Lest We Forget

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Ray Andersen

Lest We Forget

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Posts: 5282

(04/04/09 08:19 AM)

Chief Master At Arms

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This painting of the USS Thresher is on display at the Nautilus Memorial Museum in Groton. The Thresher was lost at sea about 220 miles east of Boston as it conducted deep-diving exercises.

Forty-six years ago, on April 10, 1963, our communities were confronted with the loss of the entire crew and some civilians aboard of the nuclear submarine USS Thresher.

I was made aware of this by one of my daughters. She met me at the door and had been crying. "Daddy, they're dead. Jenny, Peter and others' daddies are dead." As a family we started gathering information so we could help our kids deal with this.

In the process we became educated in the way military families cope with a tragedy of this magnitude. As I recall, the wife of the captain of the Thresher came forward as a genuine leader. She organized help groups, and for a period of at least 60 days after the loss of the boat, made sure that the families of "her" submarine received the help they required.

The communities did what they could to help the families involved. The Navy did what it could to help. But, as I recall, this lady did what no other captain's wife had ever done in making sure that the families received the personal support that's so important to those who suffer a loss. She even did this to the extent of making sure children of "her crew" had the means to continue their education in college.

I can recall the pride we, as a family, had in the way the communities responded, but nothing equaled the feelings of pride and awe we had watching, hearing and seeing the courage, tenacity, dignity and sense of duty the officers' ladies and families exhibited .

The U.S. Submarine Veterans are holding a memorial service at noon today at the World War II National Memorial East on Thames and Bridge streets in Groton. I hope all who attend will honor those who were left behind and behaved in ways that were a living memorial to the loved ones they lost.

LucyS

Least we forget

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Posts: 290

(04/04/09 08:54 PM)

Thanks Ray for reminding us and for telling the story. What a remarkable lady...

Ray Andersen

ANOTHER HERO....

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Posts: 5284

(04/05/09 06:55 AM)

Chief Master At Arms

Recognition where deserved

Ed Freeman

You're an 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 year at the age of 80, in Boise, ID. May God rest his soul!

Medal of Honor Winner
Ed Freeman!

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

Last Edited By: Ray Andersen 04/05/09 07:01 AM. Edited 2 times.

Ray Andersen

HOME AT LAST...

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Posts: 5291

(04/06/09 08:05 AM)

Chief Master At Arms

Remains of 3 from Vietnam sent back to U.S.

Posted : Monday Apr 6, 2009 6:43:56 EDT

HANOI, Vietnam - A U.S. official in Vietnam says that the apparent remains of three American soldiers killed during the Vietnam War have been sent back to the United States.

U.S. official Ron Ward said Monday that the remains were recovered over the past month from sites in central and southern Vietnam. They were flown aboard a military transport plane to Hawaii on Saturday for identification.

Nearly 1,800 U.S. servicemen are still unaccounted for throughout Southeast Asia since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, when communist North Vietnamese forces overran Saigon, the capital of U.S.-backed South Vietnam.

An estimated 58,000 Americans and 3 million Vietnamese were killed in the war. Washington established diplomatic ties with Hanoi in 1995.

LucyS

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Posts: 291

(04/07/09 08:46 AM)

Ray, I was so glad to hear about the 3 remains form Vietnam. I wish we could find them all. I know the families will be glad to finally have closure. I met with the family that I wore a braclet for and they had
said that they would never lose hope.... Thank you for sharing that with us.

Ray Andersen

OUR TROOPS...

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Posts: 5300

(04/07/09 08:52 AM)

Chief Master At Arms

Lucy...I just read where alot of the POW groups are disolving,I suppose because of the time element but I don't think FAMILIES will EVER give up!

Keep them in your prayers!

Ray

LucyS

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Posts: 292

(04/07/09 07:26 PM)

Oh I do keep them in my prayers. My group disolved and I really miss it. No the families will not give up.
Thanks again for posting this.
Lucy

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Remains of 3 from Vietnam sent back to U.S.

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