15. Ed Freeman’s Heroics in Ia Drang
Ed Freeman’s commission made him eligible to become a pilot, but when he first applied, he was told that at 6 feet 4 inches, he was “too tall” – hence his nickname. The height limit for pilots was raised in 1955, and Freeman finally qualified to fly helicopters. Ten years later, during the Battle of Ia Drang, enemy fire was so intense that the landing zones were closed for evacuating wounded troops. Freeman volunteered to fly his Huey anyhow, and made fourteen trips through heavy fire, bringing in water and supplies, and taking out dozens of wounded.
Freeman was nominated for a Medal of Honor, but a deadline was missed in filing the paperwork, so he ended up with a Distinguished Service Cross, instead. Decades later, the deadline rules were changed, and Freeman became eligible once again for the country’s highest award. It took 42 years, but Ed Freeman’s 1965 heroics finally received their just recognition in 2007, when he was awarded the Medal of Honor. He passed away a year later and was buried in the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery, in Boise.