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, Charlie Sheen and the bickering of congress over Health Reform.



Medal of Honor Winner Captain Ed Freeman


Shame on the American media !!!

Now... YOU pass this along to YOUR

Mailing list. Honor this real American.

Actual Medal of Honor citation:

"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 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 gone down, with 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."

Thanks Joe for your update;thanks to you as well Frank.......Mainly THANK YOU CAPTAIN FREEMAN!!! Any man who wears that decoration of valour is entitled to EVERYTHING that this nation can behold.

I was privileged to meet this gentleman one afternoon at the VFW in Boise.

Rich

Actually I did hear about his passing almost 3 years ago.
No telling the amount of people that are alive today because of this mans actions.

Medal of Honor Recipient, Captain Ed Freeman, United States Air Force, died last Wednesday at the age of 70, in Boise , Idaho

Explain pls Last Wednesday was 30 Mar 2011 Actually I did hear about his passing almost 3 years ago.
No telling the amount of people that are alive today because of this mans actions

Thanks for posting. Any place would be appropriate.

quote:

Originally posted by Jack Sullivan:
Medal of Honor Recipient, Captain Ed Freeman, United States Air Force, died last Wednesday at the age of 70, in Boise , Idaho

Explain pls Last Wednesday was 30 Mar 2011

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-...age=gr&GRid=29186886

The explanation is the man died almost 3 years ago.

i think every one of those glorious bastards deserved medals. there a alot of us guys that owe everything to those pilots

Many a pilot and crew flew into the jaws of hell to help folks they had never met, nor were they likely to ever meet. Thanx Guys!

I know of at least one flare ship PIC that told a BN commander that contrary to the BN commanders decision that he was going in and extract a group from a site he was not sure they could survive in til morning.

If the guys did hold off til morning, what would be on the ground the next morning waiting/knowing they would have a chance to take down several aircraft during the extraction.

THANX to an unknown/unsung HERO for very likely saving that team . . . They were friends!