Freeman Porter was born and raised in Troy, Illinois and was the second youngest of ten children. After the news about Pearl Harbor, he was drafted into the Army and served in the 29th Infantry Division. Two weeks after D-Day, Freeman set foot in France and helped the Allies drive the Germans out of France and into Germany. After crossing the Siegfried line, he took part in the battle of Aachen and Cologne before being wounded in combat. Once the war was over, Freeman moved on with his life; he married Margaret Fern and had five children who all live in Troy today. While the war ended in 1945, the war stayed with him as he fought PTSD.