Fort Campbell, KY. – (Clarksvillenow.com) Fort Campbell held a memorialization ceremony Tuesday for Clariss Ann Jackson, better known in the community as T.C. Freeman. The ceremony was also to rename and dedicate Gate 4 at Fort Campbell in her honor.
Freeman, wife of retired Army Colonel Bob Freeman of Hopkinsville, passed away May 19 at the age of 83 after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis. Freeman spent 25 years as an Army spouse and was a staunch lifelong advocate for the Army, especially soldiers and their families at Fort Campbell.
Speakers at the ceremony included Fort Campbell Garrison Commander Colonel Rob Salome and Commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Fort Campbell, Major General Gary J. Volesky. Volesky, who has been deployed to Iraq since February, spoke by way of a live video teleconference.
Volesky talked about Freeman’s support of the Army. “Although she never served in the Army, she had as much influence on the lives of soldiers as any general or any Army civilian senior official. T.C. was always at the front and doing all she could for the Army and Fort Campbell. Even as her health was failing, her spirit was still fighting to support our troops,” said Volesky.
Bob Freeman spoke and shared a story about the dedication of Gate 4 to his wife with those gathered at the ceremony. He said General Volesky came to his home last August and presented the plans for the renaming of the gate to him and T.C. Freeman said he a T.C. were both sworn to secrecy because the rule is that nothing can be named after a person who is living.
Freeman added that both he and T.C. assumed the dedication would take place after Volesky returned from Iraq. He said the day after she died, Volesky called him and the wheels were put into motion to move ahead with the renaming of the gate within 14 days.
Freeman said he needed a little more time and the date of June 28 was the first time he would be able to get all of the family together to attend the memorialization ceremony. Freeman also thanked those at the ceremony. “I really appreciate your love and concern for T.C., a great lady, a great wife for 55 years, mother, grandmother, best of the best,” said Freeman.
Over the years Freeman was recognized numerous times by many organizations for her work in the community, both with the Army at Fort Campbell and in her hometown of Hopkinsville as well as across Kentucky. In 2008, she became a Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for Central Kentucky.