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GONE WEST

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GONE WEST

Ed Freeman

You're an 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded, and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley , 11-14-1965, LZ X-ray, 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 MediVac 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 Medi-Vac markings are on it.
Ed Freeman is coming for you. He's not Medi-Vac, so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the Medi-Vacs 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 last Wednesday at the age of 80, in Boise, ID ......May God rest his soul.....
patrol guy offline
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...remember, life is uncertain, eat desert first!
... and, those that pound their guns into plows, will plow for those who don't.

Re: GONE WEST

If anyone ever deserved to rest in peace in a special part of heaven reserved for the very best, this very apparently would be one.
Coyote Ugly offline
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They used to say there are no old bold pilots, hell, looka here........

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Re: GONE WEST

"ahmen"
GARYH offline
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Re: GONE WEST

Heres a couple of links, to the machine and Men that saved American lives
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm07xasi ... re=related

http://www.25thhuey.com/

http://www.229thavbn.com/
Last edited by rambo on Mon Apr 06, 2009 12:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
rambo offline
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Re: GONE WEST

Jr.CubBuilder wrote:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Freeman


Thanks for the link, The Man is a hero......God Bless.
rambo offline
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Re: GONE WEST

The Hudson River ditching pilot was made into a "hero" doing what he is paid to do, and more power to him. But there will never be enough said about genuine hero's like Ed Freeman who really personify the true meaning of heroism. Amen. And thanks for reminding all of us. =D> =D> =D>
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