I am sitting with my grand daughter and her dad, as we watch a special memorial day tribute to our fallen solders, and she begins to ask her father lots of questions.
He can't answer any of them and then he starts to ask me.
It was right then that I realized how much history and American culture our young people aren't aware of.
American history was a required class for me when I was in high school, and it should be today.
This is a holiday weekend.
Masses of folk will be having friends and family over.
The grilles will be roaring and the food will be a plenty.
Parades going on all over the country, but how many people really know what this day is all about? How many know who and what we are honoring today? Sad to say, many don't.
November 14, 1965.
A US corps in Vietnam was surrounded and getting hit extraordinarily hard from enemy fire.
They're pinned down with no way to escape.
They're out numbered eight to one and taking on an extreme amount of casualties.
The attack is so intense that the medivac helicopters can't get in to take the wounded out.
It's to dangerous..
...
It means sure death to anyone that is critically wounded..
..
..
You evaluate your situation, and think of your folks back home as you contemplate the end of your life.
Then all of a sudden, over the gunfire, you hear a faint sound of the rotors from a helicopter.
You look up and here comes a weaponless Huey landing right in the middle of this gun battle.
There are no markings on the side.
It waits there till they load 3 or four of the wounded on board and takes off.
It returns and does this..
...
20 more times! More than 70 wounded and dying men were taken out of that gunfight to where the doctors and nurses were waiting for them.
Seventy men who would have never had a chance to live and see another day were brought to safety on that day because of the courage and endurance of one man.
Ed Freeman.
Ed Freeman was a Huey pilot, but he wasn't a medivac pilot.
He saw a need and realized that these men were going to die if someone did not do something.
Ed Freeman decided to do something.
During those 21 trips of going back and forth to get the wounded and bringing much needed supplies, Ed was hit 3 times and injured himself.
It didn't stop him.
He was going to get all those fellows out of there irrespective of what occurred to him.
For his act of bravery, he got awarded the Flying Cross, and later, on July six, 2001, he was awarded the distinguished medal of honor on the demand of the survivors of that battle.
Before Congressman and Senators, and a distinguished guest list, President George W.
Bush presented Captain Ed Freeman, Company A, 229th assault helicopter battalion, First Cavalry Division Air Mobil, with this very high honor.
This is one story of literally many thousands.
Who would have known of the heroic acts of Ed Freeman, if someone didn't stand up and talk.
These are the men and women who have lead the way for the freedoms we all enjoy today.
There were many more who laid their lives on the alter of freedom and never made it back to tell their story.
These are the men and women that we honor today.
There are people who are living here and purloining the resources and the liberties that these brave men and women died for.
Then they spit and burn the flag that these liberties represent.
This is what Memorial Day is about.
America, we mustn't forget! We must always honor and salute the service that these brave soldiers gave for you and me.
On August 20, 2008, after a battle with Parkinson's disease, Major Ed Freeman died.
We remember..
...
And salute you.
He can't answer any of them and then he starts to ask me.
It was right then that I realized how much history and American culture our young people aren't aware of.
American history was a required class for me when I was in high school, and it should be today.
This is a holiday weekend.
Masses of folk will be having friends and family over.
The grilles will be roaring and the food will be a plenty.
Parades going on all over the country, but how many people really know what this day is all about? How many know who and what we are honoring today? Sad to say, many don't.
November 14, 1965.
A US corps in Vietnam was surrounded and getting hit extraordinarily hard from enemy fire.
They're pinned down with no way to escape.
They're out numbered eight to one and taking on an extreme amount of casualties.
The attack is so intense that the medivac helicopters can't get in to take the wounded out.
It's to dangerous..
...
It means sure death to anyone that is critically wounded..
..
..
You evaluate your situation, and think of your folks back home as you contemplate the end of your life.
Then all of a sudden, over the gunfire, you hear a faint sound of the rotors from a helicopter.
You look up and here comes a weaponless Huey landing right in the middle of this gun battle.
There are no markings on the side.
It waits there till they load 3 or four of the wounded on board and takes off.
It returns and does this..
...
20 more times! More than 70 wounded and dying men were taken out of that gunfight to where the doctors and nurses were waiting for them.
Seventy men who would have never had a chance to live and see another day were brought to safety on that day because of the courage and endurance of one man.
Ed Freeman.
Ed Freeman was a Huey pilot, but he wasn't a medivac pilot.
He saw a need and realized that these men were going to die if someone did not do something.
Ed Freeman decided to do something.
During those 21 trips of going back and forth to get the wounded and bringing much needed supplies, Ed was hit 3 times and injured himself.
It didn't stop him.
He was going to get all those fellows out of there irrespective of what occurred to him.
For his act of bravery, he got awarded the Flying Cross, and later, on July six, 2001, he was awarded the distinguished medal of honor on the demand of the survivors of that battle.
Before Congressman and Senators, and a distinguished guest list, President George W.
Bush presented Captain Ed Freeman, Company A, 229th assault helicopter battalion, First Cavalry Division Air Mobil, with this very high honor.
This is one story of literally many thousands.
Who would have known of the heroic acts of Ed Freeman, if someone didn't stand up and talk.
These are the men and women who have lead the way for the freedoms we all enjoy today.
There were many more who laid their lives on the alter of freedom and never made it back to tell their story.
These are the men and women that we honor today.
There are people who are living here and purloining the resources and the liberties that these brave men and women died for.
Then they spit and burn the flag that these liberties represent.
This is what Memorial Day is about.
America, we mustn't forget! We must always honor and salute the service that these brave soldiers gave for you and me.
On August 20, 2008, after a battle with Parkinson's disease, Major Ed Freeman died.
We remember..
...
And salute you.
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