http://www.times-georgian.com/opinion/columnists/dale_robinson/too-tall-old-snake-battlefield-heroes/article_5795c39e-57b5-11e3-9f04-0019bb30f31a.html (paywall)
Too Tall, Old Snake: Battlefield heroes | Dale Robinson
“These are the times that try men’s souls.” — Thomas Paine
Back in the day, some of our citizens opposed and belittled the Vietnam War. Some thought it not to be necessary, accomplishing nothing. When we send our 18 and 19 and 20-something-old young men into battle and they live or die depending on each other and their country there is meaning in every breath.
Anyone who is serving or has served in any branch of the military knows the uniform does not come with a complete “Users Manual.” The fact is, serving in the military is not a job, but is a way of life that sometimes requires making things up as you go, and hoping for the best. The soldier might not be fighting for a cause, but the soldier does fight for his fellow soldiers. Too Tall and Old Snake might not be well known today, but at one time, these two men represented the very best examples of this creed in the United States Army.
On Nov. 14, 1965, these two men were assigned to A Co., 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion in Vietnam. The first major division operation of the war had just been initiated by elements of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 7th Cavalry Regiment and the 5th Cavalry Regiment of the U.S. Army at La Drang. The battle was fierce and there were many casualties. Even though the casualties began to grow, and the ammunition running out, the order was given to cease helicopter landings in the area because of the extreme danger to the crews and ships due to the close-in fighting going on in the landing zone LZ X-Ray.
“TooTall” was the call sign used by Cpt. Ed Freeman. Cpt. Freeman had already served in the Navy during WWII, and then transferred to the Army during the Korean War. During the Korean War, Freeman served as an infantryman and earned a battlefield commission during the Battle of Pork Chop Hill. He was one of 14 survivors left from the original 257 who went into the battle. After the war his commission allowed him to request flight training, and at the time of the Vietnam War, he was already a respected helicopter pilot.
“Old Snake” was the call sign used by Maj. Bruce Crandall. Maj. Crandall had been commissioned as an engineering officer and transferred into aviation in 1954. He served several overseas tours in South and Central America working with the military forces in different countries until being assigned to the 229th as companycommander of A Company.
Both Crandall and Freeman had been ferrying men and supplies into the LZ that day and were back at their base when they heard the news about the fighting and cancellation of medical evacuation helicopters. Both immediately volunteered to fly their unarmed and unmarked helicopters into the battle to deliver supplies and fly out the wounded. Crandall and Freeman made a total of 14 trips into the battle that day, a day that began at 6 a.m. and lasted until 10:30 p.m. At times they were under close and heavy fire while on the ground unloading and loading back. Men who were putting their wounded buddies aboard the ships were also wounded or killed themselves in the process. It was almost impossible to believe that both pilots survived the day, but they did and evacuated a total of 70 wounded soldiers.
There is an email being circulated that sums up their flights into the battle that day, maybe written by some soldier that was there that day, maybe not. Here’s part of it:
“You’re a 19 year old kid. You’re critically wounded and dying in the jungle somewhere in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam. It’s Nov. 11, 1967, LZ (landing zone) X-ray. Your unit is outnumbered 8-1 and the enemy fire is so intense from 100 yards away, that your CO (commanding officer) has ordered the MedEvac 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 half 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. You look up to see a Huey coming in. But ... It doesn’t seem real because no MedEvac markings are on it.
Many men lived that day, which would have otherwise died on the battlefield without these two heroes. It took many years to happen, but both Crandall and Freeman were awarded the Medal of Honor by President Bush for their bravery and dedication to their military brothers on that day in Vietnam: Freeman in 2001 and Crandall later in 2011. These men’s souls were tried, and found to be true.”
Robinson, a Vietnam-era veteran and member of American Legion Post 143, writes a weekly column for the Times-Georgian on veterans issues.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good ...
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