Macon native shares experience during POW/MIA ceremony Published Sept. 23, 2011 By Jenny Gordon 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- A fter being repeatedly beaten all over his body, Korean War prisoner of war Bill Freeman had an epiphany. "I had a vision that I was in my bed at home. I actually thought I was at home," recalled Freeman, who was held captive in a North Korean POW camp from Feb. 12, 1951 until Aug. 19, 1953. The thought came to him as he lay motionless on a road, stopping only to take a break from endless marching. He again believed he would die as his mind raced back to his family and home in Georgia. Then small voice told him then that everything was going to be OK. "From that time on, I never lost faith. I said I was going to make it," he said. The beatings had become more frequent since he had attempted to play dead, something he was told never to do. During one particular beating a guard hit him repeatedly in the head with a stick, and the injuries he suffered from the blows resulted in hearing loss for four months. But he persevered, never becoming sick after vowing he would fight on. He lost weight - reduced to 90 pounds at one point - but he was still breathing. He remembered eating old, dirty potatoes grown from a nearby hill, bombs being dropped from planes, and seeing death around him daily. He learned from fellow prisoners that low-ranking soldiers who were keeping an eye on them were superstitious, and they were very wary of the insane. Freeman took care of someone who had lost it, caring for the man daily by feeding him and keeping him alive. Freeman decided to act insane to try and con the enemy into thinking he was someone they should leave alone. He said there were some lighter moments during his captivity, reminding his audience they did all kinds of things to keep life going. "That was the only way to survive," he said. Over the years, the number 12 hasn't been a good number for Freeman. It was the day in February 1945 when he signed up for the military. When he re-enlisted in the Army years later, he was called up on Oct. 12. And when he got to Korea as an Army private first class in 1951, he was captured on Feb. 12. He also said prayer has always played an important role in his life. When asked why he thinks God brought him out alive and not others, Freeman says he doesn't know. "I have no idea, but I can tell you this. I knew there were people back in Georgia praying for me every day, and I do believe it was what brought me home," he said. "I don't know whether you believe in prayer or not. I do - 100 percent." The families back home who are left wondering about their loved ones and if they're alive can also suffer pain, said Freeman. After coming home, he said his wife told him how their insurance carrier tried to get her to sign papers to declare him dead, so the carrier could provide her money. "You know what she said? She said, 'No, if I do that I'm denying that he's alive,'" he recalled. In 2010, Freeman travelled to Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He has shared his story with audiences across the country, and helped in the construction of a memorial for POW and MIAs in Macon. A board member of the Rolling Thunder Georgia chapter, Freeman didn't hesitate to share his feelings about his country. "I'm proud to be an American," he said. "I'm so proud to be part of the United States I tell you. And I love every soldier I ever see."