That single helicopter brought the water, ammunition and supplies that saved many lives on the ground. Bush.īush summarized Freeman's actions, saying, "The man at the controls flew through the gunfire not once, not 10 times, but at least 21 times. He received the Medal of Honor on July 16, 2001, from President George W. A Long Time Comingįreeman was initially awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, but after decades of work by men with whom he served, including Crandall, it was eventually upgraded. The Battle of Ia Drang inspired the critically acclaimed book "We Were Soldiers Once … And Young," which was turned into a similarly titled movie, "We Were Soldiers," in 2002. And at 10:30, I made the last landing with some guy holding a flashlight and hauling those people out," Freeman remembered. "I put in 14-and-a-half hours that day, in and out of that LZ, doing that. Fourteen times, Freeman and Crandall flew to a small emergency landing zone within 200 meters of the enemy to evacuate dozens of seriously wounded soldiers. Their mission became that of evacuators, too, when medical helicopters refused to fly in. 14, 1965, when he and his men were tasked with dropping infantrymen from the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, into a remote landing zone beside the Ia Drang River along the Cambodian border. He was an experienced pilot by then and assigned to the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, which was sent to deliver troops to what became known as the Battle of Ia Drang, the first major battle between the United States and North Vietnamese troops.įreeman was the flight leader and second-in-command of a 16-helicopter lift unit on Nov. Vietnamįreeman was close to retirement when war broke out in Vietnam. For the next decade, he flew around the world mapping countries, first in fixed-wing aircraft before switching to helicopters.
But he eventually got in and became a pilot. At first he didn’t qualify because at 6 feet, 4 inches, he was too tall. Ltd.He went back to finish school after the war ended, then enlisted in the Army, where he served in Korea and received a battlefield commission in 1953.įreeman's tour in Korea made him want to be a pilot, so as soon as he returned to the states, he applied for flight school. It is not necessarily representative of the opinions of Landmark Realty Chw k. Information provided by this author is only an opinion, it is not guaranteed, may be based on information collected from several sources, and may be time sensitive. or if you would like more information please give Liz Moras of Landmark Realty Chilliwack a call at- 60 or e-mail at © 2010 By Liz Moras, All Rights Reserved. Please do not use without permission. militarys highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor, for his actions. If you or someone you know is thinking of Buying or Selling property in Cultus Lake, Chilliwack, Hope, Abbotsford, Langley or anywhere in the Fraser Valley Area of B.C. Army helicopter pilot who received the U.S. Medal of Honor Recipient, Captain Ed Freeman, United States Air Force,ĭied last Wednesday at the age of 70, in Boise, Idaho. Some would not have made it without the Captain and his Huey. He took 29 of you and your buddies out that day. No one knew until the mission was over that the Captain had been hit 4 times in the legs and left arm. Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire to the doctors and nursesĪnd, he kept coming back!! 13 more times!! Until all the wounded were out. He's coming anyway.Īnd he drops it in and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 3 of you at a time on board. 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.Įven after the MedEvacs were ordered not to come. Navy and served on the USS Cacapon for two years. Ed and Barbara had two sons, Mike, born in 1956 and Doug, born in 1962. He married Barbara Morgan on April 30, 1954. It doesn't seem real because no MedEvac markings are on it. 20, 1927 to William Ed and Caroline Freeman in Neely, Miss. Then - over the machine gun noise - you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter. Your family is half way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again.Īs the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day. You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns and you know you're not getting out.
Your unit is outnumbered 8-1 and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 yards away, that your commanding officer has ordered the MedEvac helicopters to stop coming in. You're critically wounded and dying in the jungle somewhere in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam. Should this have been on the front page maybe?
It's so interesting what makes the news and what doesn't - isn't it? Often it is the headlines that grab our attention - and give the impression that it is those headlines that are important, impactful and relevant.
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