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World War Two

Last surviving 'Band of Brothers' member Bradford Freeman dead at 97

Bradford Freeman of Easy Company served in almost every major European engagement of World War II

By Timothy Nerozzi Fox News
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Bradford Freeman, the last surviving member of Easy Company that was portrayed in the World War II series "Band of Brothers," has passed away.

Freeman, 97, died Sunday at Caledonia, Mississippi's Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle, according to Stars and Stripes. 

His death was announced in his local newspaper, with an obituary composed by his children.

"Our dad was always astounded that a country boy from Mississippi was able to see so many places and meet so many interesting people," Freeman's daughters wrote in his hometown obituary.

'BAND OF BROTHERS' INSPIRATION DIES AT AGE 92

Bradford Freeman, Band of Brothers Easy Company veteran attends memorial plaque unveiling in July 2009

Band of Brothers veteran of Easy Company 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment Bradford Freeman attends the formal unveiling of a memorial plaque at Stansted Airport, Essex, commemorating those who served from the airport during World War II, July 13, 2009. (Chris Radburn - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)

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

Freeman was the last surviving soldier who helped to inspire "Band of Brothers," a seminal television series depicting life in combat during World War II.

WOODY WILLIAMS, AMERICA'S LAST WORLD WAR II MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT, DIES

The "Band of Brothers" HBO miniseries, based on a book by Stephen Ambrose, followed the members of Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division from training in Georgia in 1942, through some of the war's fiercest European battles and through the war's end in 1945.

Its producers included Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.

Bradford Freeman, assigned to Easy Company that was portrayed in "Band of Brothers," is seen in 2020.

"Band of Brothers" Easy Company member Bradford Freeman is seen in Mississippi in 2020. (U.S. Air Force/Keith Holcomb)

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Another Easy Company member Bill Wingett died in 2020 at an Oregon veterans home in Lebanon at the age of 98.

He was buried with full military honors at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland.

Bradford Freeman, assigned to Easy Company that was portrayed in "Band of Brothers," is seen in 2020.

"Band of Brothers" Easy Company member Bradford Freeman is seen in Mississippi in 2020. (U.S. Air Force/Keith Holcomb)

Richard "Dick" Winters, Easy Company commander, died following a several-year battle with Parkinson's disease, longtime family friend William Jackson said Monday. 

An intensely private and humble man, Winters had asked that news of his death be withheld until after his funeral, Jackson said. Winters lived in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and died in suburban Palmyra.