Quote:
Originally Posted by sc_rufctr
I read about this guy during my Medical training in the Australian Army. (almost 30 years ago)
His story has always stuck with me. A true hero.
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.
Ed Freeman - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
I believe that battle was depicted in the Joe Galloway book "We were solders once, and young" as well as the Mel Gibson movie which depicted the heroic exploits of the helicopter pilot Ed "too tall to fly" Freeman, and his wingman Bruce Crandall who recieved the medal of honor 41 years after the battle.
Freeman recieved most of the accolades but Crandall was just as deserving.
The Vietnamese gubmint didn't seem to enjoy that movie as much as I did.
In fact they took the ACTOR who portrayed the vietnamese general and threw his arse in prision and tortured him over it.
Threw him in prison for treason, tortured him and tried to force him to sign a phony confession, for playing a role in a movie. All standard fare for the stinking commie sumbeotches.
We should keep that in mind the next time we start arguing over what all those brave men fought and died for, and what the unAmerican commie-supporting cowards were protesting back home.
Quote:
|
The Vietnamese government did not greet the film with approval. In fact, Don Duong, the Vietnamese actor who played the Vietnamese commander Lt. Col. Nguyen Huu An, was officially condemned as a traitor, subjected to interrogations to force him to sign a "confession" to "crimes" he had supposedly committed. Duong refused to give in. After months of negotiations between the Bush administration and Hanoi, Duong and his family were allowed to immigrate to the United States in 2003.
|
That's the problem with freedom, it's too easy to forget just how expensive it really is and how many had to die so that we can take it for granted.
.