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Rascal
7th April 2010, 17:11
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 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 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 Medi-Vac markings are on it.

Captain Ed Freeman is coming in for you.

He's not Medi-Vac 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 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 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 Aug. 20, 2008, in Boise , Idaho ...

May God Rest His Soul.

I bet you didn't hear about this hero's passing, but we've sure seen a whole bunch about Michael Jackson and Tiger Woods. Shame on the American media !!!

bdbecker
7th April 2010, 17:13
That is a true hero if I've ever heard of one - thanks for sharing!

Cadillac
7th April 2010, 17:14
From the stories I hear, he was a very humble guy. I know that he had come to Iraq at one point to help bolster morale. Very great hero.

shotgun46
7th April 2010, 17:17
Shame on the American media your right it should have been all over the T V and newspaper

Erik
7th April 2010, 17:51
True hero. The man deserves a chair in Heaven.
Thanks for posting Rascal.

WarHorse
7th April 2010, 17:57
As a former member of 1-7 CAV "Garryowen" I salute this hero and all the heroes that distinguished themselves at LZ Xray. Reading these stories of courage and valor in battle are truly awe-inspiring. Another great hero passes from our midst in anonymity.

CPT Freeman - see you in Fiddler's Green.

I agree with you completely on the media....if you want the real new, don't watch the news.

Thanks for posting.

fun4regina
7th April 2010, 18:02
Thank you for sharing this. Even before I was a vet myself, I was a fighter for veteran recognition because so many in my family fought in Vietnam and other wars.

thatbikerguy
7th April 2010, 18:05
True Hero indeed!!!

snowman
7th April 2010, 18:07
Thanks Frank!!! RIP Captain Freeman...:usa2

The media is full of azzhats...:geek:geek:geek

wilkin4
7th April 2010, 18:12
Medal of Honor Recipient, Captain Ed Freeman, United States Air Force, died last Wednesday at the age of 70, in Boise , Idaho ...

May God Rest His Soul.

I bet you didn't hear about this hero's passing, but we've sure seen a whole bunch about Michael Jackson and Tiger Woods. Shame on the American media !!!

A true American hero, I salute you, RIP........:us:

Thanks for posting Rascal

malingerer
7th April 2010, 18:18
May God rest his soul and bless his family.That story gave me chills while reading it,Thanks for sharing.:usa3

0scar5
7th April 2010, 19:52
Especially when they are talking about a Medal of Honor Recipient, but he actually died 20 AUG 2008. Here's a photo of his marker.

http://xlforum.net/photopost/watermark.php?file=54026

I don't watch much national news so I honestly can't say if it was covered the by morons of the media but I do remember seeing a story about it online in 2008. If anyone is interested, the following link is the U.S. Army website with all of the MOH citations (they list recipient from all branches, not just the Army).

http://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/citations25.html#F

My dad died this past winter. He wasn't a MOH recipient but he was my hero! A twenty year veteran and he did his time in Vietnam. I won't bore you with any of his tales but I will tell you I sure am proud of him and I miss him!

http://xlforum.net/photopost/watermark.php?file=54032

WarHorse
7th April 2010, 20:17
... but I will tell you I sure am proud of him and I miss him!

http://xlforum.net/photopost/watermark.php?file=54032

He's a hero of mine too even though I'll never meet him. Thank you for his service.

WH

Rascal
7th April 2010, 20:37
Especially when they are talking about a Medal of Honor Recipient, but he actually died 20 AUG 2008. Here's a photo of his marker.

http://xlforum.net/photopost/watermark.php?file=54026

I don't watch much national news so I honestly can't say if it was covered the by morons of the media but I do remember seeing a story about it online in 2008. If anyone is interested, the following link is the U.S. Army website with all of the MOH citations (they list recipient from all branches, not just the Army).

http://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/citations25.html#F

My dad died this past winter. He wasn't a MOH recipient but he was my hero! A twenty year veteran and he did his time in Vietnam. I won't bore you with any of his tales but I will tell you I sure am proud of him and I miss him!

http://xlforum.net/photopost/watermark.php?file=54032

Thanks for the date of death correction, I edited my original post. I had received this in an e-mail this morning, just re-posted here to share. Especially thanks to your Dad for his service, sorry as well for your loss.

0scar5
8th April 2010, 19:25
WarHorse, Rascal,

Thanks for the kind words.

Dennis