What is the “Band of Brothers”, whose last veteran died in 2022?

Jane Anderson
Jane Anderson
What is the “Band of Brothers”, whose last veteran died in 2022?

Bradford Freeman, the last veteran of the American unit “Band of Brothers” described in the eponymous series by Steven Spielberg, died in 2022. He was 97 years old.

Last veteran of his unit

American veteran Bradford Freeman died this Sunday in a hospital in Missouri, in the central United States. He was 97 years old and “ peacefully surrounded by his family » as announced by the Normandy Victory Museum in Catz this Tuesday. He was the last survivor of the American military unit Band of Brothers (“brothers in arms”).

The adventure of Easy Company

Born in 1924 in Mississippi, he studied at Mississippi State University before enlisting in the army in 1942. He was then assigned to Easy Company, better known as the “Band of Brothers”. , and therefore leaves for England. This company was 506e Parachute infantry regiment of the 101e American Airborne Division. She distinguished herself in numerous battles at the end of the Second World War. Among them, Easy Company participated in the Landings of 1944, being near Utah Beach before joining the Netherlands. The “Band of Brothers” then took part in Operation “Market Garden” which aimed to accelerate the capture of Nazi Germany. During the Battle of the Bulge in which she participated, Bradford Freeman was injured by a shrapnel.

A story popularized by Steven Spielberg

The fate of Bradford Freeman and that of Easy Company became famous from the end of the century. The historian Stephen Ambrose first recounted them in his book Band of Brothers published in 1992. It was then Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks who adapted the work into a mini-series for the American channel HBO. Released in 2001, it notably features Damian Lewis, Tom Hardy and Michael Fassbender.

In 2017, Bradford Freeman returned to Normandy to inaugurate a plaque bearing his name. This week, the president of Mississippi State University responded to his death in a statement. He notably described the veteran as “ true hero “. He also added to be grateful for the legacy of the men and women of this “great generation” who sacrificed so much for the freedoms we sometimes take for granted”.

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