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Two Year

• CHAIN OF COMMAND
  Submits award recommendation that meets the two year submission time limit to Department of the Army Personnel Command

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Ramon A. Nadal was born at Fort Benning, Georgia, son of parents from Puerto Rico.  Educated both in Puerto Rico and the United States, he graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1958.  Commissioned in the infantry, Colonel Nadal is Airborne, Ranger, Special Forces, and Pathfinder qualified.  Colonel Nadal's  military career included service in Germany as a junior officer and as a battalion commander, and two tours in Vietnam.  The first tour, he was  Special Forces A Detachment Commander and the second tour, company commander of A Co, 1^st Battalion, 7^th Cavalry and S-3 of the 2^nd Battalion, 7^th Cavalry.  Colonel Nadal is featured in the book, We Were Soldiers Once...And Young.  The movie We Were Soldiers chronicles the Battle of Ia Drang Valley, America's first major engagement with the North Vietnamese Army.  After return from Vietnam Colonel Nadal earned a Masters degree in Psychology and taught leadership at West Point and management at the Army War College.  Other military assignments included duty in the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Army, where he was involved in the creation of the volunteer Army.  After leaving the Army, Colonel Nadal served as Vice President of Human Resources in two different companies and currently is president of a management and leadership consulting firm, Leadership Associates, in Williamsburg, Virginia.

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Crandall

Helicopter hero to receive Medal of Honor

Retired lieutenant colonel will be honored by president

BY MICK WALSH

Staff Writer

More than four decades after repeatedly avoiding intense enemy fire while rescuing and resupplying besieged 1st Cavalry soldiers in Vietnam's Ia Drang Valley, former helicopter pilot Bruce Crandall is finally getting his due.

The retired lieutenant colonel from Manchester, Wash., will receive the Medal of Honor from President Bush at a White House ceremony Feb. 26.

"It's a wonderful honor," Crandall, 72, told his hometown Olympia, Wash., newspaper upon hearing the news. "It's the finest thing that can happen to you, if you've been in the service."

Crandall will become the third soldier from the November 1965 battle at a remote landing zone in Vietnam's Central Highlands to be awarded the nation's highest military decoration. Fellow UH-1 Huey pilot Ed "Too Tall" Freeman and then-2nd Lt. Walter Marm, a platoon leader with A Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, were the prior recipients.

Crandall and Freeman were members of the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion and wingmen at Ia Drang, the first major ground battle of the war.

Crandall, Freeman, Marm and the rest of the 1st Cav trained at Fort Benning from 1963-65, prior to deployment to Vietnam.

"He deserves the award," said author/columnist Joe Galloway, whose book "We Were Soldiers Once... and Young," chronicled the three-day Ia Drang battle. "He is a true American hero and is loved by those who survived that battle. I flew into and out of the battlefield on Bruce's Huey, and he's been my hero ever since."

Galloway, who now lives in Texas, and retired Lt. Gen. Hal Moore of Opelika, Ala., who co-authored the book on Ia Drang and commanded the 1st Battalion, will attend the White House ceremony.

Crandall, then a major and commander of his unit, led a flight of 16 helicopters in support of Moore's battalion, which was out of water and medical supplies, running dangerously low on ammunition and engaging about two regiments of North Vietnamese army infantry determined to overrun and annihilate them.

Despite heavy enemy fire, Crandall, known as Snake, and Freeman are credited with saving more than 70 wounded soldiers by transporting them to safety.

Freeman received the Medal of Honor for his efforts in July 2001, thanks in large part to a letter of recommendation from Crandall.

In that same year, Crandall came back to Fort Benning to watch the movie made from Galloway and Moore's book. In the film, actor Greg Kinnear portrayed Crandall. The fun-loving Crandall cracked that he would have preferred Madonna in that role, adding that he wasn't all that sure who Mel Gibson was (Gibson played Hal Moore in the film).

During a second tour in Vietnam, in 1968, Crandall was downed during another rescue attempt and spent five months in the hospital with a broken back. He resumed his military career, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1977. He was inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame at Fort Rucker, Ala., in 2004 and was the seventh Army inductee into the "Gathering of Eagles," a U.S. Air Force organization that honors contributors to aviation.

After receiving the Medal of Honor, Crandall will be counted among 111 other living recipients of the award, 60 of them awarded for actions in Vietnam, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

The report recommended the Army examine whether the men
should receive the award. The Army agreed the men deserved
the medal, but Congress had to waive the 1952 time limit for
awarding the medals. Congress included a time limit waiver
in the Fiscal 1997 Authorization Act passed in October 1996.
Clinton awarded the medals Jan. 13.
 

Sec. 496. Time limit on award; report concerning deed

  (a) No medal of honor, distinguished service medal, distinguished
flying cross, Coast Guard medal, or bar, emblem, or insignia in
lieu thereof may be awarded to a person unless -

    (1) the award is made within five years after the date of the
  deed or service justifying the award;

    (2) a statement setting forth the deed or distinguished service
  and recommending official recognition of it was made by his
  superior through official channels within three years from the
  date of that deed or termination of the service.

  (b) If the Secretary determines that -
    (1) a statement setting forth the deed or distinguished service
  and recommending official recognition of it was made by the
  person's superior through official channels within three years
  from the date of that deed or termination of the service and was
  supported by sufficient evidence within that time; and
    (2) no award was made, because the statement was lost or
  through inadvertence the recommendation was not acted upon; a
  medal of honor, distinguished service medal, distinguished flying
  cross, Coast Guard medal, or bar, emblem, or insignia in lieu
  thereof, as the case may be, may be awarded to the person within
  two years after the date of that determination.

Source
(Aug. 4, 1949, ch. 393, 63 Stat. 536; July 10, 1962, Pub. L.
87-526, Sec. 1(5), 76 Stat. 141.)

 
                   HISTORICAL AND REVISION NOTES
  This section establishes a time limit on the making of awards.
It follows the established practice in all the armed forces (see
title 10, U.S.C., 1946 ed., Sec. 1409 and title 34, U.S.C., 1946
ed., Sec. 360). 81st Congress, House Report No. 557.
                             AMENDMENTS
  1962 - Pub. L. 87-526 incorporated existing provisions in subsec.
(a), included the distinguished flying cross and bar in lieu of any
award in the enumeration of medals, and extended the time limit for
recommending award of a medal after performance of the deed
justifying the award from one to three years and added subsec. (b).

  TABLE 1     ARMED FORCES RELIGIOUS DEMOGRAPHICS
       
        FAITH GROUP/                             AIR         MARINE    
        SERVICE            ARMY       NAVY       FORCE       CORPS       DoD    
        -------------------------------------------------------------------------
        PROTESTANT
        Specified
         Protestant       351,721    174,540    260,294      82,657      869,212
        Protestant,
         No Pref.          42,893     30,301     46,742      12,569      132,505
        Protestant,
         Other             27,473     14,517      9,058       2,602       53,650
        Christian,
         No Pref.          20,491      5,630     21,507       6,109       53,737  
        Christian
         Scientist          3,252        932        668         391        5,243
        Jehovah's
         Witness              395        216        263         102          976
        Latter-day
         Saints             8,150      4,312      9,040       2,198       23,700
        Seventh-day
         Adventist          2,176      1,106      1,416         406        5,104
        TOTALS            456,551    231,554    348,988     107,034    1,144,127
        % OF SERVICE        58.85      46.27      58.94       52.89        55.25
        -------------------------------------------------------------------------
        ROMAN
        CATHOLIC          181,506    135,530    156,128      68,729      536,883
        % of Service        23.39      27.08      26.36       31.49        25.92
        -------------------------------------------------------------------------
        EAS. ORTHODOX         730        386        905         187        2,208       
        % of Service          .09        .07        .15         .09          .10
        -------------------------------------------------------------------------
        JEWISH              2,728      1,669      2,825         548        7,770
        % of Service          .35        .33        .47         .27          .37
        -------------------------------------------------------------------------
        OTHER
         Buddhist           1,042        257      1,030         181        2,510
         Hindu                 87         36        136          37          296
         Muslim             1,330        361        591         207        2,489
        TOTALS              2,459        654      1,757         425        5,295
        % of Service          .31        .13        .29         .21          .25
        -------------------------------------------------------------------------
        UNDETERMINED
         Other Religions   4,758       2,462      2,882       1,079        1,181
         No Religious
          Preference      84,966      76,172     70,940      19,110      251,188
         Atheist-No
          Pref.Recorded      163         150      1,065         120        1,498
         Unknown-No
          Pref.Recorded   41,815      52,154      6,862      10,112      110,993
        -------------------------------------------------------------------------
        TOTALS           131,702     130,638     81,749      30,421      374,880
        % of Service       16.97       26.10      13.80       15.03        18.10
        -------------------------------------------------------------------------
        GRAND TOTAL      775,676     500,431    592,089     202,344    2,070,880  


Jews 5% of WW2

Leinwand pointed out that Jews make up less than one half of 1 percent of all Americans in uniform. At the same time, Jews make up somewhere between 2 and two-and-a-half percent of the population. In other words, our representation in the military is something like one fifth of our representation in the American population at large. During the Korean War, said Leinwand, Jews in uniform made up 4 percent of all soldiers, and a local leader of the Jewish War Veterans present that evening claimed that in World War II the number was 5 percent.

Leonard Kravitz Jewish War Veterans Act of 2001 (Introduced in House)

Receiving the medal of Honor -- after 41 years

BY JOSEPH L. GALLOWAY

jlgalloway@2cs.com

In a few days -- 41 years after the events of a long-ago November -- a white-haired retired guy named Bruce Crandall will receive the nation's highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor, from President Bush.

Crandall has always been a hero to the men of the 1st Battalion 7th U.S. Cavalry who counted on him and his wingman, Ed (Too Tall to Fly) Freeman, when the chips were down in a fire-swept clearing called Landing Zone X-Ray in the remote Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam's Central Highlands.

American wounded were piling up, and the only thing keeping 2,000 determined North Vietnamese soldiers from overrunning and slaughtering the trapped and badly outnumbered cavalrymen was firepower and an air bridge maintained by Crandall and his 16 Huey helicopters of A Company 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion.

The 7th Cavalry commander, then-Lt. Col. Hal Moore, was often on the radio and out in the open directing the flow of helicopters that brought in badly needed ammunition and carried out the wounded.

The man he talked to and depended on was then-Maj. Crandall, whose radio call sign was Ancient Serpent 6, giving rise to the nickname Snake.

When the fighting was at its worst, on the afternoon of Nov. 14, 1965, Moore had to close the football field-size clearing to the helicopters because two of them had been shot up so badly they couldn't be flown out. Crandall's own chopper had been riddled, his crew chief shot in the throat and an infantry radio operator killed before he could unbuckle his seat belt.

Best buddy

Old Snake knew his buddies on the ground were in dire danger and asked for a volunteer to join him in hauling more ammunition and water to them. His best friend, then-Capt. Ed Freeman, didn't hesitate.

Together Crandall and Freeman flew right into the jaws of hell over and over, sitting up behind the thin Plexiglas and looking out on the chaos of close-quarter combat while the troopers flung off crates of M-16 rifle and M-60 machine gun ammo, mortar rounds and hand grenades and just as swiftly loaded the wounded whose only hope of life was that ride to the field hospital at Camp Holloway in Pleiku.

On that Sunday in November, Crandall flew 22 missions during 14 hours, and carried 70 wounded soldiers to safety and a chance at life.

Hal Moore, now a retired three-star general, wrote in his recommendation of Crandall for the Medal of Honor: ``If the air bridge failed, the embattled men of the 1st Battalion 7th Cavalry would certainly die in much the same way George Armstrong Custer's cavalrymen died at Little Big Horn -- cut off, surrounded by numerically superior forces, overrun and butchered to the last man.

``I asked Bruce Crandall's brave aircrews for the last measure of devotion, for service far beyond the limits of duty and mission, and they came through as I knew they would.''

On Crandall's last flight of the day he carried a passenger sitting on a case of hand grenades in the back of his Huey -- a 24-year-old war correspondent for United Press International named Galloway. Several lifetimes later, on Tuesday, Nov. 16, Old Snake flew me out of LZ X-Ray, and I've loved the guy ever since.

President Bush presented the Medal of Honor to Too Tall Ed Freeman soon after he took office in 2001. Crandall's paperwork and the selection process delayed his recognition until now.

Crandall and Freeman have been best friends for over half a century, debating endlessly the question of which is ''the best damned helicopter pilot in the world.'' Each refers to the other as ``the second best helicopter pilot in the world.''

Crandall was portrayed by Greg Kinnear in the 2002 movie We Were Soldiers, based on the book We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young, which Hal Moore and I wrote. Kinnear was arguably better looking than the actor who portrayed Ed Freeman.

Ancient Serpent 6 really is now, at 72 years of age. He and his wife, Arlene, live in Manchester, Wash., across the sound from Seattle, when they aren't on the road wandering around America in their big RV.

There are a couple of hundred homes of 7th Cavalry veterans of LZ X-Ray out there, and Bruce is welcome to park his RV in their driveways and drink and eat free anytime he turns up.

We just figure it's payback time and sit back and listen to Snake's extravagant tales of real derring-do involving things like a foiled attempt at theft by helicopter of a 5,000 kilowatt Air Force generator urgently needed to cool down the cavalry's beer. Or the time on his second Vietnam tour when his Huey was blown out of the air by a U.S. air strike and Bruce lay there with a broken back watching American and Viet Cong soldiers running a foot race from different directions to see which side got to him first.

This we know is true: Bruce Crandall is a true American hero, one of the best helicopter pilots in the world and will wear that sky-blue ribbon on behalf of all Army aviators past, present and future.

WASHINGTON - Bruce Crandall was a soldier once ... and young. As a 32-year-old helicopter pilot, he flew through a gauntlet of enemy fire, taking ammunition in and wounded Americans out of one of the fiercest battles of the Vietnam War, Army records say. Now, a week after his 74th birthday, Crandall will receive the nation's highest military honor Monday in a White House ceremony with

"I'm still here," he said of his 41-year-wait for the Medal of Honor. "Most of these awards are posthumous, so I can't complain."

Crandall's actions in the November 1965 Battle at Ia Drang Valley were depicted in the Hollywood movie "We Were Soldiers," adapted from the book "We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young."

At the time, Crandall was a major commanding a company of the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).

"We had the first airmobile division ... the first one to use aircraft as a means of transportation and sustaining combat," Crandall said. His unit was put together earlier that year to go to Vietnam and "wasn't as thought out as things are today."

He didn't have gunners for his aircraft. That's why he flew unarmed helicopters into the battlefield.

He didn't have night vision equipment and other later technology that lessens the danger of flying.

Why a 41 yr wait?

The unit had "minimum resources and almost no administrative people" — thus the lack of help to do the reams of paperwork that had to be sent to Washington for the highest medals, Crandall said. Generals in-theatre could approve nothing higher than the Distinguished Service Cross, so he got one of those, which through the years has come to be upgraded to the Medal of Honor, Crandall said in a phone interview from his home near Bremerton, Wash.

Crandall was leading a group of 16 helicopters in support of the 1st Cavalry Division's 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment — the regiment led by George Armstrong Custer when he met his end at the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn, or "Custer's Last Stand."

Without Crandall's actions, the embattled men at Ia Drang would have died in much the same way — "cut off, surrounded by numerically superior forces, overrun and butchered to the last man," the infantry commander, Lt. Col. Harold Moore, wrote in recommending Crandall for the medal.

Moore, now a retired three-star general, later wrote the book about the battle along with Joseph L. Galloway, a former war correspondent now with McClatchy Newspapers.

"This unit, taking some of the heaviest casualties of the war, out of water and fast running out of ammunition, was engaged in one of the fiercest battles of the Vietnam war against a relentlessly attacking, highly motivated, vastly superior force," said U.S. Army documents supporting Crandall's medal. The U.S. forces were up against two regiments of North Vietnamese Army infantry, "determined to overrun and annihilate them," the documents said.

The fighting became so intense that the helicopter landing zone for delivering and resupplying troops was closed, and a unit assigned to medical evacuation duties refused to fly. Crandall volunteered for the mission and with wingman and longtime friend Maj. Ed Freeman made flight after flight over three days to deliver water, ammunition and medical supplies. They are credited with saving more than 70 wounded soldiers by flying them out to safety, and Freeman received the Medal of Honor in July 2001.

Paperwork and other parts of the process delayed Crandall's medal until now, officials said.

Thinking back to the Vietnam battle, Crandall remembers the first day was "very long ... we were in the air for 14 and a half hours." He also thinks of how impressive and calm the unit on the ground remained, saying Moore and his commanders were "solid as rocks" throughout the fight.

And of course, Crandall says, he's also proud of his own performance.

"I'm so proud that I didn't screw it up," he said.

The faces tell the story: proud faces, many wearing military caps with insignia, medals and ribbons from a war fought over 60 years ago. Faces which gleamed with pride when they stood at attention as an Honor Guard presented the flag. The sound of their voices reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and singing the National Anthem, was thunderous.


Jewish WWII veterans, both men and women, from all branches of the service, participated in the standing-room only audience at the Gratz College-sponsored event.
Over 1,000 people, a standing room-only audience, filled the sanctuary of Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park on Tuesday, June 6, 2006, participating in the Gratz College sponsored event entitled “The Finest Hour: WWII and the Jews Who Fought It.” Jewish veterans representing every branch of the United States armed services, in addition to Jewish veterans of the Soviet Army, gathered to share their stories, to receive a special medal commemorating the event from Gratz College, and to listen to a lecture by Bonnie Gurewitsch, Archivist and Curator of the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City.

The overwhelming response required moving the event, the largest in Gratz College’s 111 year history, from the Gratz College campus to the larger facility at Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel located less than a mile away. The majority of the attendees were WWII veterans and families wishing to honor their loved ones posthumously. A medal specially designed and struck for the event by Gratz College was presented to all veterans registered with Gratz. A copy of a special proclamation by Governor Edward Rendell in recognition of the event is being sent to all veterans.

Shalom TV, the nation’s first Jewish cable television network, covered the event for future broadcast and interviewed a number of veterans during the pre-lecture reception. The network is scheduled to commence broadcasting in late summer, 2006.

The event was sponsored by Jay M. Starr and Family, Steven Fisher and Family and Praxis Capital, LP, in honor of their family members who served in the United States Armed Services during the Second World War. Jay M. Starr, President of Praxis Capital, LP, is Chairman of the Board of Governors of Gratz College; Steven L. Fisher, Esq., is a member of the Board of Governors and is President of PEI Genesis. Their family members honored as veterans were: Mr. Starr’s father and uncles, Dr. Irving Starr, SSgt, US Army 1942-45; Herbert Starr, Seaman 1st Class, US Navy, 1942-45; David Starr, US Army Medical Corps, 1942-43; and Mr. Fisher’s father, Murray Fisher, T3 Sgt., Radio Repairman, US Army, 1941-45.

Also present on the dais were Ralph Bell, Director of the National Service Officers of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States, and Julie Slavet, representing Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz, 13th District, PA. Mr. Bell worked with Gratz College in organizing the event, serving as military advisory, and coordinating the Color Guard, under the leadership of First Sergeant Edward Hampton, the Leeds Military High School Junior ROTC Military Cadets.

Explained Steven Fisher, “We come together this evening to celebrate and honor the many contributions of the Jewish War veterans. I want to acknowledge that every veteran here tonight has their own story to tell.” He continued, “Our world of today, our great freedoms, we owe to each of you who served, the brave men and women who fought so unselfishly and paid such a high price. Tom Brokaw called you and all the men and women who served, the greatest generation, and I am proud that my father is one of you.”

The complete transcript of Mr. Fisher’s comments may be found in the attached document.

Jay M. Starr, in opening the evening, likened the mission of Gratz College, “Through memory, learning and teaching,” to the role served by the many veterans in attendance. Mr. Starr went on to say, “You, of course, all know that in the last few years, the WWII generation has become known as the “Greatest Generation”. By now, the label is almost a cliché. It’s a funny thing, though, how clichés speak to deeply felt truths. I think it’s especially true of the way the country pulled together during the war, how it must have felt when all Americans were one united people with one big job, pulling all together to get it done.”

“We remember tonight how you Jewish boys, most of you toughened by the Depression, went off to a long hard war against a ferocious enemy. We remember, too, how you came home, married and raised your kids, started new businesses, went into professions and opened up new opportunities for yourselves and for us, your children. That seems to me like a pretty good description of a great generation.”

Mr. Starr entreated the veterans to, “Gather up all your memories, cut through all the white-washed fairy tales we see on TV and in the movies, and tell your grand-children and great-grandchildren what you did, why you did it, and what war is really about.”

The event appears to have touched a nerve in the greater Jewish veteran community: as word of the event spread throughout the Philadelphia community, Gratz was contacted by representatives of Russian Jewish veterans of World War II who currently reside in the area. Over thirty Jewish veterans of the former Soviet army participated, many with chests covered in medals.

 
Russian and American Jewish WWII veterans alike joined together in commemorating their place in history as the "Greatest Generation."
Jay Starr made note of their presence, saying, “With us tonight are Jewish war veterans of the Red Army. On their behalf, we remember how the Red Army broke the back of the Fascist war machine at Stalingrad, at Kursk, at the gates of Moscow and in the final drive to Berlin. We honor the huge sacrifice made by soldiers of the Red Army, their great courage and the blood they spilled fighting on their own soil and in their own towns and cities….We salute them, along with our veterans, as fighters and allies, as fellow Jews and -- most happily -- as fellow Americans of the Greatest Generation.“

The complete transcript of Mr. Starr’s comments to the veterans in attendance may be found in the attached document.

Dr. Jonathan Rosenbaum, President of Gratz College, spoke of the veterans. “They are typical of this bold yet humble generation. It is a generation that does not talk about wartime experiences. Its heroic World War II veterans eschew the title of hero and see their deeds of courage simply as duty. Everyone did it, they tell us. Yet this generation saved the world as we know it, facilitated democracy over tyranny, and thereby set a tone of freedom and mutual respect that characterizes the best of the era that has followed them."

He continued, “We of postwar generations will be in their perpetual debt, must ever seek to preserve the sanctity of their sacrifice, and should ever strive to be worthy of being called their heirs. Thus, tonight is truly a time of celebration and thanksgiving. In the Psalmist’s words, Let us rejoice and be glad within it.”

The complete transcript of Dr. Rosenbaum’s comments may be found in the attached document.

Jews in WW2

After providing a brief overview of the historical and societal place of Jews in the pre-WWII period, keynote speaker Bonnie Gurewitsch addressed the impact that impending war and subsequent national service had on the Jewish members of the armed services. Well-represented in every branch of the service, more than 550,000 Jews served, higher than their number in the general population at the time. Some felt that “this would be a Jewish war.”

Gurewitsch explained, “The Jewish men and women who entered the service shared the experience of training with white Americans of every ethnic background. Thrown together randomly in training camps, they lived in close quarters, suffered grueling physical training and challenging social issues, and discovered how much they really had in common. Most of them were second and third generation Americans. They shared popular culture and public school educations. They discovered that ethnicity mattered less than comradeship and skills. They learned to trust and appreciate each other despite previous prejudices, and determined to face the challenges of combat as Americans.”

The Jewish service men and women were also met with anti-Semitism, both institutionalized and outright, but “discovered that they could win the respect of non-Jews by standing their ground, doing their job, and not letting themselves be bullied.” By the time they faced combat, “anti-Semitism was usually not a factor any more. “ Said [veteran] Marty Silverman, “By the time we got into Normandy and were beginning to have casualties…there was no anti-Semitism. All we wanted to know is you’re wearing the same color suit, you’re firing in the same direction, and you’re in a foxhole next to me.”

Gurewitsch related anecdote after anecdote detailing the experiences of the Jewish serviceman, from the lone soldier making Shabbat for himself in a foxhole, to the soldier who searched for a kosher restaurant in Manila.

Once the concentration camps were discovered, the focus of many Jewish serviceman shifted to provide for the liberated prisoners. The role of the Jewish chaplain was never more important as when they recognized that there was a pressing need to provide not only medical, but also spiritual, assistance to both the living and the dead. Said Gurewitsch, “And they began to bury the dead. There were not enough Jewish chaplains for this task, which was taken up by chaplain’s assistants and chaplains of other faiths, who saw the need to provide at least a decent burial for those who had died an indecent death.”

One of the most striking moments of the evening came when Gurewitsch screened the second of two film clips. “Chaplain David Max Eichhorn was sent to Dachau a few days after it was liberated. Eichhorn understood immediately that although their physical needs were being addressed, the Jewish survivors of Dachau had another, pressing need: they needed to say Kaddish. They needed to mourn their losses as Jews, so they could begin to live again, as Jews. Famed Hollywood director George Stevens and his special photography unit filed this first Jewish memorial service, held on the central parade ground of Dachau concentration camp, May 6, 1945. The war was not over yet.”

As Chaplain Eichhorn led the memorial service, members of the audience audibly prayed along with the film.

Gurewitsch continued her lecture, recounting how relationships developed between Jewish soldiers and survivors; the soldiers compiled lists of survivors and sent the lists to the Jewish papers in the States, organized supplies and sent mail. They became involved in the organized rescue of Jewish orphans, as well as in reporting to the Jewish Welfare Board and American legislators. Towards the end of 1945, the focus shifted to the survival of European Jewish society, and many soldiers actively participated in enabling emigration to Palestine.

In conclusion, Jay Starr also recognized the fathers and grandfathers who worked in stateside defense industries, thus allowing the WWII men to go off and fight. Finally, in the heart and the real soul of the evening, he called upon veterans and families of veterans, both living and dead, to stand and be recognized by their branch of service.


Philip Sokoloff, Army Sergeant, holding a photograph of himself as a young soldier. He was a part of the forces who invaded Dunkirk.
Hundreds of veterans and family members stood, some holding photographs of their loved ones, some holding photographs of themselves as young soldiers sixty years earlier.

Dr. Rosenbaum offered a final benediction and audience erupted into applause in recognition of the many veteran present and those departed.


Benediction

"Between 1939 and 1945 millions of Allied soldiers sailors, airmen, and marines selflessly risked their lives and often sacrificed them to preserve civilization and the freedom of thought and deed under democratic law that characterize it. In doing so, they set the foundation of a future of human decency and self-respect for the generations that would follow them. They are represented tonight by hundreds of veterans of the United States and many from the former Soviet Union.

L-rd of All Worlds, we have gathered tonight to give thanks to You for preserving the humane against the cruel, for as our prayers say, “You delivered the strong into the hands of the week, the many into the hands of the few, the impure into the hands of the pure, the wicked into the hands of the righteous.” When the world turned dark, You allowed the light to triumph. Give us, O L-rd, the peace for which we yearn and give it to us amid a security that will ever preserve the freedom that banishes bigotry and honors the humane and humanity. May that too be Your will and let us say Amen.”
By Lisa Ben-Shoshan


 

Arlington National Cemetery Facts -- Jews = .58%

Arlington Mansion and 200 acres of ground immediately surrounding it were designated officially as a military cemetery June 15, 1864, by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. More than 300,000 people are buried at Arlington Cemetery. Veterans from all the nation's wars are buried in the cemetery, from the American Revolution through the Iraq and Afghanistan. Pre-Civil War dead were reinterred after 1900. source Jews Buried at Arlington National Cemetery As of Dec. 7, 1995, there are 1,996 Jewish military service members interred in Arlington National Cemetery.

July 16, 2001

President Presents Medal of Honor to Captain Ed W. Freeman
Remarks by the President at Presentation of the Medal of Honor to Captain Ed W. Freeman
The East Room

     Listen to the President's Remarks

9:35 A.M. EDT 

capt freeman

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.  (Applause.)

     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 Calvary 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 a 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 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.

     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.

   Freeman citation

UNITED STATES ARMY

for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:

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 infantry 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 experienced a much greater loss of life. 

Refused

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.  All flights were made into a small emergency landing zone within 100 to 200 meters of the defensive perimeter where heavily committed units were perilously holding off the attacking elements. Captain Freeman’s selfless acts of great valor, extraordinary perseverance, and intrepidity were far above and beyond the call of duty or mission and set a superb example of leadership and courage for all of his peers.  Captain Freeman’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

freeman exemption

Here is an excerpt from the Congressional
Bill that authorized Freeman's Medal of Honor:
 

SEC. 532. AUTHORITY FOR AWARD OF THE MEDAL OF HONOR TO ED W. FREEMAN FOR VALOR DURING THE VIETNAM CONFLICT.

(a) WAIVER OF TIME LIMITATIONS- Notwithstanding the time limitations specified in section 3744 of title 10, United States Code, or any other time limitation with respect to the awarding of certain medals to persons who served in the military service, the President may award the Medal of Honor, posthumously, under section 3741 of that title to Ed W. Freeman of Boise, Idaho, for the acts of valor during the Vietnam Conflict described in subsection (b). (b) ACTION DESCRIBED- The acts of valor referred to in subsection (a) are the actions of Ed W. Freeman on November 14, 1965, as a flight leader and second in command of a 16-helicopter lift unit, serving in the grade of captain at Landing Zone X-Ray in the battle of the Ia Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam, with Alpha Company, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Sec. 551. Authority for award of the Medal of Honor to Humbert R. Versace, Jon E. Swanson, and Ben L. Salomon for valor. Sec. 552. Review regarding award of Medal of Honor to certain Jewish American and Hispanic American war veterans.

Gibson promotes this fantasy

Medal of Honor for Vietnam War pilot

February 25, 2007

ASSOCIATED PRESS
    As a 32-year-old helicopter pilot, Bruce Crandall flew through a gantlet of enemy fire, taking ammunition in and wounded Americans out of one of the fiercest battles of the Vietnam War, Army records say.
    Tomorrow, a week after his 74th birthday, Mr. Crandall will receive the nation's highest military honor in a White House ceremony with President Bush.
    "I'm still here," he said of his 41-year-wait for the Medal of Honor. "Most of these awards are posthumous, so I can't complain."
    Mr. Crandall's actions in the November 1965 battle at Ia Drang Valley were depicted in the Hollywood movie "We Were Soldiers," adapted from the book "We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young."
    At the time, Mr. Crandall was a major commanding a company of the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).
    "We had the first airmobile division ... the first one to use aircraft as a means of transportation and sustaining combat," he said. His unit was put together earlier that year to go to Vietnam and "wasn't as thought out as things are today."
    He didn't have gunners for his aircraft, so he flew unarmed to the battlefield. He didn't have night-vision equipment and other later technology that lessens the danger of flying.
    The unit had "minimum resources and almost no administrative people" -- thus the lack of help to do the reams of paperwork that had to be sent to Washington for the highest medals, Mr. Crandall said.

    Crandall's Upgrades

	Crandall Original Medal Generals in-theater could approve nothing higher than the Distinguished Flying Cross, Mr. Crandall said from his home in Manchester, Wash., so he received that award.
	Someone Got Him An Upgrade....13,000 issued Through the years, he was able to get that upgraded to a Distinguished Service Cross and now to the Medal of Honor. SEC. 532. WAIVER OF TIME LIMITATIONS FOR AWARD OF CERTAIN DECORATIONS TO CERTAIN PERSONS. (a) WAIVER- Any limitation established by law or policy for the time within which a recommendation for the award of a military decoration or award must be submitted shall not apply to awards of decorations described in this section, the award of each such decoration having been determined by the Secretary of the military department concerned to be warranted in accordance with section 1130 of title 10, United States Code.
(b) DISTINGUISHED-SERVICE CROSS- Subsection (a) applies to the award of the Distinguished-Service Cross of the Army as follows: (1) To Isaac Camacho of El Paso, Texas, for extraordinary heroism in actions at Camp Hiep Hoa in Vietnam on November 24, 1963, while serving as a member of the Army. (2) To Bruce P. Crandall of Mesa, Arizona, for extraordinary heroism in actions at Landing Zone X-Ray in Vietnam on November 14, 1965, while serving as a member of the Army. (3) To Leland B. Fair of Jessieville, Arkansas, for extraordinary heroism in actions in the Philippine Islands on July 4, 1945, while serving as a member of the Army http://www.americal.org/awards/achv-svc.htm

    Without his actions, the embattled men at Ia Drang would have been "cut off, surrounded by numerically superior forces, overrun and butchered to the last man," the infantry commander, Lt. Col. Harold Moore, wrote in recommending Mr. Crandall for the medal.
    Mr. Moore, now a retired three-star general, later wrote the book about the battle along with Joseph L. Galloway, a former war correspondent now with McClatchy Newspapers.
    "This unit, taking some of the heaviest casualties of the war, out of water and fast running out of ammunition, was engaged in one of the fiercest battles of the Vietnam War against a relentlessly attacking, highly motivated, vastly superior force," said U.S. Army documents supporting Mr. Crandall's medal.
    The fighting became so intense that the helicopter landing zone for delivering and resupplying troops was closed, and a unit assigned to medical evacuation duties refused to fly. Mr. Crandall volunteered for the mission and with wingman and longtime friend Maj. Ed Freeman made flight after flight over three days to deliver water, ammunition and medical supplies. They are credited with saving more than 70 wounded soldiers by flying them out to safety. Mr. Freeman received the Medal of Honor in July 2001.
    Mr. Crandall is modest when he thinks about his actions.
    "I'm so proud that I didn't screw it up," he said.

McCain

In the 1980s, Rubin's old compatriots began agitating for him to finally receive the award he had been denied for so long. Sen. John McCain introduced special legislation on Rubin's behalf and a slew of congressmen pressured the Pentagon,

but it wasn't until the passage of the "Leonard Kravitz Jewish War Veterans Act" — named for musician Lenny Kravitz's father — mandating a review of selected Jewish veterans' war records that Rubin was finally reconsidered for the medal he deserved.

As the 15th Jewish recipient of the Medal of Honor, Rubin is now saluted by five-star generals upon entering a room. The president of the United States must stand as well. The war hero has previously said of his recognition, "I want the goyim to know that there were Jews over there … who fought for their beloved country."
 

Jewish War Veteran's Act

107th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 1200


To direct the Secretaries of the military departments to conduct a review of
military service records to determine whether certain Jewish American war
veterans, including those previously awarded the Distinguished Service
Cross, Navy Cross, or Air Force Cross, should be awarded the Medal of Honor.




IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

July 19, 2001
Mr. CLELAND (for himself and Mr. LIEBERMAN) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


A BILL
To direct the Secretaries of the military departments to conduct a review of
military service records to determine whether certain Jewish American war
veterans, including those previously awarded the Distinguished Service
Cross, Navy Cross, or Air Force Cross, should be awarded the Medal of Honor.


Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled,



SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Jewish War Veterans Act of 2001'.

SEC. 2. REVIEW REGARDING AWARD OF CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR TO CERTAIN
JEWISH AMERICAN WAR VETERANS.



(a) REVIEW REQUIRED- The Secretary of each military department shall
review the service records of each Jewish American war veteran described in
subsection (b) to determine whether or not that veteran should be awarded
the Medal of Honor.



(b) COVERED JEWISH AMERICAN WAR VETERANS- The Jewish American war veterans
whose service records are to be reviewed under subsection (a) are the
following:



(1) Any Jewish American war veteran who was previously awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross, or the Air Force Cross.



(2) Any other Jewish American war veteran whose name is submitted to the
Secretary concerned for such purpose by the Jewish War Veterans of the
United States of America before the end of the one-year period beginning on
the date of the enactment of this Act.



(c) CONSULTATIONS- In carrying out the review under subsection (a), the
Secretary of each military department shall consult with the Jewish War
Veterans of the United States of America and with such other veterans
service organizations as the Secretary considers appropriate.



(d) RECOMMENDATION BASED ON REVIEW- If the Secretary concerned determines,
based upon the review under subsection (a) of the service records of any
Jewish American war veteran, that the award of the Medal of Honor to that
veteran is warranted, the Secretary shall submit to the President a
recommendation that the President award the Medal of Honor to that veteran.



(e) AUTHORITY TO AWARD MEDAL OF HONOR- A Medal of Honor may be awarded to
a Jewish American war veteran in accordance with a recommendation of the
Secretary concerned under subsection (d).



(f) WAIVER OF TIME LIMITATIONS- An award of the Medal of Honor may be made
under subsection (e) without regard to--

(1) section 3744, 6248, or 8744 of title 10, United States Code, as
applicable; and

(2) any regulation or other administrative restriction on--


(A) the time for awarding the Medal of Honor; or

(B) the awarding of the Medal of Honor for service for which a
Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, Air Force Cross, or any other
decoration has been awarded.


(g) JEWISH AMERICAN WAR VETERAN DEFINED- In this section, the term `Jewish
American war veteran' means any person who served in the Armed Forces during
World War II or a later period of war and who identified himself or herself
as Jewish on his or her military personnel records.


END