Earlier today I received an email that highlighted this “uncommon courage” in the form of a Congressional Medal of Honor Winner and U.S. Army chopper pilot Captain Ed Freeman. A hero that took not one but four bullets in defense of his comrades.

“Courage. 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 November 14, 1965. 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.

Captain Ed Freeman is coming in for you.

He’s not MedEvac so it’s not his job, but he heard the radio call and decided he’s flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire anyway. Even after the MedEvacs were ordered not to come. He’s coming anyway. And he drops it in and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 3 of you at a time on board. Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire to the doctors and nurses and safety. And, he kept coming back!! 13 more  times!! Until all  the wounded were out. No one knew until the  mission was over that the Captain had been hit 4 times in the legs and left arm. He took 29 of you and your buddies out that day. Some would not have made it without the Captain and his Huey…”

Though the email continues on with a few mistakes including the date of death of Captain Freeman, I wanted to share the basics of his heroic story. Not unlike Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient SFC Jared Monti, the overwhelming sense of honor and dedication needs to be remembered and repeated by all of us.

Unfortunately, the email veers further off course blaming a disconnected media and botches some of the dates and other ancillary information. Hopefully the well intentioned readers and disseminators will pay tribute to Captain Freeman without paying heed to the confused details of the email.

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Environmental and animal rights groups are seeking an injunction in U.S. District Court in Montana to stop the hunts. Judge Donald Molloy is seeing the case, and it’s uncertain how and when he will rule. Earthjustice attorney Doug Honnold sought an an “injunction to stall hunting in both Idaho and Montana as part of a lawsuit seeking to restore protection of the wolves under the Endangered Species Act.”

“Although the gray wolf has rebounded from virtual extinction in the region a mere twenty years ago, wolf populations in the northern Rockies are not yet stable enough to lose these critical protections” according to the Sierra Club.  “The management of the animals now falls to individual states to implement as they see fit, including hunting and aggressive agency management.”

“The population of gray wolves in the northern Rockies consists of three relatively isolated sub-populations, rather than one genetically connected group.  There are approximately 1,600 individuals and 100 breeding pairs in the region.  Many scientists maintain that this number is not high enough to ensure long-term population viability.” The Sierra Club Website continues,   “Instead, to have a sustainable population, wolves need to number between 2,000 and 5,000 individuals in the northern Rockies.  The state management plans tend to slide backwards, rather than allowing wolf populations to grow naturally.  Idaho, for example, plans to allow the number to be reduced to around 100 individuals, down from approximately 900.”

“In Idaho, the limit is 220 wolves, and in Montana, it would be 75. Members of the Nez Perce tribe in Idaho can kill up to 35 wolves” according to CNN.

Though from a different part of our country, and with an outdated script, here is a quick, timeless video, shot by videographer Michael Mauro, highlighting the Wolves of Alaska.

I spent the afternoon at Happy Trails RV meeting with a group of great folks. Paul and his staff were as friendly as could be; Lance Camper is fortunate to have them as a partner in the Boise area. A couple a dozen people showed up for a tour of the Mobile Base Camp and I had a blast. Again, the best experiences I’ve encountered this year on Tour have been the people, hands down. Thanks to Greg and his family, to Jasun, the author of an e-book on solar energy and the topic of a future post, to Faye who “came over right after work,” and everyone else that stopped to say hello.

Checking my Garmin weather info that highlighted the impending snow storm, I said goodbye and headed towards a place to camp for the night just ahead of the weather.

This morning, I headed over to Les Schwab to snipe my tires and pick up some tire chains. Based on Bud’s suggestion, I asked for Tony “the Manager” to start the process. My experience at Les Schwab was one of total satisfaction and amazement. Tony, Randy, Eric and Darhyl were stunning. Like waiters in an high-end restaurant, these guys work at lightning speed. Their expertise and enthusiasm jumped out at me. The entire staff treated each customer with what I can only call “friendly speed.” These guys sprinted around the auto bays to get folks in and out of the shop as quickly and professionally as possible. Fantastic!

Again, with my eyes on the Garmin weather station, I wanted to get a jump start to Portland, Oregon. 138 miles into my attempt, chains intact, Interstate 84 W was closed at La Grande, Oregon. The wind and snow kicked up once again and I knew it was time to get off the highway when I passed a jacked-knife tractor trailer in a ditch alongside the road. It seemed to dangerous to go any longer.

The Good Sam Club approved Eagles Hot Lake RV Park was a couple of snow covered miles away. It seems like the perfect place to hunker down for the night and start the journey  afresh in the morning.

It always helps keeping up with local breaking news and thanks to my new G74 from MotoSAT. This was the first time I was able to track the local stations website live, while on air.