HONORING THE FALLEN

After nearly 2,000 miles on a bicycle, Jay Freitas will end a physical and emotional journey to the final resting place of his friend and fellow soldier.
Freitas, 67, of North Smithfield, Rhode Island, planned to arrive today at the cemetery where Lt. William Thomas Damron is buried. Freitas and Damron served together in Vietnam. Damron was killed in action Nov. 30, 1968. Freitas titled his trip the William Thomas Damron Memorial Ride.
As of this morning, Freitas said he had already arrived in Louisiana.
Damron’s family and Freitas plan to meet at 1 p.m. Friday to hold a ceremony at the gravesite in Centerville where Damron is buried.
Freitas’ total trip covers 1,915 miles from Providence, Rhode Island, to Centerville in memory of Damron. Freitas and Damron met at infantry officer candidates’ school at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1967, he said. “We became pretty close friends there,” Freitas said. Both Freitas and Damron went to Vietnam together as part of the same unit, the Army’s 25th Infantry Division, he said.
Freitas was wounded in action on Oct. 25, 1968, and Freitas was transferred to Japan for treatment for about five or six months, he said. “While I was in Japan, roughly about 40 days after I was wounded, Tom was killed,” Freitas said. Damron was 21 when he was killed, according to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund website.
“It took me 40 plus years, about 42, 43 years, to realize that I had post-traumatic stress, and it wasn’t ever going to get any better unless I did something about it,” Freitas said.
A few years ago, Freitas started post-traumatic stress treatment at a VA hospital in Rhode Island, he said. At the end of treatment, he was given two homework assignments, one was to talk to his two daughters and the other to visit Damron’s grave in Centerville, he said. About two years ago, Freitas got involved with a non-profit organization called Ride2Recovery for which he is a full-time volunteer, he said.
Freitas started riding a bicycle, losing weight, getting in shape while being surrounded by veterans the entire time, he said. Several weeks ago, Freitas participated in a ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles along with 200 other veterans, he said. “We’ve got people from World War II all the way up to current times,” Freitas said.
“I was telling a friend about my homework to go visit Tom’s gravesite, and he brought up, ‘well, why don’t we just jump on our bikes and ride on down?’ And that’s what we’re doing,” Freitas said.
In 2013, Freitas did rides from Chicago to Detroit, and Boston to Philadelphia. This year he also rode from Washington D.C. to Virginia Beach, he said.
Bert Damron, 71, Damron’s oldest brother, of Steens, Mississippi, said he was one of nine children. Six of the siblings plan to come to Franklin Thursday before going to the cemetery in Centerville Friday, he said. “My father was a Christian Missionary Alliance pastor, and he pastored the Calvary Bible Church there in Centerville three different times,” Bert Damron said. “Tommy was born there.”
Damron joined the army and was killed in Vietnam about three months after he arrived by a command detonated mine, Bert Damron said. “I didn’t know anything about his connection with Jay until a few years ago,” Bert Damron said.
Freitas’ ride in memory of Damron means a lot to Damron’s family, Bert Damron said. The family was really close, and Bert Damron chokes up pretty badly when he starts thinking about his brother’s death, he said. “One of the reasons, I suppose, is my mother never got over that,” Bert Damron said.
Freitas made the trip with Bladimir “Bladi” Rodriguez, who has been riding a bicycle for 45 years, Freitas said. “He made a trip from Rhode Island down to Mexico through Central America to Medina, Colombia, with several of his friends,” Freitas said. “So he’s got some experience with long trips.”
Freitas’ path took him mostly right along the eastern coast of the U.S., he said. The pair planned to make stops along the way to pick up additional people, Freitas said. The two planned to take a day off roughly every 500 miles to maintain their bikes and rest, he said.
Bert Damron also reflected on his brother’s military service and funeral. Tom Damron was stationed at Fort Polk about a year or so before he went to Vietnam, Bert Damron said.
The commanding general at Fort Polk learned of Tommy Damron’s death and sent the entire company that Tommy Damron had been stationed with to attend the funeral, Bert Damron said. “I just thought that was unreal that a general would do that,” Bert Damron said.
When Tommy Damron was killed, the first sergeant of his unit was on emergency leave in Indiana, Bert Damron said. Once the first sergeant received news of Tommy Damron’s death, he flew from Indiana to attend the funeral, Bert Damron said. “That was just unbelievable. He left an emergency situation to come down there to Centerville to attend his funeral,” Bert Damron said.
Fort Polk also sent a pallbearer unit for the funeral to carry Tommy Damron’s casket, though Bert Damron was in the Air Force with another brother also in the Air Force and one in the Navy, Bert Damron said. The brothers helped carry the casket to the grave, he said.
Years ago, Bert Damron was told that his brother was the only person from Centerville killed in Vietnam, he said. “It’s hard to believe that Jay came up with this idea and has come through with it,” Bert Damron said. “I’m real excited about meeting him.” Bert Damron will lead the service at the graveside ceremony, he said.
As a volunteer for Ride2Recovery, Freitas is involved with Project Hero New England, which involves recruiting and training people to go on rides, he said. A large number of riders have post-traumatic stress and physical injuries, Freitas said. “We haven’t found anyone we haven’t been able to get on a bike yet,” Freitas said.
From Freitas’ experience volunteering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, he said what happens stereotypically to many injured veterans is that they do not have the muscle tissue to burn calories. That lack of ability to burn calories leads to many different health problems, Freitas said.
Freitas is raising money for the organization with the ride, he said. To donate to Project Hero New England, visit www.ride2recovery.com/donate.php.