Two items: a TLS, signed “James M. Gavin,” one page, personal letterhead, June 6, 1977, in part: “I am writing this on June 6—D-Day for Normandy—and recall very vividly the many fine paratroopers from South Carolina who participated in the battle with me and who were members of the 82nd Airborne Division. Now there is being shown throughout the country the film ‘A Bridge Too Far.’ It also depicts some scenes of extraordinary gallantry. Fifteen soldiers from South Carolina were involved in the battle, among them Lt. Col. Julian Cook, who was then a major. It was his battalion that made the extraordinary crossing of the Rhine River in the face of well dug-in German infantry on the far shore. They showed extraordinary courage, as South Carolinians always have in battle, and in making the crossing and seizing the northern end of the Nijmegen bridge, they made possible the saving of 2,500 British paratroopers cut off at Arnhem. South Carolina should be proud of the great soldiers that it has produced since the first settlements in our country.” Also includes a glossy 7.5 x 9.75 photo of Gavin wearing his three-star Lieutenant General uniform, signed in black felt tip by Gavin, with an inscription below reading: “To the Gallant South Carolinians who served in the 82nd Airborn Division.” Both are matted with an 82nd Airborne Division patch and a Master Parachutist Badge badge to an overall size of 20.5 x 16.5. In overall very good to fine condition, with scattered light foxing to the letter, and speckled silvering to the photo.
