Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive

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Medal of Honor Winner Ed Freeman, 1928-2008

Written by

Mary Saffell

in

,

Retired Army Helicopter pilot and a winner of the nation’s most prestigious military honor, Captain Ed Freeman, passed away on August 20 in Boise, Idaho, after a long illness. He is survived by his wife Barbara, and sons Michael and Douglas Freeman.

Captain Freeman was a veteran of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, and the recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions on November 14, 1965 at Landing Zone X-Ray, in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam. His citation credits him with helping save 30 seriously wounded soldiers in 14 separate rescue missions in an unarmed helicopter. The heroic actions of Captain Freeman and others at the battles of Ia Drang were chronicled in the book We Were Soldiers Once…And Young and the Mel Gibson film adaptation.

Vietnam Center and Archive staff had the honor of meeting Freeman at the 2005 40th Anniversary Reunion of the Ia Drang Battles held in Washington D.C. At the reunion, Dr. Richard Verrone interviewed Captain Freeman about his experiences in that campaign.

Related Links:

Idaho Statesman

President George W. Bush Presents Medal of Honor to Captain Ed W. Freeman

MedalofHonor.com

Comments

2 responses to “Medal of Honor Winner Ed Freeman, 1928-2008”

  1. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Why have we not heard of this heroic display of bravery in the media?
    As I read the details of Ed Freemans relenting and continuous flights to save the soldiers involved in that mismatch battle, I can only imagine that this man of steel was guided by our God that will also save this country from ruin today.

  2. 1SG Joseph Welsh USA (Ret) Avatar
    1SG Joseph Welsh USA (Ret)

    To whom it may concern, I do not mean to be rude since i have been involved with the TTU program for several years and I have a collection and I did a Oral History interview. I think you are all doing a great service to Texas and the entire Nation, therefore I would hope that you try to do it correctly.

    All the people who get the MOH are called Recipients, not winners. This is a small but very significant way the person is ALWAYS recognized. In the write up it states that but the title should also. Medal of Honor Recipient Ed Freeman 1928-2008.

    Thank you for your service.

    1SG Joseph Welsh USA (Ret)
    E Company (LRP) 20th Infantry (Abn) RVN 1968
    1st Special Warfare Training Group (Abn)
    USAJFKSWCS, Ft. Bragg, NC 1996

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