Now there is a hero, thx for sharing badhorse.    Wasnt the movie "we were soldiers" based on that battle?(just wondering)

  :salute Ed Freeman

Yes it was.

 :salute Ed Freeman
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Offline Sloehand

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Re: Thought I would pass this on....
« Reply #11 on: October 11, 2008, 09:53:48 PM »
And just for complete clarification it was "Ia Drang Valley".  The text font you saw makes the capital "I" look like a lowercase "L". 

 :salute Ed Freeman
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Offline Patches1

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Re: Thought I would pass this on....
« Reply #12 on: October 12, 2008, 02:24:26 AM »
Semper Fidelis, Ed Freeman, Sir!
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Offline uberslet

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Re: Thought I would pass this on....
« Reply #13 on: October 12, 2008, 03:39:16 AM »
Quote from: stodd on October 11, 2008, 09:14:18 PM
Wow. Now there is a hero, thx for sharing badhorse.    Wasnt the movie "we were soldiers" based on that battle?(just wondering)

  :salute Ed Freeman
thinking same thing as i saw La Drang Valley stodd.  :salute Ed, nice job out there sir!
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Offline crazyivan

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Re: Thought I would pass this on....
« Reply #14 on: October 12, 2008, 04:16:05 AM »
He knew his boys had to get out!  Yeah that's ah hero! God bless him. :rock
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