Last week Dr. André Millard's World War Two class studied Operation Market Garden that began on September 17, 1944 — exactly 70 years ago. The class covers events of the war on the anniversary of when they occurred, which means it covers the events of August to December 1944, one of the most important and dramatic periods of WWII.

Operation Market Garden is the largest airborne operation in history. It involved two of the United States’ most decorated units — the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions — in an attempt to cross the Rhine River into Germany and end the war. (Learn more about the operation.)

Captain Christopher Tanner of UAB’s ROTC spoke to the class on the battle's anniversary. Tanner is a combat veteran who has served in Afghanistan and Iraq. He had the honor of commanding a rifle company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (part of the 101st) — the unit that was immortalized in Stephen Ambrose’s “Band of Brothers.” Captain Tanner explained the role of parachutists in today’s army and gave the class an idea of what it feels like to jump from an airplane into combat.

The unit that made history on D-Day, during Operation Market Garden, and at Bastogne in the Battle of the Bulge is still on active service and we are extremely fortunate to have veterans of the 101st like Captain Tanner who can share their experiences with UAB students and bring this piece of history to life.