Episode description
Episode description
In this special All American Week episode of the podcast, Chloe Gavin joins Joe to discuss the recently published Gavin at War: The WWII diary of Lieutenant General James M. Gavin. Chloe shares why she chose to publish her father's deeply personal journal and why leaders today can benefit from reading it. They also talk about the legacy of the 82nd Airborne Division, leadership lessons from Gavin's diary, and why leaders need to be okay with making mistakes.
Lieutenant General James Gavin, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division during WWII, is one of the best-known figures of the war. Beginning as the commander of the 505th Parachute Combat Team that spearheaded the American assault on Sicily in July 1943, Gavin advanced to division command and finally command of US forces in Berlin. He kept a wartime diary that starts in April 1943, as the unit was preparing to go to northern Africa and continues through to his final entry on September 1, 1945, during the occupation of Berlin.
For decades, Gavin kept the existence of the journal a secret; the general's family discovered it among his belongings after his death. Editor Lewis "Bob" Sorley has worked closely with the Gavin family and the Army Heritage Center to prepare the diary for publication. His edited and annotated version includes a prologue and epilogue to frame the entries within the wider scope of the general's life.