#VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran Bradford Freeman

October 17, 2022: Bradford Freeman

Bradford Freeman was born in 1925 in Artesia, Mississippi, to a family of eight children. Growing up, the young Freeman worked on his father’s farm; however, along with his brother, he had always hoped to become a paratrooper. He enlisted in the Army in December 1942 after completing his freshman year at Mississippi State University. His brother, who also enlisted, would be stationed in the Pacific. Freeman completed training at Camp McCall, North Carolina; Camp Shelby, Mississippi; and Camp McClellan, Alabama. He then joined the Easy Company, 506th Parachute Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division in England.

Stationed in Aldbourne, England, Freeman was assigned to support the invasion of Normandy, parachuting into occupied France on June 6, 1944. Because of the bad weather on that day, he unexpectedly landed in a pasture where there were beautiful white-faced cows. However, he and the 501st Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Division, were still able to succeed with their mission to “take the place and get the big guns so [the Germans] couldn’t interfere with the soldiers who were coming ashore at Normandy.”

Freeman and his fellow service members continued fighting the Germans until the Allied acceptance of the German surrender on May 8, 1945, taking part in all major battles. Only a week after D-Day, under the orders of General Dwight Eisenhower, he took part in a successful mission to reclaim a German-occupied French peninsula. In the Netherlands, he supported the British Army in Operation Market Garden. Though the German destruction of the bridge over the River Rhine required a retreat to Bastogne, Freeman recalled a fellow service member telling the Germans, “We’re from the United States of America, we’re going to do whatever we want.” Later in Bastogne, Belgium, Freeman took part in the defense of the city as part of the Battle of the Bulge in France. Despite getting shot while there, he “got back into the fighting” three months later, taking part in the occupation of Austria and approaching Hitler’s Eagle Nest at the time Germany surrendered. 

Easy Company’s service in World War II earned its members prominence with the release of the HBO series “Band of Brothers,” which showed the experiences of the regiment during the war. Freeman himself helped in the production of the series, sharing his firsthand experiences with the company.

After his service in World War II, Freeman returned to his work in farming and additionally worked as a mailman for 32 years. He married Willie Louise, whom he had known since childhood, and had two daughters as well as four grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

Freeman died in July 2022 at the age of 97. He was the last surviving member of the 506th Parachute Regiment.

We honor his service.

Writer: Khaled Maalouf

Editors: Aleah Estevez, Tayler Rairigh

Researchers: John Bergstrom, Ryan Nishiyama

Graphic Designer: Charles Hundley