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Earl Aagaard’s opinions about everything that interests him. Og also enjoys gardening, travel, reading, woodbutchery, and lots of other stuff.

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ED FREEMAN—SOMEONE YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT

I wonder why you don’t…...it used to be that our heroes were publicly celebrated. What happened to our culture, that we have so many people who are famous for being notorious, or (seemingly) for their vapidity, or just for their celebrity?

Well, here’s Ed Freeman (RIP), someone different:

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). ...Captain Freeman risked his own life by flying his unarmed helicopter through a gauntlet of enemy fire time after time….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….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. ...

READ THE WHOLE CITATION.
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Ed fought in WWII, in Korea, and then in Vietnam…..and, like most guys who do the sort of thing he did, he DIDN’T CONSIDER IT MUCH OF A DEAL:
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Forty pilots were asked to take on the assignment, and only Freeman stepped forward.

“What some people think is above and beyond the call of duty does not coincide with what I think,” he said after the ceremony. “I did what I was supposed to do.”

Now 73, Freeman said he felt compelled to rescue the soldiers because he had helped drop them off several weeks before.

“I put them there, and I wasn’t about to let them die,” he said.

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THERE WERE SOME WITH A DIFFERENT OPINION, of course:
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One unexpected visitor offered a very personal thank you to Freeman, a veteran of three wars and recipient of the highest military award - the Congressional Medal of Honor - for his actions on Nov. 14, 1965, at Landing Zone X-Ray, Ia Drang Valley, Vietnam.

“A guy came into the hospital and said, ‘You don’t know me, but I was one of those people you hauled out of the X-Ray,’” said Mike Freeman, 54, one of Ed’s two sons. “He said, ‘Thanks for my life.’ “

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Ed Freeman died August 20, 2008 due to complications from Parkinson’s disease….we need more like him.
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RIP

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/22 at 10:43 AM

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