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.
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. Then on 14 separate rescue missions provided
life-saving evacuation of an estimated 30 seriously wounded
soldiers.
