Monday, October 25, 2010

Tribute to a fallen hero

My father sent me a nice article today.

I enjoyed it.  It's too bad that, according to Snopes.com, Ed Freeman passed away in August, 2008.  Long before some viral emailer tacked on health care reform and Tiger Woods as recent events.

Still, a good man.  Whose accomplishments are forever preserved in viral email format.

He deserves better - but this isn't too awful.

Courage.
     
You're a 19 year old kid.
You're critically wounded and dying in
the  jungle somewhere in the Central Highlands  of Viet Nam .

It's  November 11, 1967.  
LZ (landing zone) X-ray.
Your unit is  outnumbered 8-1 and the enemy fire is so  intense, from 100 yards away, that  your CO (commanding officer) 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 half 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.
You look  up to see a Huey coming in. But ... It doesn't  seem real because no MedEvac markings are on it.
Captain Ed Freeman is coming in for you.

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.


Even 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 3 of you at a time on board.
Then he  flies you up and out through the gunfire to the doctors and nurses and safety.

And, he kept coming back!! 13 more  times!!
Until all  the wounded were out. No one knew until the  mission was over that the Captain had been hit 4 times in the legs and left arm.

He took 29 of you and your buddies out that day. Some would not have made it without the Captain and his Huey.

Medal  of Honor Recipient, Captain  Ed Freeman, United States Air Force, died last Wednesday at the age of 70, in Boise, Idaho ..

May God Bless and Rest His Soul.

I bet you didn't hear about this hero's passing,  but we've sure seen a whole bunch about Michael Jackson, Tiger Woods and the bickering of congress over Health Reform.

Medal of  Honor Winner Captain Ed Freeman

Shame on the American media !!!

Now ... YOU pass this along to YOUR
mailing list.  Honor this real American. 
Please.