Remember July4 for what it really is!

[OvenMaster]

(Reposted with encouragement from another forum where I am a member)

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This is from my good friend, Jim Gearhart of NJ101.5FM Radio...

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't. So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: freedom is never free!

I hope you will show your support by sending this to as many people as you can, please. It's time we get the word out that PATRIOTISM is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games.

[Sandy G]

Ahhh, baloney...the 4th is for gettin' drunk, watchin' the Farworks, grillin' hamburgs 'n' Hot Dawgs, & checkin' out the neighbor's teenage daughters..Who cares what a bunch of Pilgrims done 250 years ago ?!? We got the almighty Federal Guvverment t'take care of us...

[Twodogs]

Outstanding! Thanks for sharing that.

[Sandy G]

Y'all DO realise that I was being facetious w/my previous comment, don't you ?

[Twodogs]

Originally Posted by Sandy G

Y'all DO realise that I was being facetious w/my previous comment, don't you ?

Noooooooooooo! Not you Sandy. It's too bad though, that what you said is true more times than not.

[painter]

Originally Posted by Twodogs

Noooooooooooo! Not you Sandy. It's too bad though, that what you said is true more times than not.

I marched in parades on the 4th. As leader of an all girls drill team. To this day...a high school band...with bugles, drums and flags chokes me up.
Those young kids were awesome musicians. Hubby was a bugler in school and the local VFW band. Hope to God the young people continue that tradition.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Sandy G

Ahhh, baloney...the 4th is for gettin' drunk, watchin' the Farworks, grillin' hamburgs 'n' Hot Dawgs, & checkin' out the neighbor's teenage daughters..Who cares what a bunch of Pilgrims done 250 years ago ?!? We got the almighty Federal Guvverment t'take care of us...

Bullshit.

I'm gettin' drunk an' grillin' pork steaks...gives the Muzzies the willies.

An' drinkin' Silver Bullitts...may be watered down piss, but it's good ol' Made in the USA watered down piss!!!

Chas

[Grumpy]

Tomorrow the kids and I will be in local parade with many other jeep owners. I can tell you that most of us know why we are there. Paying tribute to those brave and noble souls who did what they did so we have the freedoms to do what we do.

Lets hope that these traditions can carry on for many years to come and people remember that theres more to the 4th then blowing shit up...

[Twodogs]

Yeh, like this guy. Of course his death was overshadowed last week.


You're a 19 year old kid.
You're critically wounded, and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley , 11-14-1965, LZ X-ray , Vietnam .
Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8 - 1, and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the MediVac helicopters to stop coming in.
You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns, and you know you're not getting out.
Your family is 1/2 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, and you look up to see an un-armed Huey, but it doesn't seem real, because no Medi-Vac markings are on it...
Ed Freeman is coming for you... He's not Medi-Vac, so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the Medi-Vacs 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 2 or 3 of you on board.
Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire, to the Doctors and Nurses.
And, he kept coming back.... 13 more times..... And took about 30 of you and your buddies out, who would never have gotten out.
Medal of Honor Recipient, Ed Freeman,died last Wednesday at the age of 80, in Boise , ID ........
May God rest his soul......
I bet you didn't hear about this hero's passing, but we sure were told a whole bunch about some one gloved child molester....
Medal of Honor Winner Ed Freeman!
Shame on the American Media
Ed Freeman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Also check Snopes—Sam)
Jump to: navigation, search
Ed W. Freeman
November 20, 1927 – August 20, 2008 (aged 80)

Ed Freeman (left) is congratulated by President George W. Bush after receiving his award.
Nickname Too Tall
Place of birth Neely, Mississippi

Place of death Boise, Idaho

Place of burial Idaho State Veterans Cemetery, Boise, Idaho
Allegiance United States of America

Service/branch United States Army

Rank Major

Unit 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)

Battles/wars World War II
Korean War
• Battle of Pork Chop Hill
Vietnam War
• Battle of Ia Drang

Awards Medal of Honor

Ed W. "Too Tall" Freeman (November 20, 1927 - August 20, 2008) was a United States Army helicopter pilot who received the U.S. 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 gunfire numerous 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.
Contents
[hide]
• 1 Biography
• 2 Medal of Honor citation
• 3 See also
• 4 References
• 5 External links

[edit] Biography
Freeman was born in Neely, Perry County, Mississippi, the sixth of nine children.[1] He grew up in nearby McLain[2] and graduated from Washington High School.[1] He served in World War II[2] and reached the rank of master sergeant by the time of the Korean War. Although he was in the Corps of Engineers, he fought as an infantry soldier in Korea. He participated in the Battle of Pork Chop Hill and received a battlefield commission. 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.[3]
In 1955, the height limit for pilots was raised and Freeman was accepted into flying school. He first flew airplanes before switching to helicopters. By the time he was sent to Vietnam in 1965, he was an experienced helicopter pilot and was placed second-in-command of his sixteen-craft unit.[3] He served as a captain in Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).[4]
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 medical evacuation helicopters refused to enter the area. Freeman and his commander, Major Bruce Crandall, volunteered to fly their unarmed, lightly armored helicopters 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.[3]
Freeman was sent home from Vietnam in 1966 and retired from the military the next year.[3] He settled in the Treasure Valley area of Idaho, his wife Barbara's home state,[2] and continued to work as a pilot. He used his helicopter to fight wildfires, perform animal censuses, and herd wild horses for the Department of the Interior[3] until his final retirement in 1991.[1]
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.[3] He was instead awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.[1] 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, by President George W. Bush.[3]
Freeman died on August 20, 2008 due to complications from Parkinson's disease.[1] He was buried in the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery in Boise.[2]
In the 2002 film We Were Soldiers, which depicted the Battle of Ia Drang, Freeman was portrayed by Mark McCracken.[1] The post office in Freeman's hometown of McLain, Mississippi, was renamed the "Major Ed W. Freeman Post Office" in March 2009.[2]
[edit] Medal of Honor citation


Army version of the Medal of Honor
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.[4]


(PS: The Medal of Honour is awarded, not won.)

[Charles]

He may have got knocked off of the front page by Michael Jackson, but lets remember Ed McMahon.

Heard on the news that he was a WWII Marine pilot. After the war he went to school on the GI Bill, and reenlisted for the Korean Conflict.

Provided I heard this correctly...the media didn't spend very much time paying tribute to him. Bigger fish to fry, I suppose.

Chas