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South Carolinian from the 'Greatest Generation' Recalls World War II Exploits

T. Moffatt Burris, who died Jan. 4 at age 99, participated in numerous battles during World War II to help save the world.  He recalled some of those experiences in a 2016 interview with South Carolina Public Radio.
Tut Underwood/SC Public Radio

  Moffatt Burris of Columbia is one of the heroes who helped save the world from tyranny during World War II. He fought to liberate Sicily and at Anzio to free Italy. But perhaps his most memorable exploits came as a paratrooper who participated in Operation Market Garden, a failed attempt to hasten the end of the war with a massive jump into Holland.

This battle was later documented in the book “A Bridge Too Far” and the motion picture of the same name. Burris, who recorded his wartime adventures in the book “Strike and Hold,” recently sat down to recall his experiences, and historian Jack Meyer adds comment on Operation Market Garden.

Tut Underwood is producer of South Carolina Focus, a weekly news feature. A native of Alabama, Tut graduated from Auburn University with a BA in Speech Communication. He worked in radio in his hometown before moving to Columbia where he received a Master of Mass Communications degree from the University of South Carolina, and worked for local radio while pursuing his degree. He also worked in television. He was employed as a public information specialist for USC, and became Director of Public Information and Marketing for the South Carolina State Museum. His hobbies include reading, listening to music in a variety of styles and collecting movies and old time radio programs.