Veterans Day is recognized on November 11th throughout the United States. Canada recognized it’s Veterans on the same calendar day, although in Canada, this commemorative holiday in honor of the veteran is named Remembrance Day. It seems to me that where ever you are in the world we all recognize that young men and women throughout history have fought for the freedoms’ and liberties we enjoy in our perspective countries throughout the world. For this reason, in the United States, we have set aside November 11th as the day we Americans remember the brave contributions that service men and women have given in service to our country…in some cases, even with the giving of their very own lives!
Sometimes I wonder though when our young people are being sent to other countries to provide the service of protection to that far away land; was that the initial purpose our forefathers had in mind when they designated the branches of service to defend our borders? I have had close friends that have really been injured both physically and emotionally when sent to other countries to defend those borders. And upon returning home (if so lucky), were actually ridiculed as was the occurrence with many veterans of the Viet Nam War. I believe that anyone that places their life in service to the protection of life has automatically become a hero to his fellow man. War, being an essence of violence; I feel because it is usually generated through the hateful actions and selfish motivations of others, should not be. But let’s face it, we live in a violent world, where our civil rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are in need of protection both within and without our borders.
So, young men and women are drafted into the service of our country to protect us and our borders during times of violence and war. What about Iraq? I just don’t know. I find it personally hard to believe our intentions for war in that situation myself. To me, there is just so much unnecessary suffering in that violent region that I have to question exactly what is the driving motivation for sending our young people there to risk the possible loss of their lives? Enough of that…. Now, I want to share with you a true story as given to me from a dear friend of the man pictured at left, Mr. Ed Freeman… Originally, this story was told by the quote, “19 year old kid” referenced below.
As the world starts to fade, you know, this is the day…..Today, soon you will die.
It’s November 11th, 1965. You are a nineteen year old kid serving over seas in Viet Nam, fighting for America.
You’re critically wounded and dying in the jungle in the La Drang Valley. Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8-1 and the enemy fire is so intense, coming from 100 or 200 yards away, now your own Infantry Commander has ordered the Medi-Vac helicopters to stop coming in to pick up the wounded. You’re lying there, you feel the cold-hot wetness of your bleeding wounds; as you lay there listening to the enemy machine guns, you know you’re not getting out. You begin to think about your family half way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and think to yourself…..you’ll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and out as you lay in the field, you know this is the day. Today, soon, you will die.
Then – over the machine gun noise – you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter.
You look up to see an unarmed Huey. But…..It doesn’t seem real because no Medi-Vac markings are on it.
No, it’s not a Medi-Vac, its Ed Freeman and he 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 anyway. Even after the Medi-Vacs were ordered not to come……Ed Freeman is coming anyway. He drops his Huey in and sits there under machine gun fire, as they load two or three of you on board. Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire to the doctors and nurses. As the many wounded of your Infantry Unit lay in the field wounded, Ed Freeman kept coming back!! He came back thirteen more times!! He took about thirty of you and your wounded buddies out; you know you would never have gotten out without him. This story was sent to me via email in October, and it concluded with…….
This Medal of Honor Recipient, Ed Freeman, died October 7th, 2009, at the age of 80, in Boise, Idaho.
After I read this story and looked at the beautiful face of this man, Mr. Ed Freeman, I could not help but celebrate his beautiful life. His life was beautiful to me because he, through his heroic actions, placed his desire for the protection of life itself in the forefront thereby allowing life to become the driving force and purpose of his life itself…and all to save the lives of many others. There is no cowardice here, bravery extinguishes all fear and hostility; bravery generated through love delivers this type of heroic mindset that produces life and life giving values too others. You know, I think that Ed Freeman was an angel in disguise; it was the internal love in his heart that put into motion the actions in his life that in turn saved many, many, more. When I look around the world of hate and bitterness we live in today, I can only feel thankful for the heroes.
Who are the heroes of our day?
My heroes are those people that represent truthful honesty, and act on that honesty with convictions which put into motion life saving actions directed towards others. I believe that we all have the potential to be someone’s hero – to bring life saving value into another person’s life. Too often today we value temporal objects and things which give nothing back. The Value in Sharing Life Giving Values is that those same values are given and shared with another, and another through out time, always leaving the presence and tenderness of love in this sharing wake throughout progressive time; thereby holding down the forces of death and destruction. Without the Ed Freemans in our world I don’t think we would ever really understand what living for love is. Thank you Ed; without people like you, perhaps I would have no one left to love.
The Undefeated Life
