The U.S. Military Academy in concert with the 82nd Airborne Division Association of New Hartford and the Greater Hartford Lt. Gen. James Gavin Chapter commemorated the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the legacy of Gavin with a wreath-laying ceremony at Gavin's gravesite on June 6 at the ˮAV˵ Cemetery.
A 1929 graduate of ˮAV˵, Gavin was the commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division during World War II. Referred by his nickname, "The Jumping General" or "Jumpin' Jim," he was a part of the parachute combat assault conducted on June 6, 1944, as part of the American airborne landings in Normandy, France.