Sergeant Major Jasper C. Eaton USMC, 1922-2014

Jasper C. Eaton passed away peacefully with his daughter Gail at his side, at 5:20 p.m. PDT on 28 August 2014. Raise your glass today with me and toast a man among men. The world will be less without him, but the Marines and my family will forever hail his name. Be thou at peace, Marine.

Jasper Clarence Eaton was born in 1922 in Barbourville, Ky. Barbourville is a depressed rural village that even today leaves much to be desired. Jasper's mother died when he was 3 years old, and his father died when he was 6 or 7 years old (we think). He was raised primarily by his grandparents until the age of 16.

At 16, Jasper moved to the town of Cincinnati, Ohio, to work for our aunt Belle in the restaurant business, busing tables and washing dishes. The work was so demanding and the pay so minuscule that over time he opted for something easier - joining the Marines.

Jasper enlisted in the Marines on July 31, 1940, attended boot camp at Parris Island in South Carolina, and his initial duty station was the Boston Navy Yard. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he was assigned to the First Marine Division and served in the South Pacific Campaign assigned to Alpha Company First Battalion Seventh Marines (A/1/7).

From 1942-1944, Jasper participated in amphibious landings and combat operations on the islands of Guadalcanal, New Britain and Peleliu. By September 1944, Peleliu was secured and he was shipped stateside for drill instructor duty at Parris Island, S.C.

After drill instructor duty, Jasper was transferred to Bermuda where he met and married our mother, the former Madelyne Ludy. While in Bermuda his first son, Gary, was born on Dec. 15, 1948. From Bermuda the family was transferred to Quantico, Va., and assigned to The Basic School, where young Marine officers receive their initial entry training.

Dad's next assignment took him overseas (unaccompanied) to Japan and to the Third Marine Division. When he returned, the family transferred to Camp Lejeune, N.C. and Jasper was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division. During this assignment his daughter, Gail, was born on April 16, 1956. From North Carolina the family was assigned to the Department of State, and transferred to the United States Embassy in Stuttgart, Germany, with a follow-on assignment to the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark. They returned to the states and were stationed again in Quantico, Va.; there, Dad spent time in Headquarters Battalion, Training and Test Regiment.

The next assignment took Dad back overseas (unaccompanied) to Okinawa, Japan, this time with the Third Tank Battalion. When he returned, the family transferred to San Diego, Calif., and Jasper was assigned to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) as Sergeant Major of the Headquarters Battalion.

Dad retired from the Marines in San Diego on March 31, 1964.

After his retirement from the Marine Corps, Dad immediately went to work at San Diego State University and remained there for well over 20 years, retiring again from the State of California in the late 1980s.

To my dad, the Marines were always his alpha and omega. There is no truer statement than "Once a Marine - Always a Marine." He is, and will remain, a member of the 'Old Breed.' Dad accomplished many things in his life. He started with nothing from nowhere; the poorest of the poor, with virtually no education and very limited opportunities. In a very real sense, the Marine Corps provided my dad with opportunity. Dad took that opportunity and made a life and a family out of it. He started the pattern of breaking the cycle. Breaking away from where and what he was born into, and forging a life much greater than its initial offering.

We will miss him. But he did what all dads strive to do - create a life for his family and his kids much greater and better than that of his own. My dad accomplished that many times over. His legacy is one for me (all of us really) to live and continue to strive and work hard towards. To serve above one's self and for the greater good, to provide and make a better life for our family, and to stay the course and keep the faith while living a life worth living.

Jasper is survived by a daughter, son, seven grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren.

The family would like to thank all the staff at By the Lake Assisted Living, many of whom became an extended part of our family. They provided a loving and caring environment, and my dad truly loved it there. Also, to Auburn Crest Hospice, when the time came they were there providing additional care, love and prayers.