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Courage

Basil

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Courage.

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.

Capt Ed W. Freeman
 
That's the kind of guy you'd like to have around when the stuff hits the fan.

Wow, simply amazing. :yesnod:
 
I knew this story sounded familiar !!!

He's from about 60 miles north of here.
 
ecurie_ecosse said:
Yes, a true story of heroism under fire.
And I'm sure the Captain never even lets on about that event.

Stuart. :cheers:

I've had the honor of meeting three CMOH recipients and all were very humble, unassuming men.
 
Capt. Ed "Too Tall To Fly" Freeman is mentioned many times in the book "We Were Soldiers Once And Young" by Gen. Hal Moore, then Lt. Col. I/C of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry that was engaged at Ia Drang. Captain Freeman was too tall to fly choppers (according to US Army Regs.) but did it anyway!

The Medevacs had been ordered to stand off by their own CO, and two of the Huey crews that provided transport for the 1/7th took it upon themselves to fly support and evacuate the wounded. The unit CO Maj. Bruce Crandall, was going to do it alone, but Capt. Freeman and his crew volunteered to join him and would not take no for an answer.....

For those who haven't read that book I recommend it highly. A lesser-known fact was that a Lt. in charge of a platoon in that action at Ia Drang, Rick Rescorla, was an Englishman and former British Army Airborne soldier. He survived Vietnam, and became head of security for Morgan Stanley at the World Trade Center. He foresaw the attacks on the center on 9/11, and died whilst evacuating the towers. His body was never found.

Major Crandall was also awarded the Medal Of Honour for his actions https://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/3250/crandall-bruce-p.php

Courage indeed!!!
 
That book had me by the ears until I'd finished it.

Sadness, laughter, anger, pride... tough book to read if your arse has ever been hung out.

Moore had his critics but I thought it should be made a mandatory read for contemporary history students. Colin Powell's autobio is one as well.
 
We've probably been thru the same list. :wink:


"BOHICA", G. Barnes
"Fire in the Lake", F. Fitzgerald
"Saigon" D. Adair

Just the ones I can pull outta my <span style="font-style: italic">ear</span>. :smirk:
 
DrEntropy said:
Colin Powell's autobio is one as well.

His book is sitting in my library. Have you read "Passing of the Night" by Jeremiah Denton?
 
DrEntropy said:
That book had me by the ears until I'd finished it.

Sadness, laughter, anger, pride... tough book to read if your arse has ever been hung out.

Moore had his critics but I thought it should be made a mandatory read for contemporary history students. Colin Powell's autobio is one as well.
Steve said:
I read Colin Powell's book, as well.
Basil said:
DrEntropy said:
Colin Powell's autobio is one as well.

His book is sitting in my library. Have you read "Passing of the Night" by Jeremiah Denton?


You guys are lucky; I can't read.
 
Then how do you write here? It must be very difficult!
 
Basil said:
DrEntropy said:
Colin Powell's autobio is one as well.

His book is sitting in my library. Have you read "Passing of the Night" by Jeremiah Denton?

Another hero. Have NOT read it. Gettin' chills just thinkin' on that.

...I was <span style="font-style: italic">supposed to be</span> one of the photogs to go on that 141... got "bumped" by a more senior photog. Still :madder:
 
Steve said:
I read Colin Powell's book, as well.

This one was something: "Tears Before the Rain: An oral history of the fall of South Vietnam". <span style="font-style: italic">Larry Engelmann</span>


Quite a narrative.
 
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