Ed W. Freeman | |
|---|---|
 Freeman in 2001 | |
| Nickname(s) | Too Tall |
| Born | (1927-11-20)November 20, 1927 Neely, Mississippi |
| Died | August 20, 2008(2008-08-20) (aged 80) Boise, Idaho |
| Buried | Idaho State Veterans Cemetery, Boise, Idaho |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | United States Navy (1944–1946) United States Army (1948–1967) |
| Years of service | 1944–1946 1948–1967[1] |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion,1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Medal of Honor Distinguished Flying Cross (3) Bronze Star Purple Heart Air Medal (16) |
Ed W. "Too Tall" Freeman (November 20, 1927 – August 20, 2008) was aUnited States Army helicopter pilot who received the United States military's highest decoration, theMedal of Honor, for his actions in theBattle of Ia Drang during theVietnam War. During the battle, he flew through machine gunfire 14 times, bringing supplies to a trapped American battalion and flying dozens of wounded soldiers to safety. Freeman was awingman for MajorBruce Crandall who also received the Medal of Honor for the same missions.
Freeman was born in Neely,Greene County, Mississippi, the sixth of nine children.[2] When he was 13 years old, he saw thousands of men on maneuvers pass by his home in Mississippi. He knew then that he would become a soldier.[3]
Freeman grew up in nearbyMcLain, Mississippi,[4] and graduated from Washington High School.[2] At age 17, before graduating from high school, Freeman served in theUnited States Navy for two years. After the war, he returned to his hometown and graduated from high school. He joined theUnited States Army in September 1948, and married Barbara Morgan on April 30, 1955. They had two sons: Mike, born in 1956, and Doug, born in 1962.[4]
DuringWorld War II, Freeman served for two years in the United States Navy on theUSS Cacapon (AO-52).[4]
By the time of theKorean War, Freeman reached the army rank offirst sergeant. Although he was in theCorps of Engineers, his company fought as infantry soldiers in Korea. He participated in theBattle of Pork Chop Hill and earned abattlefield commission as one of only 14 survivors out of 257 men who made it through the opening stages of the battle. Hissecond lieutenant bars were pinned on by GeneralJames Van Fleet personally. He then assumed command of B Company and led them back up Pork Chop Hill.
The commission made him eligible to become a pilot, a childhood dream of his. However, when he applied for pilot training he was told that, at six feet four inches, he was "too tall" for pilot duty. The phrase stuck, and he was known by the nickname of "Too Tall" for the rest of his career.[5] In 1955, the height limit for pilots was raised and Freeman was accepted into flying school. He first flew fixed-wing army airplanes before switching to helicopters. After the Korean War, he flew the world on mapping missions.
By the time Freeman was sent toVietnam in 1965, he was an experienced helicopter pilot and was placed second-in-command of his sixteen-aircraft unit.[5] He served as acaptain in Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion,1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).[6]
On November 14, 1965, Freeman and his unit transported abattalion of American soldiers to theIa Drang Valley. Later, after arriving back at base, they learned that the soldiers had come under intense fire and had taken heavy casualties. Enemy fire around the landing zones was so heavy that the landing zone was closed tomedical evacuation helicopters. Freeman and his commander, MajorBruce Crandall, volunteered to fly their unarmored, lightly armedUH-1 Huey in support of the embattled troops. Freeman made a total of fourteen trips to the battlefield, bringing in water and ammunition and taking out wounded soldiers under heavy enemy fire in what was later named theBattle of Ia Drang.
Freeman was subsequently promoted to the rank ofmajor, designated as a Master Army Aviator, and was sent home from Vietnam in 1966.
Freeman's commanding officer nominated him for theMedal of Honor for his actions at Ia Drang, but not in time to meet a two-year deadline then in place.[5] He was instead awarded theDistinguished Flying Cross.[2] The Medal of Honor nomination was disregarded until 1995, when the two-year deadline was removed. He was formally presented with the medal on July 16, 2001, in theEast Room of the White House by PresidentGeorge W. Bush.[5]
Freeman's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
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). As a flight leader and second in command of a 16-helicopter lift unit, he supported a heavily engaged American infantry battalion at Landing Zone X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam. The unit was almost out of ammunition after taking some of the heaviest casualties of the war, fighting off a relentless attack from a highly motivated, heavily armed enemy force. When the infantry commander closed the helicopter landing zone due to intense direct enemy fire, Captain Freeman risked his own life by flying his unarmed helicopter through a gauntlet of enemy fire time after time, delivering critically needed ammunition, water and medical supplies to the besieged battalion. His flights had a direct impact on the battle's outcome by providing the engaged units with timely supplies of ammunition critical to their survival, without which they would almost surely have gone down, with much greater loss of life. 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. All flights were made into a small emergency landing zone within 100 to 200 meters of the defensive perimeter where heavily committed units were perilously holding off the attacking elements. 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. Captain Freeman's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.[6]
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| Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation | Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm |
Freeman retired from the military in 1967.[7] Freeman and his family settled in theTreasure Valley area ofIdaho, his wife Barbara's home state.[4] He continued to work as a pilot. He flew helicopters for another 24 years, fighting wildfires, conducting animal censuses, and herding wild horses for theDepartment of the Interior until his second retirement in 1991.[5][2] By then, he had 17,000 flight hours in helicopters, 22,000 overall.[citation needed]
Freeman died on August 20, 2008, due to complications fromParkinson's disease.[2] He was buried with full military honors at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery inBoise.[4]
In the 2002 filmWe Were Soldiers, which depicted theBattle of Ia Drang, Freeman was portrayed byMark McCracken.[2]
The post office in Freeman's hometown ofMcLain, Mississippi, was renamed the "Major Ed W. Freeman Post Office" in March 2009.[4]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theUnited States Army Center of Military History.