When I left for overseas my maternal grandmother gave me a Bible with a copper cover on it. It was to protect me during battle. I did not think it would stop a bullet, but who knows?

Three things stand out in my mind about Europe, and France in particular. They are (1) cold (2) wet and (3) danger.

I was damn glad to have a finger shot off of my right hand by a German sniper. I was taken to a hospital at Bad Krusnach. Germany, near Frankfort. Later, I was sent to an army hospital in LeBourge, France, near Paris. I was shipped to England to a specialized arm and hand hospital in Rexum, Wales.

Finally, I was sent back to the United States on a hospital ship, which was a fairly pleasant trip. I definitely had one of the more minor injuries compared to other soldiers who were in those hospitals with me. I would visit from hospital room to hospital room, because I was an ambulatory patient.

My injury is considered a 10- percent disability, and I was grateful to have it be of a lesser degree than it might have been. Now I am a Florida resident, and I am eligible to receive a real estate evaluation exemption of $500 in addition to my monthly disability check of $42 from the Veterans Administration. I am still remembered by the U.S. Army.

And, best of all, I am finally (1) dry (2) warm and (3) safe!

Don Clair Freeman, 2002

After a long illness in Florida and Tryon, Don became the “poster boy” for the inception of the Betsy and Don Freeman Polk County Adult Day Care Center in Columbus.

Don died in 2009 and was interred with a military funeral in the hallowed ground of Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., under a maple tree, near his army buddies.

Don also has a memorial brick on the Path of Remembrance at the Hospice House of the Carolina Foothills, Landrum. It is inscribed with one of Don’s favorite sayings in time of sadness, “Let’s have a little smile for the troops.”

– This Honor Your Veteran tribute was submitted by
Mary Freeman. 

The Tryon Daily Bulletin and the Patriots Salute to Veterans Association recently launched the “Honor Your Veteran” series to highlight the brave acts and sacrifices made by our country’s soldiers. If you’d like the opportunity to write in and honor a veteran you know please:

Send us an email at:  news@tryondailybulletin.com.

Subject Line: In Honor of a Veteran

Include: Your name, contact phone number, your relationship to the honored veteran and your city. Photos are welcomed and encouraged.