The book's more than 200 letters begin at Fort Bragg in 1943 and continue to December 1945, as Gavin came home to lead the 82nd at the head of the Victory Parade in New York.  This correspondence constitutes the majority of  Gavin's private wartime letters, but except for rare appearances in regimental newsletters, it has never before been published.

 

In her Introduction, Epilogue, and Notes,

Barbara Gavin Fauntleroy gives a privileged glimpse of the private man.  Edited by Gayle Wurst, the book features historical overviews by Starlyn Jorgensen, a preface by

noted Gavin biographer Gerard Devlin, and a foreword by

Rufus Broadaway, General Gavin's aide-de-camp.

"Provides a unique insight into the personal life of one of America's greatest military commanders....Barbara's narrative, which contains a great deal of little known information about the general's early life and military career, is fascinating"

-Phil Nordyke, author of   All American All the Way: The Combat History of the 82nd ABD in World War II.

JAMES M. GAVIN (1907-1990) retired from the Army as a Lieutenant General in 1958.  He served as Chairman of Arthur D. Little, was appointed Ambassador to France by John F. Kennedy, and became an outspoken critic both of cold war policies and of the Vietnam War.

His books include Airborne Warfare, On to Berlin, and Crisis Now.

 

BARBARA GAVIN FAUNTLEROY is the mother of three children, Barbara, Steven and Jim.

She lives with her husband, Clancy, in Ridgefield, Connecticut