CALEDONIA — Bradford Freeman more than made his mark on the world as Private First Class for Company E (Easy Company), Second Battalion, 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), otherwise known as the “Band of Brothers” during World War II.

Though Freeman passed away on July 3, 2022, he made another posthumous mark on the world this week. On Thursday morning, during a dedication ceremony at his home, his daughters Becky Freeman Clardy and Beverly Freeman Bowles unveiled a sign rededicating a one-mile section of Highway 45 as “PFC Bradford C. Freeman Memorial Highway.”

Mississippi Department of Transportation Commissioner John Caldwell said the memorial highway will help to remind people who pass of those who came before them.

“People are going to be driving to a ballgame or driving to a vacation and they’re going to drive by this sign and say ‘who is that?’” Caldwell said. “And they’re going to look it up. And it’s going to be a really good remembrance for him, the ones he fought with, the ones that died, the ones that are serving us today.”

Thursday’s ceremony followed the passage of Senate Bill 2002, which was passed during the 2023 session of the Mississippi Legislature.

“(Freeman) and his family came to the Senate on the floor of the Senate, and he spoke a few words, and that’s all Mr. Freeman was– A few words. He was a very humble, great, great man,” District 17 State Sen. Chuck Younger (R-Lowndes County) said.

The renamed section is located in Lowndes County beginning at the Ridge Road Exit near Kolola Springs. The Mississippi Department of Transportation is required to maintain the sign by the bill.

Band of Brothers

During the ceremony, friends, family and local representatives shared the story of Freeman and the Easy Company, which became widely known following the 2001 HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers,” based on the book of the same title by Stephen Ambrose published in 1992.

Colonel Jonathan Cato, deputy commander of the 14th Flying Training Wing at Columbus Air Force Base, described Freeman’s service as a mortarman, including Freeman’s jump into Nazi Germany during the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944 and his involvement in Operation Market-Garden.

Freeman was also involved in defending Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. After recovering from an injury, he then rejoined his unit to participate in the occupation of Berchtesgaden and Austria.

“Everyday, Columbus Air Force Base stands on the shoulders of giants,” Cato said. “The men and women who wake up every day to embody our mission– train world class pilots– are representatives of the freedom enabled by heroes, by giants, like Mr. Freeman.”

When he returned home from the war, friends shared, Freeman preferred a quiet life, becoming a rural letter carrier for 32 years. His oldest daughter Bowles said she hardly knew about her father’s service until later in life, when he started being pulled into the spotlight intermittently.

Freeman received the French Legion of Honor, France’s highest military honor, in 2016. He also returned to Normandy in 2019 as an honored guest for the 75th Anniversary of D-Day.

In 2020, Columbus Air Force Base held a ceremony at Freeman’s home, presenting him with a new flag. Then, in 2021, he received a challenge coin from U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff– the highest ranking officer in the U.S. military honoring a serviceman of one of the lowest ranks.

Though Freeman was known as a man of few words, Bowles said her father would have been grateful for the new sign.

“I know that he really appreciates this,” Bowles said. “I know that he would be more than tickled to be here to see this, because he loves this community and he loves everyone in the community.”