James M. Gavin

James Maurice Gavin (March 22, 1907 – February 23, 1990), sometimes called "Jumpin' Jim" and "the jumping general", was a senior United States Army officer, with the rank of lieutenant general, who was the third Commanding General (CG) of the 82nd Airborne Division during World War II.

During the war, he was often referred to as "The Jumping General" because of his practice of taking part in combat jumps with the paratroopers under his command; he was the only American general officer to make four combat jumps in the war.

Gavin was born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 22, 1907.

His precise ancestry is unclear.

His mother may have been an Irish immigrant, Katherine Ryan, and his father James Nally (also of Irish heritage), although official documentation lists Thomas Ryan as his father; possibly in order to make the birth legitimate.

The birth certificate lists his name as James Nally Ryan, although Nally was crossed out.

When he was about two years old, he was placed in the Convent of Mercy orphanage in Brooklyn, where he remained until he was adopted in 1909 by Martin and Mary Gavin from Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, and given the name James Maurice Gavin.

Gavin took his first job as a newspaper delivery boy at the age of 10.

By the age of 11, he had two routes and was an agent for three out-of-town papers.

During this time, he enjoyed following articles about World War I.

In the eighth grade, he moved on from the paper job and started working at a barbershop.

There he listened to the stories of the old miners.

This led him to realize he did not want to be a miner.

In school, he learned about the Civil War.

From that point on, he decided to study everything he could about the subject.

He was amazed at what he discovered and decided if he wanted to learn this "magic" of controlling thousands of troops, from miles away, he would have to continue his education at the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York.

His adoptive father was a hard-working coal miner, but the family still had trouble making ends meet.

Gavin quit school after eighth grade and became a full-time clerk at a shoe store for $12.50 a week.

His next stint was as a manager for Jewel Oil Company.

A combination of restlessness and limited future opportunities in his hometown caused Gavin to run away from home.

In March 1924, on his 17th birthday, he took the night train to New York.

The first thing he did upon arriving was to send a telegram to his parents saying everything was all right to prevent them from reporting him missing to the police.

After that, he started looking for a job.

At the end of March 1924, aged just 17, Gavin spoke to a sergeant in the United States Army.

Since he was under 18, he needed parental consent to enlist.

Knowing that his adoptive parents would not consent, Gavin told the recruiter he was an orphan.

The recruiter took him and a few other underage boys, who were orphans, to a lawyer who declared himself their guardian and signed the parental consent paperwork.

On April 1, 1924, Gavin was sworn into the U.S. Army.

He later wrote about this period:

"I couldn't wait to join up and I held up my right hand in the Whitehall building on April 1, 1924. I have always remembered the name of the officer who swore me in because it was the same as a Civil War general,—Captain Buckner. He was the first captain of the U.S. Army, in uniform, too, that I had ever seen, and I was impressed."

He was first stationed in Panama.

His basic training was performed on the job in his unit, the U.S. Coast Artillery at Fort Sherman.

He served as a crewmember of a 155 mm gun, under the command of Sergeant McCarthy, who described him as fine.

Another person he looked up to was his first sergeant, an American Indian named "Chief" Williams.

Gavin spent his spare time reading books from the library, notably Great Captains and a biography of Hannibal.

Gavin was the youngest major general to command an American division in World War II, being only 37 upon promotion, and the youngest lieutenant general after the war, in March 1955.

He was awarded two Distinguished Service Crosses and several other decorations for his service in the war.

During combat, he was known for his habit of carrying an M1 rifle, typically carried by enlisted U.S. infantry soldiers, instead of the M1 carbine, which officers customarily carried.

Gavin also worked against segregation in the U.S. Army, which gained him some notability.

After the war, Gavin served as United States Ambassador to France from 1961 to 1962.