Eaton enlisted in the United States Army on April 2, 1943 in Albany, New York, where he was placed into 95th Division’s Headquarters “H” Company of the 377th Infantry Regiment’s 2nd Battalion. The 95th Division was sometimes referred to as the “Victory Division” or the “Iron Men of Metz.” After enlisting, he was moved to Camp Upton in Long Island, New York. However, he stayed at this camp for less than a month before being moved multiple times across the country.
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Shortly after enlistment, Eaton was moved from Camp Upton to Fort McClellan, Alabama where he would receive basic training until the July of 1943. Afterwards, he was accepted into the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP). The ASTP was an intensive program with the purpose of creating university-trained men for commission.
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Within this program, Eaton studied French and Italian at the University of Alabama until August of the same year. He was then moved to Pennsylvania where he continued his studies at the University of Pittsburgh’s Foreign Areas and Language School. In the December of 1943, he visited his parents with Anita before returning to school. He would study here until the March of 1944. Afterwards, he and Anita, along with the rest of the 95th division, were moved to Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania and would train there until February 22, 1944.
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