Published: October 30, 2009 11:51 am      

Misleading e-mails cause MOH mix-up

An e-mail featuring a comparison between a war hero and Michael Jackson might spark outrage for some.

The author of the e-mail which is making the rounds lately asks what Cpt. Ed W. Freeman and pop icon Michael Jackson have in common.

The writer then claims that both died June 25, 2009 and that the scandal-starved media ignored Freeman’s death in favor of 24/7 coverage of Jackson, his bizarre life and mysterious demise.

The problem is that parts of the e-mail are not true.

Unlike Jackson, Ed Freeman did not die on June 25, 2009. He died August 20, 2008.

Another e-mail making its way from one inbox to another claims that Freeman died the weekend a hip-hop singer is accused of beating his girlfriend and that the press jumped on the hiphop story while ignoring the death of an American hero.

This rumor is also incorrect.

The hiphop beating case occurred in February 2009— a full six months after Freeman’s passing.

But the important parts of the e-mail are accurate.

There really was a man named Ed Freeman, and most would agree what he did to earn the Congressional Medal of Honor is breathtaking.

On Nov, 14, 1965, Freeman, a member of Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), risked his life multiple times to bring in supplies and annunciation to soldiers engaged in heavy combat in the la Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam.

The fighting was so intense and conditions so dangerous that Freeman and other helicopter pilots were ordered not to return to the landing area.

Freeman ignored the order and made 14 additional flights into the valley in his unarmed helicopter.

He managed to remove 30 soldiers, many of whom would have likely died had he not returned for them.

He could only take two or three soldiers at a time and each time he landed or took off, he risked being shot down and captured or killed.

For some in Gainesville, Ed Freeman’s story is especially touching since the city has its own ties to the Medal of Honor.

As the nation’s sole Medal of Honor Host City, Gainesville hosts a group of recipients during a week-long event that includes a parade, assemblies at local schools and a banquet in the recipients’ honor.

Mike McHorse president of the Medal of Honor Host City Program said the group had hoped to have Freeman at the festivities in 2008.

“We had invited Ed. Unfortunately health issues stopped him from making the trip. He has since passed away,” he said.

Freeman’s longtime friend and fellow Medal of Honor recipient Bruce Crandall was a Gainesville visitor that year, McHorse noted.

Both men were helicopter pilots who earned the Medal of Honor for their actions in the la Drang Valley.

“Both men were featured in the movie, “We were Soldiers,” McHorse said.