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flotsam

(3,268 posts)
Sun Jun 14, 2020, 07:25 PM Jun 2020

A constructive idea-I'll suggest renaming just one base-Ft Rucker Alabama

It's where army helicopter pilots train. I suggest it be renamed Ft Crandall and Freeman after two pilots both of whom received the Congressional Medal of Honor for actions on the same day In the same battle:

Ed "Too Tall" Freeman: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.

Bruse "Snake" Crandall:On November 14, 1965, he led the first major division operation of the Vietnam War, landing elements of the 1st Battalion and 2nd Battalion of the 7th Cavalry Regiment and the 5th Cavalry Regiment into Landing Zone X-Ray in the Battle of Ia Drang.[6] During the fierce battle that followed, he was credited with evacuating some 70 wounded soldiers, along with his wing man Major Ed Freeman. Twelve of these fourteen flights (another source reports 18)[6] were made after the Medevac unit refused to land in the landing zone which was under intense fire. Crandall evacuated more than 75 casualties in his helicopters, during a flight day that started at 6 am and ended at 10:30 pm, more than 16 hours later. "It was the longest day I ever experienced in any aircraft," he said.
He had to use several helicopters throughout the day because each aircraft became badly damaged.[6]


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Freeman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_P._Crandall
Crandall and Freeman were also credited with flying in the ammunition needed for the 7th Cavalry to survive.

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A constructive idea-I'll suggest renaming just one base-Ft Rucker Alabama (Original Post) flotsam Jun 2020 OP
This message was self-deleted by its author Chainfire Jun 2020 #1
Awesome choice Docreed2003 Jun 2020 #2

Response to flotsam (Original post)

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