Ed Freeman's Story

I received a random e-mail today that instantly screamed "junk mail". It was a forwarded e-mail like the kind you get all the time. Most you read, most you delete. Some people believe that they'll find true love if they forward said e-mail to 5 friends, some believe they'll be cursed forever if they don't. I don't.

Usually I read them. Then I delete them.

Today, I followed the same protocol of reading it, pre-programmed to delete at the end. Instead, I did something strange. I re-read it. Then I went to google, then I went to wikipedia, then I came here.

Here's the gist of the story, in all its forwarded e-mail slang glory:

"It's November 14, 1965. Your 19 years old. Your American battalion has come under intense enemy fire in the la Drang Valley in Vietnam. The firefight is so incredibly overbearing that HQ has ordered all medical and rescue choppers to avoid Landing Zone X-Ray. Too many more casualties would happen. No one is coming for you. You've given up hope. You are surrounded by an overpowering enemy. Your fellow soldiers are dead and too wounded to fight. You come to grips with the fact your family is 12,000 miles away, around the world, and you will never see them again. These will be your last moments on earth...

All of a sudden, you hear a sound overhead and see an unmarked Huey flying in. No armor, no weapons, just a helicopter. Is this death? Is this death coming to take you away? No its Ed Freeman. Its United States Army helicopter pilot Ed Freeman, the very man who dropped you off, coming back to save you. His helo is unarmed and not fit for battle but he lands his chopper in between you and the bullets. You get loaded up and fly out of the gun fight realizing that he just saved your life. Ed Freeman returns you to base and heads back to X-Ray to pick up more of the wounded. He does it again and again. In fact, he'd do it a total of 13 more times."

That's the basic story surrounding Ed "Too Tall" Freeman. An Army helo pilot, when Ed heard that his fellow soldiers were surrounded by closing-in enemy, Freeman volunteered to fly into the unlandable zone and bring his boys out. He did it 14 times, saving roughly 30 mens' lives in the process.

The end of the email talks about how this story has rarely been heard before. It also talks about Ed Freeman's recent passing at the age of 80.

Look, Freeman died August 20th, 2008. I received this email November 23rd, 2009, saying "Freeman passed away a few days ago". It's a typical forwarded e-mail but then again its not. Who cares when Freeman died? 5 days ago, 5 months ago, 5 years ago...It's an incredible story that always should be told.

I never heard about Freeman dying in August 2008 because I was ignorant. I heard about Michael Jackson dying but that's because he was treated like Jesus. Ed Freeman? He was just another guy.

Just another guy from Neely, Mississippi, who laid on his death bed while a man came up to him and said, "You don't know me, but I was one of those people you hauled out of X-Ray. Thanks for my life."

Just another guy who was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2001. A guy who saved 30 men from certain death because he flew his helicopter into a hellish firefight to try and save them.

I'm sure now you understand why I didn't delete this e-mail right away. Ed Freeman was a giant. Someone larger than life that was responsible for saving 30 lives in the middle of a deadly Vietnam War battle. I never heard about his passing and never even heard about his story. I didn't even know "We Were Soldiers" starring Mel Gibson was based around that specific fight.

You can call me ignorant but I've tried to right my wrong by doing this. Whether Ed Freeman died yesterday or forever ago, his story needs to be told. His courage, his selflessness, his heart saved the lives of 30 men. Men who otherwise never should have lived their lives.

Rest in Peace Ed Freeman. The world needs more people like you.

God Bless our Troops and their families. Everything they do should be supported, no matter whether you agree with the fight or not. They are out there, doing what they are told, risking their lives, because they dedicated themselves to their duty. Their word is what they gave, and their word is what they will uphold. They need the love and support that they deserve and it is our duty to give it to them.

Thank you to Ed Freeman and the countless others who have served our wonderful country since its inception. Our debt to you goes beyond words.


For more on Ed Freeman, visit Wikipedia.

Also, in anticipation of one of my favorite yearly events, here is an older video from one of the greatest things that the WWE does, their annual "Tribute to the Troops" show. Honoring vets like Ed Freeman and our current troops is the least we can do. The WWE leaves for their trip on November 30th and the show will air sometime before Christmas on NBC.

Watch it and remember the countless individuals who serve our country in our Armed Forces.
God Bless.

Memorial Day

It's been awhile. I apologize. That might be an unfortunate growing trend with the hot weather months approaching. Not by my choice either. Like I've said, work is a full-time thing. Blogging isn't. I'd love it to be. But that's not quite a realistic option. Is it?

I can't pass up the opportunity to praise America and condone every other place in the world though. Today is Memorial Day and we celebrate the people who keep this country safe and allow us to do the dumb things we do day in and day out. War or not, supporting our troops cannot be overdone. Whether it's Iraq, Afghanistan, Idaho, wherever, the people who fight in our Armed Forces deserve more support, everyday, than anyone, anywhere, every second. The things they do, the things they see, the things they sacrifice, for us, can never be repaid. And for that, I pray for them and thank them.

We could live in France. We could be countrymen with Cristobal Huet. Can you imagine that? I'd rather live with an AIDS-infested dog who bleeds all over the place and humps my leg than be a Frenchmen and say I'm friends with or respect Cristobal Huet. America is the only place in the world that matters and the only reason it matters is because of the people who serve us in our Armed Forces. Timeless thanks and endless blessings for them and USA.


A few brief highlights for our Monday Link Dump:

Bruno has a new trailer. I'm really pissed about his hair since it's different from the show. But whatever. This is brutal and it's going to be hilarious. And it'll piss a lot of people off. Which is awesome too.

Megan Fox is great for America.

Even under approaching robot death, Megan Fox. America.

Sherlock Holmes trailer starring Robert Downey Jr. & Jude Law. I love Sherlock Holmes. Mystery, murder, all that stuff is sweet. I still can't tell if Guy Ritchie is heading down the "Snatch" route to try and make this semi-funny or not, but it looks entertaining. Aside from the fact Sherlock Holmes looks like he could beat up Ironman, I'll give this a shot.

More proof that Ohio tends to be the dumbest state in our entire country. Figure 8 Bus Races are entertainment in Ohio. This is one that goes bad. This isn't Dayton or Cleveland or Cincy either. This is Columbus. Every city in that state has now proven itself retarded.

Here is Martin Havlat video if you haven't seen it yet. He got destroyed (cleanly) by Niklas Kronwall the other night in Game 3 of the Red Wings/Hawks series. The Hawks won that game but got their ass kicked yesterday by the Wings and appear to be on their way home. Oh well, it took the Bulls a few years to get passed the Pistons and when they did, the wait was well worth it.

Lastly, a Memorial Day tradition. WWE's Tribute to the Troops takes place in December. I think the WWE does that so people remember our serving forces in December too, not just today. Say what you want about the WWE and Vince McMahon. No one else does this shit. And our troops couldn't be more thankful. Here's last year's video from the WWE's visit to the Middle East.

WM 25 The Day After

The Wrestlemania 25 storyline continued last night on Monday Night Raw and it took a nice little turn that wasn't expected. Many people thought Randy Orton & Legacy would take on Triple H & The McMahon's @ Backlash with the title on the line.

Last night, Orton & Legacy were beating down Vince & Shane and turned their attention to Triple H when a familiar face reappeared...That familiar face will replace Mr. McMahon in the Backlash PPV. The Animal is back.

- As for John Cena's "challenge" to The Rock recently, here's The People's Champ in London for his premiere of "Race To Witch Mountain". As you can tell from the interview, The Rock is pretty much done (though his pride might force him to make one more appearance to beat down John Cena).

Mark Morrison Mondays

Wrestlemania 25 is over. I survived, got to know Houston, did some basic stuff. Houston was surprisingly a nice city, though I am using 'city' loosely. There was barely anything going on downtown and that was with WMXXV in town. I can't imagine what it's like when there is nothing else happening.

I'll post a short blog account of the whole weekend with the occasional picture today or tomorrow. I'm in the middle of moving and have no internet access. The fact that the Toyota Center doesn't let cameras with any sort of professional zoom lens in the building also made my picture account of the weekend sort of weak. I'll do my best.

That said, here's some enjoyment:

Black dude, named Grafite, scores a crazy goal. The exciting point here is that it's Germany and they are cheering for an African-American. The fact that any soccer fans anywhere are cheering for an African American is notable since soccer tends to be the most racist sport in the entire world. Grafite pulls some sick moves. The fact he scores the goal by kicking it behind his back is that much more insulting.

The 'Bruno' trailer came out this weekend. This is NSFW and you have to verify your age on youtube to watch it. Let's face it, if you don't already have an account on youtube, you are way to lazy and not cool. So this should be really simple for you.

The only thing cooler than "Running Man" with Arnold Schwareznegger is if it were an actual real-life thing. Thank God we have Ted Nugent for that. From Warming Glow, it seems that Ted Nugent is going to 'hunt' humans and teach them how to survive. If that isn't the coolest thing ever thought of, then Joan Rivers is gorgeous.

Phoenix performs "1901" on SNL. SNL wasn't funny, despite Seth Rogen hosting. Phoenix, was awesome though. Fader provides the evidence.

More Fader fun with Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Common, A-Trak, & Lady Gaga "I Poke Her Face". It's a pretty fun mash-up.

'Fast & The Furious 18' made over $72 million at the box office this weekend. That's total horseshit. Vin Diesel is a weirdo, Paul Walker is an awful actor, and those last two movies were carried by, among others, Tyrese. And it had the biggest opening in April...EVER. That shows you how many losers that think drifting and asian cars with lighting underneath the body are out there.

Lastly, here's the full Wrestlemania 25 report from 411mania. It was a great event, probably 85% of what WMXXV should have been. Taker/Michaels was incredible and so was the Hardy's match. Mickey Rourke also appeared. The lackluster ending between Randy Orton & Triple H probably left a lot to be desired. The show will spill out nicely over the next few months to set up the next series of WWE storylines.

Bonus: Here's Nicole Scherzinger getting ready to perform the opening @ WMXXV too.

Bonus: Here's a story from Filmwad about another Mickey Rourke role in the upcoming future. The great news is that Megan Fox is supposedly in this film too. This excites me.