A soldier who was gifted with a plane ticket to see his widowed mother on Christmas saw his holiday turn to horror when he was left with severe facial injuries by a gang in Philadelphia, his family said. . . . Freni, his mom and girlfriend were strolling through Philadelphia after the parade when they the large group of young men walked by them and made 'derogatory' comments about Freni's jacket, she said. She says that one of those men then hit Freni, and the others leaped in to attack him as well.