VN Medal of Honor given today

nighthawk
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(7/16/01 2:55:16 pm)
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CBS neen news ran an article today (very short, of course) about two VN vets finally getting the MOH they were recommended for. They are:
Medic Alfred Rascon, Laurel MD (no rank given)
Capt. Ed Freeman, Boise, ID (Chopper pilot)

There is a short article on each on CBS new web site, second page.

I found no mention on ABC/NBC/CNN/Fox. Lots about Chandra Levy and Robert Downey Jr, but nothing about the people who really count!! That really pisses me off!!!

Edited by: nighthawk at: 7/16/01 3:59:14 pm

dap22
Senior Chief Moderator II
Posts: 881
(7/16/01 3:16:40 pm)
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ezSupporter
Re: VN Medal of Honor given today
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Well, as the old adage says.........sex, smut, dirt, and gossip sells. Remember the stuff that was posted about a newspaper (I think in Ohio) which didn't even pay homage to veterans on Memorial Day. The "news" about a couple Vietnam veterans receiving the Medal of Honor is not something most left wing media sources want to devote much time and space to..............ever so sad. Probably like our past president, most media loathe the military.......particularly those associated with the Vietnam era.........even sadder.

LarryJK
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(7/16/01 4:15:17 pm)
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I listen to CNN on the car radio and they did have a report about the pilot getting the MOH. He flew his chopper in to a firefight 21 times to get the wounded out. I don't recall hearing about the medic. God bless both!

TShooters
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(7/17/01 1:02:57 am)
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That's wonderful news, Stan H.!


Sharon

homer4
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Posts: 1161
(7/17/01 5:56:45 pm)
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With you on the kudo's for the recipients. Man I hope they weren't posthumous! Anyone know about that?

And a kudo to those that recognize the liberal press for their smokey obviouses.

...and two hard boiled eggs.

Shadow
Member
Posts: 14
(7/17/01 10:38:30 pm)
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Alfred Rascon was a SP4 in the 173rd Airboprne and received his MOH in Feb of 2000. It was presented by Slick Willy! Now ain't that ironic?
I have not been able to find CPT. Freeman.
Dan

nighthawk
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(7/17/01 11:30:49 pm)
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sorry about the mix up,,,i found the info on CBS news web page,,
Shadow, it did not say what unit Cpt Freeman, just that he was a chopper jockey and did his deed in th Ia Drang,,,65 I think,,,not sure, but it should be verifible.



Shadow
Member
Posts: 15
(7/18/01 9:59:07 am)
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Maybe CPT Freeman just got his. Can't find him on any of the sites yet!
I think that its about time they received their due. Very brave and honorable men.
Thanks for bringing it up Nighthawk
Dan

homer4
Moderator
Posts: 1181
(7/18/01 3:19:45 pm)
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Real good to see ya Shadow. Hope ya come around more often to do some postin bud. Lots of new faces about camp here... I could mention the fact that they ain't much to look at...but I won't)...anyways, have at some stories Dan.

cya on the flip.
...and two hard boiled eggs.

TShooters
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(7/18/01 4:12:48 pm)
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Just received this via email...Prez. Bush's speech and presentation of the MOH to Capt. Freeman.

For Immediate Release July 16, 2001

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT PRESENTATION OF THE
MEDAL OF HONOR TO CAPTAIN ED W. FREEMAN
The East Room

9:35 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Please be seated. Good morning, and welcome to
the White House. Today, for the first time, I will present the Medal
of Honor. It's a unique privilege to present the nation's highest
military distinction to Ed Freeman, of Boise, Idaho. This moment is
well-deserved and it's been long in coming.


Our White House military unit is accustomed to a lot of great events,
but I can assure you they started this day with a great sense of
anticipation. After all, they know how rare this kind of gathering is
and what it means -- to be in the presence of one who has won the
Medal of Honor is a privilege; to be in the room with a group of over
50 is a moment none of us will ever forget. We're in the presence of
more than 50 of the bravest men who have ever worn the uniform. And I
want to welcome you all to the White House. (Applause.)

It's an honor, as well, to welcome Barbara -- a name I kind of
like -- (laughter) -- Ed's wife, along with his family members and
members of his unit from Vietnam. As well, I want to welcome the Vice
President, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs, the Chief of the Joint Chiefs, as well as members of the
Joint Chiefs. I want to welcome Senator McCain. I want to welcome
Senator Craig, Congressman Otter and Congressman Simpson from the
delegation of Idaho. I want to welcome you all.

It was in this house in this office upstairs that Abraham Lincoln
signed into law the bills establishing the Medal of Honor. By a
custom that began with Theodore Roosevelt, the Medal of Honor is to be
presented by the President. That duty came to Harry S. Truman more
than 70 times. He often said that he'd rather wear the medal than to
be the Commander in Chief. Some of you might have heard him say
that. (Laughter.) Perhaps you were also here on May 2, 1963, when
John F. Kennedy welcomed 240 recipients of the Medal of Honor.

By all rights, another President from Texas should have had the
honor of conferring this medal. It was in the second year of Lyndon
Johnson's presidency that Army Captain Ed Freeman did something that
the men of the 7th Calvary have never forgotten. Years pass, even
decades, but the memory of what happened on November 14, 1965 has
always stayed with them.

For his actions that day, Captain Freeman was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross. But the men who were there, including the
commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Bruce Crandall, felt a still a
higher honor was called for. Through the unremitting efforts of
Lieutenant Colonel Crandall and many others, and the persuasive weight
from Senator John McCain, the story now comes to its rightful
conclusion.

That story began with the battalion surrounded by the enemy, in
one of Vietnam's fiercest battles. The survivors remember the
desperate fear of almost certain death. They remember gunfire that
one witness described as the most intense he had ever seen. And they
remember the sight of an unarmed helicopter coming to their aid.

The man at the controls flew through the gunfire not once, not 10
times, but at least 21 times. That single helicopter brought the
water, ammunition and supplies that saved many lives on the
ground. And the same pilot flew more than 70 wounded soldiers to
safety.

In a moment we will hear the full citation, in all its heroic
detail. General Eisenhower once observed that when you hear a Medal of
Honor citation, you practically assume that the man in question didn't
make it out alive. In fact, about one in six never did. And the
other five, men just like you all here, probably didn't expect to.

Citations are also written in the most simple of language,
needing no embellishment, or techniques of rhetoric. They record
places and names and events that describe themselves. The medal
itself bears only one word, and needs only one: valor.

As a boy of 13, Ed Freeman saw thousands of men on maneuvers pass
by his home in Mississippi. He decided then and there that he would
be a soldier. A lifetime later, the Congress has now decided that
he's even more than a soldier, because he did more than his duty. He
served his country and his comrades to the fullest, rising above and
beyond anything the Army or the nation could have ever asked.

It's been some years now since he left the service and was last
saluted. But from this day, wherever he goes, by military tradition,
Ed Freeman will merit a salute from any enlisted personnel or officer
of rank.

Commander Seavers, I now ask you to read this citation of the
newest member of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. And it
will be my honor to give him his first salute.

(The citation is read.) (The Medal of Honor is presented to
Captain Ed W. Freeman.) (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: We'll see you for a reception. Thank you all for
coming.

END
9:51 A.M. EDT