James Shepherd Freeman (1900 – 1962) was a

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

admiral in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

and the son of the Alabama millionaire James Stanley Freeman.

Early life

Freeman was born on April 30, 1900, in

Jasper, Alabama Jasper is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Alabama, United States. Its population was 14,352 as of the 2010 census. Named in honor of Sergeant William Jasper, an American Revolutionary War hero, Jasper was settled around 1815 a ...

. He entered the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

on July 20, 1917 and graduated 58th in his class in 1921 before entering a career in the Navy.

Career

His assignments before World War II included as chief executive officer of the US Naval Base at

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

. While commander of the USS ''Alchiba'', he was assigned to bring supplies and ammunition to marines stationed in

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomons by area and the second- ...

. On November 28, 1942, his ship was torpedoed by two Japanese

midget submarine A midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to six or nine, with little or no on-board living accommodation. They normally work with mother ships, from which they are launched an ...

s. Freeman ordered the ''Alchibas engines turned to full throttle and ran the ship ashore, saving the lives of the crew and ensuring that the much-needed ammunition was not lost. Freeman received the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

for his actions. The admiral is also featured in the self-described "UFO disclosure" documentary ''Fastwalkers: They Are Here'' as the commander of a naval ship whose crew reported sightings of extraterrestrial activity at sea. In the film, Freeman is reported to have had photographs of UFOs that were supposed to be shown to other naval officers. It is unclear whether such photos existed or were ever made public.

Personal life

He was married to Dorothea Steinmann Freeman. He is often referred to as "James Freeman, Sr." to distinguish him from his son, also named Jim. His son James Shepherd Freeman, Jr., was born 1926 in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

and spent his childhood in Hawaii while his father was commanding at Pearl Harbor. He, too, entered the Naval Academy, but was later released on a medical discharge. He graduated in 1948 from

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...

in Alabama and, in the same year, married Betty Jeane Pierce, daughter of the newspaper publisher Edgar H. Pierce. They had five children and ten grandchildren. Freeman Jr. died in 1997 in Jasper.

Death

Freeman Snr. died on August 7, 1962, at the

Bethesda Naval Hospital Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC; formerly known as the National Naval Medical Center and colloquially referred to as Bethesda Naval Hospital, Walter Reed, or Navy Med) is a United States military medical center located in B ...

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...

, and is buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

. His wife survived him.

References

External links

Admiral Freeman's Arlington National Cemetery online biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, James Shepherd 1900 births 1962 deaths People from Jasper, Alabama United States Navy personnel of World War II Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy rear admirals (upper half)