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name
EATON, James Anthony - Date of
birth
6 January 1913 -
Age
31 -
Place of birth
Whitehall, Washington County, New York -
Hometown
Greene County, New York
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
32855293 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
unknown -
Unit
H Company,
2nd Battalion,
377th Infantry Regiment,
95th Infantry Division
-
Awards
Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster,
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
12 November 1944 - Place of
death
Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| D | 4 | 58 |
Immediate family
-
Members
James Eaton (father)
Catherine (Black) Eaton (mother)
Anita Eaton (wife)
More information
S/Sgt James A. Eaton graduated from Whitehall High School and from Ithaca Collage. He was physical education teacher and athletic coach at fort Edward High School.He enlisted in Albany, New York on 2 April 1943.
He died of wounds in a first aid station of a German prisoner of war camp.
Lt Wise, most likely his platoon commander, wrote that Sgt Eaton and he had both been wounded and were taken prisoners by the Germans.
In the fall of 1961, Eaton was honored by the Class of 1931's football team at their reunion. The school at that time passed a resolution to display a plaque in his name, honoring him as a "Fine athlete, excellent student and exemplary school citizen." As a permanent symbol of esteem for Sgt. Eaton, the Whitchall High School Men's Club, makes an annual award to a student of the school planning a teaching career - the S.Sgt. James A. Eaton Award.
Source of information: Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, The Troy Record (Troy, New York) - 9 April 1945 / 27 January 1962, www.ancestry.com - WWII Enlistment Record, WWII Draft Card, 1925 New York Census
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, Unit History 337th Infantry Regiment