Military service and civilian life

Freeman enlisted in the Army in 1942, while he was a student at Mississippi State University. He became a paratrooper with Easy Company’s first platoon. Freeman fought at Normandy on D-Day and at the Siege of Bastogne, among other battles. He was wounded at Bastogne, taking shrapnel to his knee and arm. He served until November 1945; after the war, Freeman finished college and worked as a farmer and a mail carrier. He consulted on the “Band of Brothers” miniseries, helping ensure the realism of the production. He was portrayed by actor James Freeman in the miniseries.

Freeman’s memories of the war

“I landed in a pasture where there were beautiful white-faced cows. I was told that when I got there I was supposed to stay right where I was and wait till I got somebody else with me. I saw a man come down. He was my buddy, Lewis, from Atlanta, Georgia, and he had broken his leg. I helped him into the bushes and I took his things and put them in the woods. We were supposed to help a fella if we could, and then go, because we had something else to do.” —from an intterview with Janis Allen

Tributes to Bradford Freeman

Rest in peace to Pfc Bradford Freeman, the last surviving member of Easy Co, 506th PIR, who were portrayed in the series #BandofBrothers Mr Freeman passed away peacefully yesterday at the age of 97. It was an honor to know you, Mr B 💙 Blue skies and soft landings 🪂 pic.twitter.com/PDI73ZOmfO — Band_of_Brothers_101st (@EasyCompany506t) July 5, 2022 Easy Company506th PIR (Parachute Infantry Regiment)All home. Just found out that Mr Bradford Freeman, the final living member of Easy Company, mustered out of Earth and into the Great Beyond where I sincerely hope he had a wonderful reunion with his brothers in arms. GNOM — Jen 🌈🎭🎨🍃🔍 (@divasdramaturg) July 5, 2022 Bradford Freeman, the last remaining member of Band of Brothers Easy Company has passed away. Sadly, all of our WWII vets will soon be gone. God Bless them all. #currahee #hbo #bandofbrothers — King Hawkeye George (@HawkeyeGeorge) July 4, 2022 Full obituary: WCBI View More Legacy Videos