MY FRIEND ED"TOO TALL"FREEMAN JUST DIED-WE WERE SOLDIERS PILOT-MADDOG:(EDIT:IM IN IDAHO-no
rube26105
Posts: 10,225 ✭✭
my friend too tall from WE WERE SOLDIERS MOVIE just died today,ed was 80 years old and had parkinsons and his wife has cancer-i dont really know what to say right now-im at a loss for words,which is pretty well a first for me in years,at least i knew it before it hit the news on tv i suppose, rock on ed, im gonna miss talking to ya on the phone for hours at a time thats for sure
at least now you finally got some peace and maybe get some reconition and the respect you deserved for a chitty war we in 43 years ago-they gave you the Medal of Honor way too many years to late to say the least
R.I.P. TOO TALL
LOVED YA BUDDY
---MADDOG----
0
Comments
Semper FI.
shawn
1994 Pro Line Live
TheDallasCowboyBackfieldProject
R.I.P. Ed.
And Thank You! for serving our country
i just saw him at the reunion 2 months ago,parkinsons got him in the end,he was a card thats for sure,he was in no uncertain terms bashful about his opinons about anything
Ed W. "Too Tall" Freeman (November 1927 - August 20, 2008) was a United States Army fixed- and rotary wing aircraft pilot who received the Medal of Honor on July 16, 2001 for his actions in the Battle of Ia Drang in 1965. As a helicopter pilot, he flew through gunfire more than 20 times during a single, ferocious battle, bringing supplies to a trapped battalion of United States soldiers and flying more than 70 wounded soldiers to safety. Freeman flew wingman for Major Bruce Crandall who also received the Medal of Honor for the same missions. He is also honored in the film We Were Soldiers and is played by Mark McCracken.
Medal of Honor citation
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:
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.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
i think that might be on there somewhere, i never looked at CMOH society page yet, im trying to write a letter to his daughter and wife now
there is only 101 MOH recips left,prob half of them his age or older from ww2 -3 from ia drang got it crandall/ed/and walter marm, he only got to enjoy it a few years,should have gotten it 30 years ago- basil plumley and hal more should have it as well from x-ray
RIP
Thanks for sharing in this forum though, and thanks to all the men and women who have served.
My Dad passed in 2005, but I am very proud of his service in WWII.
Bob...
From the book "Medal of Honor, Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty":
By the time the Korean War broke out, Ed Freeman was a master sergeant in the Army Engineers, but he fought in Korea as an infantryman. He took part in the bloody battle of Pork Chop Hill and was given a battlefield commission, which had the added advantage of making him eligible to fly, a dream of his since childhood. But flight school turned him down because of his height: at six foot four, he was "too tall" (a nickname that followed him throughout his military career). In 1955 however, the height limit was raised, and Freeman was able to enroll.
He began flying fixed-wing aircraft, then switched to helicopters. By 1965, when he was sent to Vietnam, he had thousands of hours' flying time in choppers. He was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), second in command of a sixteen-helicopter unit responsible for carrying infantrymen into battle. On November 14, 1965, Freeman's helicopters carried a battalion into the Ia Drang Valley for what became the first major confrontation between large forces of the American and North Vietnamese armies.
Back at base, Freeman and the other pilots received word that the GIs they had dropped off were taking heavy casualties and running low on supplies. In fact, the fighting was so fierce that medevac helicopters refused to pick up the wounded. When the commander of the helicopter unit asked for volunteers to fly into the battle zone, Freeman alone stepped forward. He was joined by his commander, and the two of them began several hours of flights into the contested area. Because their small emergency-landing zone was just one hundred yards away from the heaviest fighting, their unarmed and lightly armored helicopters took several hits, In all, Freeman carried out fourteen separate rescue missions, bringing in water and ammunition to the besieged soldiers and taking back dozens of wounded, some of whom wouldn't have survived if they hadn't been evacuated.
Freeman left Vietnam in 1966 and retired from the Army the following year. He flew helicopters another twenty years for the Department of the Interior, herding wild horses, fighting fires, and performing animal censuses. Then he retired altogether.
In the aftermath of the Ia Drang battle, his commanding officer, wanting to recognize Freeman's valor, proposed him for the Medal of Honor. But the two-year statute of limitations on these kinds of recommendations had passed, and no action was taken. Congress did away with that statute in 1995, and Freeman was finally awarded the medal by President George W. Bush on July 16, 2001.
Freeman was back at the White House a few months later for the premiere of We Were Soldiers, a 2002 feature film that depicted his role in the Ia Drang battle. As he was filing out of the small White House theater, the president approached him, saluted, and shook his hand. "Good job, Too Tall," he said.
Steve
MSgt, USAF
/s/ JackWESQ
Ripken, Brooks & Frank Robinson, Old Orioles, Sweet Spot Autos, older Redskins - Riggins, Sonny, Baugh etc and anything that catches my eye.
My ghetto sportscard webpage...All Scans - No Lists!!! Stinky Linky
http://sportsfansnews.com/author/andy-fischer/
Now collecting:
Topps Heritage
1957 Topps BB Ex+-NM
All Yaz Items 7+
Various Red Sox
Did I leave anything out?
Danny
<< <i>forget it, going to idaho now by plane in just a bit-i dont have time to mess around- hes is being buried in idaho vets cemetary in boise/ill find it,
Don't we have any board members from Boise or close by that can help Rube while he's in Boise??
I lost a good friend, we served together in the Army for 20 hrs - he was also in the Marines - 2 tours in Vietnam.
He died of a heart attack at the age of 54 - very sad.
I guess we're approaching our 'golden years' my friend.
1994 Pro Line Live
TheDallasCowboyBackfieldProject
1996 Select Certified Mirror Gold Ozzie Smith
2006 Bowman Chrome Orange Refractor Chris Carpenter
One of my favorite quotes Rube---
CHARLES DE GAULLE
"Faced with crisis, the man of character falls back upon himself." Sounds like your friend many times over....RIP
i kow he was kiddin though, basil sure didnt drive from georgia to idaho,back in the day he could have walked, i dont think he even drives anymore
i hope i brought my battery cord for my laptop
Doug
my knee still hurts,but im stilll back
Glad you're back!
1994 Pro Line Live
TheDallasCowboyBackfieldProject