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A soldier is not dead until he's forgotten.

Discussion in 'Lounge' started by Pagan, Jan 7, 2009.

  1. Pagan

    Pagan Metal & a Mustang

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    Ed "Too Tall" Freeman, a True Hero

    Imagine you're an 18 or 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded, and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley, 11-14-1965. LZ Xray, Vietnam. Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8 - 1, and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander 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 1/2 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, and you look up to see an un-armed Huey, but it doesn't seem real, because no Med-evac markings are on it.

    Ed Freeman is coming for you. He's not Medevac, so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, 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 2 or 3 of you on board.

    Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire, to the Doctors and Nurses.

    And, he kept coming back...... 13 more times..... and took about 30 of you and your buddies out, who would never have gotten out.

    Medal of Honor Recipient Ed Freeman died August 20, 2008 at the age of 80, in Boise, ID.

    Paul Newman died that day too. Now you know why you didn't hear about Ed's passing.

    R.I.P. Ed...


    [​IMG]
     
  2. calphin

    calphin deadly at 250 yards!!

    Ed "Too Tall" Freeman is a true american HERO.


    my he rest in peace.:cry:
     
  3. joeydolfan

    joeydolfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Incredible story. Men like Mr. Freeman are what have made this country great. May he rest in peace.
     
    dolphindebby and calphin like this.
  4. tallfolksrule

    tallfolksrule New Member

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    1st Cavalry Division all the way!

    As a veteran of the 1st Cav I am proud to draw upon the history of men like him. I got to meet LTG Moore, who was the ground commander at the time (wrote the book "We Were Soldiers Once...And Young" which was made into a movie with Mel Gibson) Anyway, they were ordinary men doing extraordinary things. Heroes to our nation.
     
  5. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    Great story, thank you for sharing it. True heroes unfortunately almost always get forgotten or never remembered in the 1st place. Instead we have to hear about Kanye West, Michael Jackson and whoever else is the flavor of the week for hours on end. It's a shame but I bet you those 30 families of the lives he saved never forgotten about Ed Freeman and I guess that's really the only thing that matters in the long run.
     
  6. USArmyFinFan

    USArmyFinFan Maximum Effort

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    1st CAV, My CAV. (1/9 4th BCT) one of many men who have served their Country with honor. His is an amazing story, one that should be told until the end of day's. For until you have been under fire, one can not appreciate how they will respond. Rest is piece, and may you never be forgotten.
     
  7. HardKoreXXX

    HardKoreXXX Insensitive to the Touch

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    Great Story. As far as us not hearing about them, it's sad, but something tells me they didn't sign up for medals and accolades. So I'd imagine it doesn't bother them too much. Which makes these stories even better to hear IMO.
     
    sking29, siciliansith and Ray Finkle like this.
  8. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    That's great story of a great American.

    What does Paul Newman have to do with this though? He also happens to be a great American. If Paul Newman had died the day after, we still wouldn't have heard of Ed Freeman.
     
    sking29 likes this.
  9. Jaydog57

    Jaydog57 Canes/Fins/Magic fan

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    Yeah, I didn't hear about that. Awesome story about a real hero. Thanks for the heads up.
     

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