    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [July 16, 2001]
    [Pages 851-852]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Presenting the Medal of Honor to Captain Ed W.
    Freeman
    July 16, 2001

        The President. Please be seated. Good morning, and welcome to the
    White House. Today, for the first time, I will present the Medal of
    Honor. It's a unique privilege to present the Nation's highest military
    distinction to Ed Freeman of Boise, Idaho. This moment is well deserved,
    and it's been long in coming.
        Our White House military unit is accustomed to a lot of great
    events, but I can assure you, they started this day with a great sense
    of anticipation. After all, they know how rare this kind of gathering is
    and what it means. To be in the presence of one who has won the Medal of
    Honor is a privilege; to be in the room with a group of over 50 is a
    moment none of us will ever forget. We're in the presence of more than
    50 of the bravest men who have ever worn the uniform, and I want to
    welcome you all to the White House.
        It's an honor as well to welcome Barbara--a name I kind of like--[laughter]--Ed's wife,
    along with his family members and members of his unit from Vietnam. As
    well, I want to welcome the Vice President, the
    Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of
    Veterans Affairs, the Chief of the Joint
    Chiefs, as well as members of the Joint
    Chiefs. I want to welcome Senator McCain. I want
    to welcome Senator Craig, Congressman
    Otter, and Congressman Simpson from the delegation of Idaho. I want to welcome you all.
        It was in this house, in this office upstairs, that Abraham Lincoln
    signed into law the bills establishing the Medal of Honor. By a custom
    that began with Theodore Roosevelt, the Medal of Honor is to be
    presented by the President. That duty came to Harry S. Truman more than
    70 times. He often said that he'd rather wear the medal than to be the
    Commander in Chief. Some of you might have heard him say that.
    [Laughter] Perhaps you were also here on May 2, 1963, when John F.
    Kennedy welcomed 240 recipients of the Medal of Honor.
        By all rights, another President from Texas should have had the
    honor of conferring this medal. It was in the second year of Lyndon
    Johnson's Presidency that Army Captain Ed Freeman did something that the
    men of the 7th Cavalry have never forgotten. Years pass, even decades,
    but the memory of what happened on November 14, 1965, has always stayed
    with them.
        For his actions that day, Captain Freeman was awarded the
    Distinguished Flying Cross. But the men who were there, including the
    commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Bruce Crandall, felt a still
    higher honor was called for. Through the unremitting efforts of
    Lieutenant Colonel Crandall and many others, and the persuasive weight
    from Senator John McCain, the story now comes to
    its rightful conclusion.
        That story began with the battalion surrounded by the enemy in one
    of Vietnam's fiercest battles. The survivors remember the desperate fear
    of almost certain death. They remember gunfire that one witness
    described as the most intense he had ever seen. And they remember the
    sight of an unarmed helicopter coming to their aid.
        The man at the controls flew through the gunfire not once, not 10
    times, but at least 21 times. That single helicopter

    [[Page 852]]

    brought the water, ammunition, and supplies that saved many lives on the
    ground. And the same pilot flew more than 70 wounded soldiers to safety.
        In a moment, we will hear the full citation, in all its heroic
    detail. General Eisenhower once observed that when you hear a Medal of
    Honor citation, you practically assume that the man in question didn't
    make it out alive. In fact, about one in six never did. And the other
    five, men just like you all here, probably didn't expect to.
        Citations are also written in the most simple of language, needing
    no embellishment or techniques of rhetoric. They record places and names
    and events that describe themselves. The medal itself bears only one
    word and needs only one: Valor.
        As a boy of 13, Ed Freeman saw thousands of men on maneuvers pass by
    his home in Mississippi. He decided then and there that he would be a
    soldier. A lifetime later, the Congress has now decided that he's even
    more than a soldier, because he did more than his duty. He served his
    country and his comrades to the fullest, rising above and beyond
    anything the Army or the Nation could have ever asked.
        It's been some years now since he left the service and was last
    saluted. But from this day, wherever he goes, by military tradition, Ed
    Freeman will merit a salute from any enlisted personnel or officer of
    rank.
        Commander Severs, I now ask you to read
    this citation of the newest member of the Congressional Medal of Honor
    Society. And it will be my honor to give him his first salute.

    [At this point, Comdr. Paul J. Severs, USN,
    Navy Aide to the President, read the citation, and the President
    presented the medal.]

        The President. We'll see you for a reception. Thank you all for
    coming.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:35 a.m. in the East Room at the White
    House.