South Carolina lost one of its heroes Jan. 4 when World War II veteran Moffatt Burris died at age 99. He was one of many heroes who helped save the world from tyranny in the 1940s. He fought to liberate Sicily and at Anzio to free Italy. But perhaps his most memorable exploits, described in his memoir "Strike and Hold," came as paratrooper who participated in Operation Market Garden, a failed attempt to hasten the end of the war with a massive troop jump into Holland.
This battle was later documented in the book "A Bridge Too Far" and the motion picture of the same name. In 2016 Burris sat down with South Carolina Public Radio to recall his experiences, and we now present a few of those recollections again in his memory. In addition, Columbia historian Jack Meyer adds commentary on Operation Market Garden.