Released From the Grip of What He Carried: Freedom Birds "They dreamed of freedom birds. At night, on guard, staring into the dark, they were carried away by jumbo jets. They felt the rush of takeoff. Gone! They yelled. (286). "Freedom bird" an appropriate term for the jumbo jets that take the soldiers from their tour because it gives them the freedom from what has been holding them back. Throughout the story, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross has his mind everywhere but on his infantry he is supposed to be leading on the tour. The story shows how even the smallest memory,