Bradford Freeman, a World War II veteran and the last living member of Easy Company of the famed “Band of Brothers,” is shown on his porch Sept. 3, 2020, in Mississippi. Freeman died on Sunday, July 3, 2022, at 97. (Keith Holcomb/U.S. Air Force)

Freeman was a paratrooper and private first class with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division during the war. A mortarman, he parachuted into France at age 19 with a base plate attached to his chest on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

“He was in every major engagement in Europe during World War II,” a Columbus, Miss., local historian, Rufus Ward, said during the event for Freeman’s 96th birthday, according to the Air Force. “He’s a true American hero and we need to honor those people … we owe them more than we could ever repay them.”

He is survived by a sister, two daughters, four grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

“Our dad was always astounded that a country boy from Mississippi was able to see so many places and meet so many interesting people,” according to his obituary from Lowndes Funeral Home in Columbus.

Freeman was the last of a unit made famous by a series that brought to life the exploits of a generation that largely kept its accomplishments to itself. The “Band of Brothers” series made familiar names of Freeman’s comrades Maj. Richard Winters, played by Damian Lewis, Capt. Lewis Nixon, played by Ron Livingston, and many others.