The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“RECOGNIZING THE LIFE OF BRADFORD FREEMAN” mentioning Mark Kelly was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on page E486 on May 7.
Of the 100 senators in 117th Congress, 24 percent were women, and 76 percent were men, according to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Senators' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
RECOGNIZING THE LIFE OF BRADFORD FREEMAN
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HON. TRENT KELLY
of mississippi
in the house of representatives
Friday, May 7, 2021
Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and service of Mr. Bradford Freeman, a member of the Greatest Generation and a true hero. He belonged to Company E, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment under the 101st Airborne Division, also known as Easy Company. Their exploits were memorialized in the HBO mini-series ``Band of Brothers.''
Mr. Freeman was born in Mississippi on September 4, 1924. He started his freshman year at Mississippi State University before enlisting in the Army in December of 1942. He finished his freshman year and reported in April 1943. He first reported to Camp Shelby, and then Fort McClellan for 13 weeks of basic training. He trained as a paratrooper at Fort Benning, Georgia. In North Carolina, he joined the 541st which evolved into the 101st.
After midnight on D-Day, nineteen-year-old Freeman made his first combat jump. On June 5, 1944 he boarded a C-47, among a fleet of 87 aircraft, and travelled across the English channel over Normandy. German antiaircrafts broke the soldier's silence. He jumped from the aircraft at 200 miles per hour, 100 miles per hour faster than normal jump speed. Freeman landed safely and was assigned to guard a crossroads near the Brecourt Manor farm, where the batallion would later take out four German artillery pieces. He heard Navy shells flying overhead towards targets further inland.
Freeman served for two years, 11 months and 20 days in the United States Army and left the service as a private first class. He returned home to his family on December 2, 1945. He reunited with his childhood friend Willie Gurley, and the two were married in 1947. They had two daughters, Beverly Clark and Rebbecca Louis. After over 60 years of marriage, Willie passed away in 2008. After returning from war, Mr. Freeman returned to farming. He loved to hunt, fish, and sit on his front porch.
I am deeply grateful for Bradford Freeman's lifetime of service to this country and the state of Mississippi. His sacrifices will never be forgotten, and his service always revered.
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