Major Ed Freeman's life story is one of remarkable bravery and service to his country.

At 17, he left his native Mississippi to enlist in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

The Navy wasn't for him — as his son, Mike Freeman, would later explain, "The ocean thing was not his bag" — but Ed Freeman's military career was far from over. After returning to Mississippi to finish high school, Freeman enlisted in the U.S. Army, fighting in Korea as an infantryman.

Freeman didn't like the sea, but yearned to serve from the air. Standing 6 feet 4 inches, Freeman refused to let height restrictions keep him out of flight school. And by the mid-1960s, the airman once nicknamed "Too Tall" was an experienced helicopter pilot.

And on Nov. 14, 1965, in the early stages of the Vietnam War, Freeman and his commander stepped up to rescue soldiers wounded in the la Drang Valley. After 14 flights in an unarmed helicopter, 30 seriously wounded soldiers were saved. Freeman's bravery earned him the Congressional Medal of Honor in 2001.

A true story, and a story of heroics worthy of Hollywood. Freeman's efforts were chronicled in the film "We Were Soldiers," starring Mel Gibson.

Now, here's a part of Freeman's story that just isn't true — and a part of the story that, as a journalist, I find a little troubling.

An e-mail in persistent circulation describes Freeman as a forgotten hero, a man whose passing went ignored and unmarked. "Shame on the American media," reads one e-mail that arrived at the Statesman this morning.

That's far from the case, at least here at the Statesman. We've published numerous stories about Freeman, who moved to the Treasure Valley after serving in Vietnam. A few examples:

• When Freeman died in Boise in August, our Katy Moeller wrote this moving memorial.

• Freeman's loved ones also prepared this well-written obituary in his honor.

• And when the House of Representatives voted in March to memorialize Freeman by renaming the post office in his native McLain, Miss., we had the story. A footnote: The Senate has since passed the bill, and President Obama signed it on June 19.

At the end of the Freeman e-mails, the recipient is encouraged to forward his story to everyone on his or her mailing list. We can attest, however anecdotally, that this is going on. We've received numerous versions of the e-mail — and the traffic picked up after the death of Michael Jackson. The latest round of e-mails erroneously suggest that Freeman died recently, his passing ignored by a news media obsessed with celebrity news.

I have no trouble with readers who want to second-guess news decisions. It is often a constructive part of the job. But it is a little discouraging when a falsehood goes viral — and ascribes the worst of motives to people in the news business.

I do agree fully with the e-mailers on one point. Ed Freeman's remarkable life story is worth telling, and retelling.

If you'd take a moment to forward this story, I'd greatly appreciate it.

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