Ed Freeman
Template:Short description Template:DMCA
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Ed W. Freeman | |
|---|---|
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| NicknameTemplate:Pluralize from text | Too Tall |
| Born | Script error: No such module "person date". Neely, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | Script error: No such module "person date". Boise, Idaho, U.S. |
| Buried | Idaho State Veterans Cemetery, Boise, Idaho |
| Allegiance | United States |
Branch | United States Navy (1944–1946) United States Army (1948–1967) |
Service years | 1944–1946 1948–1967[1] |
Rank | Major |
| Unit | Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) |
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| Awards | Medal of Honor Distinguished Flying Cross (3) Bronze Star Purple Heart Air Medal (16) |
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Ed W. "Too Tall" Freeman (November 20, 1927 – August 20, 2008) was a United States Army helicopter pilot who received the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in the Battle of Ia Drang during the Vietnam 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 a wingman for Major Bruce Crandall, who also received the Medal of Honor for the same missions.
Early life
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 nearby McLain, Mississippi,[4] and graduated from Washington High School.[2] At age 17, before graduating from high school, Freeman served in the United States Navy for two years. After the war, he returned to his hometown and graduated from high school. He joined the United 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]
Military career
World War II
During World War II, Freeman served for two years in the United States Navy on the Template:USS.[4]
Korean War
By the time of the Korean War, Freeman reached the army rank of first sergeant. Although he was in the Corps of Engineers, his company fought as infantry soldiers in Korea. He participated in the Battle of Pork Chop Hill and earned a battlefield commission as one of only 14 survivors out of 257 men who made it through the opening stages of the battle. His second lieutenant bars were pinned on by General James 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.
Vietnam War
By the time Freeman was sent to Vietnam in 1965, he was an experienced helicopter pilot and was placed second-in-command of his sixteen-aircraft unit.[5] He served as a captain in Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).[6]
On November 14, 1965, Freeman and his unit transported a battalion of American soldiers to the Ia 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 to medical evacuation helicopters. Freeman and his commander, Major Bruce Crandall, volunteered to fly their unarmored, lightly armed UH-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 the Battle of Ia Drang.
Freeman was subsequently promoted to the rank of major, designated as a Master Army Aviator, and was sent home from Vietnam in 1966.
Medal of Honor
Freeman's commanding officer nominated him for the Medal 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 the Distinguished 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 the East Room of the White House by President George W. Bush.[5]
Freeman's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
Awards and decorations
| Master Army Aviator Badge | ||
| Medal of Honor | ||
| Distinguished Flying Cross w/ 2 bronze oak leaf clusters |
Bronze Star Medal w/ Valor device |
Purple Heart |
| Air Medal w/ 3 silver oak leaf clusters |
Army Commendation Medal | Army Good Conduct Medal |
| American Campaign Medal | Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal | World War II Victory Medal |
| Army of Occupation Medal | National Defense Service Medal w/ 1 oak leaf cluster |
Korean Service Medal w/ 3 bronze campaign stars |
| Vietnam Service Medal w/ 2 bronze campaign stars |
Armed Forces Reserve Medal | Vietnam Cross of Gallantry w/ 1 Gold Star |
| United Nations Korea Medal | Vietnam Campaign Medal | Republic of Korea War Service Medal |
| File:Korean Presidential Unit Citation.png | File:Gallantry Cross Unit Citation.png |
| Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation | Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm |
Civilian life
Freeman retired from the military in 1967.[7] Freeman and his family settled in the Treasure Valley area of Idaho, 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 the Department 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]
Death and legacy
Freeman died on August 20, 2008, due to complications from Parkinson's disease.[2] He was buried with full military honors at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery in Boise.[4]
In the 2002 film We Were Soldiers, which depicted the Battle of Ia Drang, Freeman was portrayed by Mark McCracken.[2]
The post office in Freeman's hometown of McLain, Mississippi, was renamed the "Major Ed W. Freeman Post Office" in March 2009.[4]
On Thursday, December 9, a section of State Route 98 in Greene County was designated as the “Major Ed ‘Too Tall’ Freeman Memorial Highway” in honor of the late Major Ed Freeman.
See also
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References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Veteran Tributes".
- ^ a b c d e f Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Bonner, Jessie L. (August 20, 2008). "Medal of Honor veteran dies in Idaho". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on April 16, 2009. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."President Presents Medal of Honor to Captain Ed W. Freeman". WhiteHouse.gov. July 2001. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ed W. Freeman Obituary in the Idaho Statesman". The Idaho Statesman. August 22, 2008. Retrieved July 22, 2016 – via legacy.com.
- ^ a b c d e Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Medal of Honor: Ed W. Freeman". The Daily Nightly. July 11, 2007. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Medal of Honor recipients – Vietnam (A-L)". United States Army Center of Military History. January 27, 2009. Archived from the original on June 27, 2009. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Brian Ruby (Spring 2006). "Ed "Too Tall" Freeman: Warrior (interview)" (PDF). Helicopter Association International. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
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External links
- Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ed W. Freeman". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. Retrieved September 2, 2010.Template:Edit at Wikidata
- Appearances on C-SPAN
