Mississippi native Bradford C. Freeman will receive the Silver Service Medallion at the 2022 American Spirit Awards on June 9-10. The medallion is awarded by the president of The National WWII Museum to veterans and those with a direct connection to World War II who have served our country with distinction and continue to lead by example.
Bradford “Brad” Freeman is a former U.S. Army Private First Class and the last surviving member of the now-famous “Band of Brothers” of Company E, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. Freeman jumped in the D-Day Normandy invasion, fought in Operation Market-Garden and then was a part of the defense of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, where he was wounded. He was able to rejoin his unit and participated in the occupation of Berchtesgaden and Austria.
The National WWII Museum will host the award gala on-site in New Orleans on June 9-10. In addition to the Silver Service Medallion, the museum will recognize recipients of the American Spirit Award, American Spirit Medallion and Billy Michal Student Leadership Award, and to celebrate the lasting legacy of the World War II generation.
To register for the event and learn more about this year’s honorees, click here.
About Bradford C. Freeman
Bradford C. Freeman played an influential role in the making of the HBO/Playtone Band of Brothers miniseries, based on the book by Dr. Stephen E. Ambrose, co-founder of The National WWII Museum. He has also participated in the museum’s Educational Travel Program, providing a firsthand account of his wartime experiences so that future generations will understand the sacrifice and commitment needed to triumph in the war that changed the world.