Hero Died

[colo native]

Subject: Fw: Hero Died

You're an 18 or 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley, Vietnam, on 14 November 1965. Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8 - 1, and the enemy fire is so intense that your own 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 halfway 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 an un-armed Huey, but it doesn't seem real, because there are no MediVac markings on it.

Ed Freeman is coming for you. He's not MediVac, so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the MediVacs 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 recently at the age of 80, in Boise, Idaho . May God rest his soul....

(Oh yeah, Paul Newman died that day too. I guess you knew that -- he got a lot more press than Ed Freeman .

For a bit more on Ed:
MEDAL OF HONOR: ED W. FREEMAN - The Daily Nightly - msnbc.com
Jul 11, 2007 ... Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Ed Freeman of Boise died Wednesday morning 20 Aug 2008, according to a friend of the Freeman family. ...
dailynightly.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/07/11/265756.aspx - 57k

[Blaine]

He was a oner, that's for sure......RIP Chief, here's to ya

[BigSky56]

In combat you will see men that go beyond the level of self preservation and do acts of bravery that even they cant explain, sometimes those acts are witnessed, most of the time no one survives to verbalize what happened, they were exceptional soldiers. Most men died just doing their job and all they were awarded was a purple heart, they were soldiers and heroes. danny
Some gave all~All gave some

[shdwlkr]

Ed Freeman
Is what every body hopes is in the seat when you need to fly out and get medical help. He showed that carry for others is more important then carring about what happens to you. I know those who where air lifted out and are still alive will never forget the guy who proved that machine gun fire is no reason to not and try and save wounded soldiers on the ground.
Ed RIP and I know you are among friends now and can laugh at those of us still here.
shdwlkr

[Sixgun]

Very interesting! It boils my blood to see what these hero's have sacrificed and then see the garbage that is running Washington. Just watching that rotten Pelosi standing behind the
"president" really irks me. ------------Sixgun

[gundownunder]

I guess we could all wish/pray to have heroes like these in all the worlds governments one day and they wont let their governments start these bloody wars in the first place.
Until then,
Thank you to all the heroes we do have.

[Borregos]

Thanks for posting that

[Modoc ED]

Very interesting! It boils my blood to see what these hero's have sacrificed and then see the garbage that is running Washington. Just watching that rotten Pelosi standing behind the
"president" really irks me. ------------Sixgun

Ed Freeman and those like him did what they did so that Pelosi can stand behind the President. Yeah, it's irksom but it's our (USA's) style.

[jeepnik]

Can you believe people actually didn't vote for McCain? If at any time in our history we needed a military man as president, this is it. Instead, we get a tech geek that refuses to give up his Blackberry. Youngsters are in combat for pete's sake, and this fools blackberry gets frontline coverage. Especially when my youngest who did his active duty, including three tours in Iraq, and is now in the inactive reserve, reports later this month to go back on active duty. Obama wants to converse so badly with terrorists, I suggest he don a uniform and meet them muzzle to muzzle. Okay, my blood pressure is up now. Rant finished.

[AJMD429]

Obama wants to converse so badly with terrorists, I suggest he don a uniform and meet them muzzle to muzzle. Okay, my blood pressure is up now. Rant finished.

That'll be the day...

[1886]

R.I.P. SIR. May your deeds, bravery, and sense of duty never be forgotten. Fortunately, there are many just like him quietly serving today. God willing, there will always be. 1886.

[Jaguarundi]

A ol'Soldier who understood Duty,Honour and Country and a well earned rest indeed.When your country called for duty you answered and delivered.You will be missed,but not forgotten by the many who understand the esprit de corps on the field of mars .."Brothers in Arms".

[the telegraphist]

Vale to a true hero and humanitarian.

The Telegraphist

[mod71alaska]

Colo Native...

I was very moved by your post. I was not familiar with Ed Freeman and was very moved by his heroic story.

I am wondering...were you one of the men he saved that day?

RIP American Soldier.

[colo native]

Colo Native...

I was very moved by your post. I was not familiar with Ed Freeman and was very moved by his heroic story.

I am wondering...were you one of the men he saved that day?

RIP American Soldier.

No I gotout in 64 after my 8... do remember the bop's tho...

[Ysabel Kid]

Obama wants to converse so badly with terrorists, I suggest he don a uniform and meet them muzzle to muzzle. Okay, my blood pressure is up now. Rant finished.

That'll be the day...

I think Obama would wet himself if he was given a gun and told to use it!

I remember when this story first came out last summer. Sad now as it was then - but it makes one proud to have countrymen such as Ed Freeman...

[BobBill]

Obama's election means our miracle republic works.

Hero's like Freeman and the men and women serving did (and do) what was/is right because of many (obvious) reasons - reasons everyone who has been there knows.

Ultimately, though, all is done for justice, that is, doing what is right for its own sake and because it is right, regardless of personal negative consequence.

Another hero, a Founder, (still) subtly reminds us to act, always - do what Freeman knew he had to do:

"Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories." - Thomas Jefferson

Maybe if we not only remembered that we are the government, but that government is what we do or do not do, and so always act only for justice, the wars (and the need for heroes) would fade ...

“Liberty and order will never be perfectly safe, until a trespass on the constitutional provisions for either, shall be felt with the same keenness that resents an invasion of the dearest rights." - James Madison

[Rodfac]

May he rest in peace, he's earned his place in Valhalla.

The rattle of small arms through the open side window
The tightening in the gut and dryness in my mouth
And time slows, the neon golf balls seem to float up at us
And slide slowly by...the sound like a zippo closing
And the bigger stuff, 51's maybe, cracking by the canopy
And wishing we were anyplace but here
The white faces of our guys turned as we flash by
A lonely thumbs up from the grunt with the aerial on his back
The brave one...only a step from his Lt...we can make another run

Brothers, we're old men now...and the best of you still sleep there
In those lonely mist shrouded valleys
I haven't the tears left...God I miss them so...

Rodfac, RVN lll Corps, 5th Spl Forces FAC '70-'73