9th Jan Ed Freeman

The pilot who flew into a death trap 🎖️

January 09, 2023

Good morning,

With 2023 in full swing, I am now looking forward to bringing you some really fantastic stories, which I have spent all holidays reading about. So, I hope you enjoy them and thank you for all the positive feedback for this newsletter that I have received so far.

On this day - 1945

A U.S. fleet of some 70 ships carried 175,000 troops from the 6th Army to the beaches of Lingayen Gulf, on northwest Luzon (Philippines), where the landings took place. 49 American crewmen were killed as a result of Japanese kamikazes hitting battleships.

In todays newsletter we honor.....

Ed W. "Too Tall" Freeman

Ed was a Helicopter pilot for the United States Army who served in three major campaigns during his service. He was also awarded the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions.

Read below to hear why he was awarded the highest military decoration and why his nickname was "too Tall". ⬇️ 

Freeman grew up in Mississippi and was the sixth of nine children. In 1944 he was aged 17, and decided to join the Navy to serve his country during WWII, where he spent two years on board USS Cacapon.

He finished school after the war, and then enlisted into the Army two years later. By the time he served in the Korean War, he was already a first Sergeant, and although he was part of the Corps of Engineering, he was fighting as an infantry soldier. As some of us may know you are always a "soldier first, specialisation second".

He earned a battlefield commission in Korea after being only one of 14 survivors out of 257 men during the beginning of the Battle of Pork Chop Hill. (I could write a whole newsletter on this forgotten battle alone!) His General, at the time pinned, his 2nd Lt bars on personally before Freeman led his Company back up the hill.

His courage and leadership in Korea earned him the right to fulfil a lifelong dream to become a pilot now he was commissioned. Being 6ft and 4inchs in height, he was told he was "too tall" at first, until the limit was raised in 1955 when he then went off to flying school. His nickname stuck with him for his whole life. As a veteran myself, we all get called by our nicknames from time to time, it always brings a smile to my face when I get called it even now.

By the time Ed was deployed to Vietnam in 1965, he was a very experienced pilot. On one operation he routinely dropped off American soldiers into one of the deadliest battles in the whole Vietnam war; Battle of la Drag.

Knowing that young brave men were taking heavy casualties on the battle field, Ed knew that for them to stand any chance they needed resupplies of ammunition and water. Furthermore a large number of casualties needed to be extracted. Ed and his commander, Bruce Crandall therefore decided to fly into the battlefield in an unarmoured, light UH-1 Huey knowing the huge risks they were taking.

Ed flew in fourteen times, where fighting was so fierce medical evacuation helicopters were refusing to fly. He was landing only 100m to 200m away from the defensive perimeter. Because of Ed's and his commanders bravery, 30 seriously wounded men were extracted from the battlefield, who owe their lives to Ed and Bruce.

He was nominated for the Medal of Honor but was not officially given the medal until 2001. He also received 3 Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Bronze Star, and Purple Heart during his illustrious career, which ended in 1967 when he retired as a Major. He died in 2008 aged 80 but his legacy will live forever.

May he RIP

Did you know?

Even though we have been at War for 93% of the U.S's existence, American congress have 'only' declared war on 11 occasions.

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