Remembrance Last original member of Easy Company dead at 97

[Mike1976]

Bradford Freeman, Last of the ‘Band of Brothers,’ Dies at 97

The exploits of his World War II paratroop company were chronicled in a best-selling book and then in an acclaimed HBO mini-series.

www.nytimes.com

RIP

 

[Gaz]

Truly sad news.

 

[digrar]

A bit late to the final RV old mate.

 

[Bombardier]

Rest in Peace, Gone but not forgotten

 

[OldGuy]

My first assignment was with C/1st/506th/101st 1966. In world war II the company was at Bastogne Belgium encircled by the Germans. Our barracks at Fort Campbell had special cut floor tiles with all the names of the men of that company in Belgium, it was located at the entrance to the barracks sleeping area and you were never allowed to step across the floor tiles. I have wondered for several years now how they redid the tribute to the companies that were there, all those barracks which I slept in 66 were relatively new but today they have all been razed and new modern buildings resembling college dorms have been placed on that old area. They saved several of the old buildings and reused those but I don't know which company they belonged to. The 506th was the last company on the main street nearest the airfield. Things were very different in 66. I once had guard duty on a major street which the WAC living area was across the street. I remember the sgt of the guard telling me for no reason ever cross the street because it was strictly forbidden. 10 years later I was very shocked to see women and men sharing the same buildings. I only found that out because I was trail riding and we had girl in our group that was stationed at El Paso. We hauled her two horses from Houston to El Paso and arrived very late after a 13 hour drive, we drove straight out to the range area of the old part of the old base which still had the stalls used when our Army was still Horse drawn and the personel stationed there were allowed to have their horses on the base and living there in the old stable area and range. She had a little hay she had brought with her and she stuffed it into clean garbage cans so she could get it to the horses come morning. We all came back to Houston and several years one of the friends after 40 years was talking to me on facebook and I ask her if she was still in touch with the girl, her name was Mary, she said that they had not heard from her even after trying to track her down. Of course today most of my group have already died and I have no contact with any of the people left but I do know this person I was talking to about Mary died about 6 years ago. I spoke with her husband and my friend a few times and he was still living on a nice little place in Dobbins Tx.

 

[LimaCharles]

Slightly off topic, but I had met SSG Bill Guarnere back in 2004 when himself, PV2 Babe Hefron, and SSG Donald Malarky had visited us after we returned to Germany from Iraq (OIF1) at Fliegerhorst Kaserne. He said how he felt that his brother was still alive seeing so many of us wearing our 1AD patches on both sides of our uniforms.

Craziest thing he said and the other two agreed, was how they thought we had had it rougher than them. And here we all thought that they had it the worst. They were great in helping us to reintegrate giving life advice. No one knew at the time just how long OIF would go on and last until really.

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