Memorial Day 2025

I ran across this article in several places. I have heard of this before and decided it would be appropriate to post on Memorial Day.

 

World War I Memorial, Gallipolis, Ohio

 

"You're a 19 year old kid.

You are critically wounded and dying in the jungle somewhere in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam .

Its November 14, 1965 . 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.

Korean War Memorial, Washington, DC

                                                      

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.

World War II Memorial, Washington, DC

 

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 Army, died at the age of 81, in Boise, Idaho.

God bless our vets."

I don't know exactly whom to credit for this, I found it in a reprint from Stars and Stripes, Face Book, Wikipedia, and several other places. 

Thanks and kudos to the originator.

So, there are 29 whose names you will not find on The Wall or any other memorial thanks to the bravery of Ed Freeman and his crew. 

More than one million have died defending our country or our allies and this is the day we honor them.

And here is a reminder:

Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday of May and it honors those serving.

Memorial Day, Last Monday in May and it honors those that died while serving.

Veterans Day, November 11 and it honors those who served.It is said that they "hung up their uniforms."

 

So, as I always end these posts, I will ask you to enjoy the weekend/holiday but take just a moment to recall exactly why we carve out this time every year .

 

Vietnam Memorial, Washington, DC

     

Next time, on the 1st of June, we will venture, again, to Nebraska to honor some different heroes and to honor a few of the fallen, so, join me, as always, at 9:00 am.

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you, like Joan from Wisconsin, Tony from Texas, Mike from Maryland, Ron from Florida, Tim from Virginia, Molly from Florida, Colleen from Pennsylvania, Elli from Maryland, and Peg and Ray from Florida, among others, have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. I even got one from Ireland! These submissions help expand the knowledge of how we have remembered the men and women who served and/or were lost in 'Nam and you help to honor them. If you have any such photos, I would love to see them. Please send them along to the email at the left and I will gladly share them here.

I hope all those listed here will encourage you to send along photos.