Bradford C. Freeman
Bradford Clark Freeman (September 4, 1924 – July 3, 2022) was an American soldier and postman. He was the last survivor of Easy Company of the 101st Airborne Division. The company’s history was detailed in the 1992 book Band of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose and the subsequent television mini-series of the same name.
Life[edit]
Freeman was born in Artesia, Lowndes County, Mississippi, one of eight children of Erwyn and Ollie Freeman.[1][2][3][4] A freshman at Mississippi State University at the outbreak of World War II, Freeman volunteered for the paratroopers on December 19, 1942,[5] and went into service overseas on February 5, 1944, with the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. Freeman served as a mortarman for Easy Company, and jumped in the Normandy landings, also fighting in Operation Market Garden and Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, being wounded by a Nebelwerfer mortar in the latter in nearby Noville.[1] He would later receive a Purple Heart. He later rejoined his unit and participated in the occupations of Berchtesgaden and Austria, being discharged with the rest of Easy Company in November 1945. After the war, Freeman returned to Caledonia, Mississippi, married Willie Louise Gurley (died 2008) in 1947 and worked as a mail carrier for 32 years. Freeman returned to Normandy as an honored guest in 2019 for the 75th anniversary of D-Day.[1] In May 2021, Freeman was presented with a challenge coin by Columbus Air Force Base on behalf of General Mark Milley as thanks for "service to your country and for being a hero". Freeman died on July 3, 2022, at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle in Columbus, Mississippi.[3]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Goldstein, Richard (2022-07-06). "Bradford Freeman, Last of the 'Band of Brothers,' Dies at 97". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
- ↑ Magazine, Smithsonian; Solly, Meilan. "Bradford Freeman, Last Surviving Member of WWII 'Band of Brothers,' Dies at 97". Smithsonian Magazine.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 CNN, Amy Simonson. "Bradford Clark Freeman, the last surviving member of Easy Company's Band of Brothers, dies at 97". CNN.
- ↑ Team, ITS Web Development (July 6, 2022). "Bradford Freeman, former MSU student and last surviving member of "Band of Brothers," passes away at 97". Mississippi State University.
- ↑ Solly, Meilan (July 6, 2022). "Bradford Freeman, Last Surviving Member of WWII 'Band of Brothers,' Dies at 97". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
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