Paul Eaton Major General Paul D . Eaton is a retired United States Army General most known for his command of operations to train Iraqi troops during Operation Iraqi Freedom . General Eaton served in that capacity between 2003 and 2004 , until he returned to the US to become Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Training , United States Army Training and Doctrine Command , Fort Monroe , Virginia . He currently serves as Senior Adviser to the National Security Network , a progressive Washington , DC think tank that focuses on foreign policy and defense issues . Family . Paul Eaton was raised in Oklahoma . His father , Col . Norman Dale Eaton , USAF , graduated from the U . S . Military Academy in 1949 and went on to become an Air Force pilot . He was shot down over Laos in December 1969 and was listed as missing in action for many years . His remains were recovered in 2004 , identified , and buried at Arlington National Cemetery in early 2007 . Paul Eaton ' s wife , P . J . , is a daughter of a United States Marine Corps Colonel and a former Army captain who now counsels perpetrators of domestic violence . She is now a licensed mental health counselor who works primarily with perpetrators of domestic violence . They were married in 1973 . His eldest son is a University of Washington graduate . His second son graduated from West Point and is an infantry captain . He has a daughter , a graduate of the University of Florida . Education . Paul Eaton followed in his father ' s footsteps to West Point in 1968 , graduating with the class of 1972 . He is fluent in French , receiving a Master of Arts from Middlebury College in French Political science . . Assignments . As a lieutenant and captain , Eaton served in the 4th Infantry Division , Fort Carson , Colorado , and was later transferred to Germany as part of 4th Brigade , 4th Infantry Division ( " Brigade 76 " ) , where he served as an assistant brigade S3 ( operations ) officer and later was an infantry company commander . As major and lieutenant colonel Eaton was assigned to key battalion and brigade staff positions in the old 9th Infantry Division , then on the I Corps staff . He also commanded an infantry battalion of the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum , New York , and later served as the G3 ( operations ) officer of the division during Operation Restore Hope in Somalia . As a colonel in the mid 1990s he commanded an Army brigade in Germany and following promotion to brigadier general was the assistant division commander of the 1st Armored Division . In 2000 , he returned to the US to serve as deputy commanding general of the Army Infantry Center and School at Fort Benning , Georgia , and later he led the creation of the Army ’ s new Stryker brigades at Fort Lewis , Washington . As a major general he returned to Fort Benning to be commanding general of the Army Infantry Center and School . He was then assigned to Iraq as Commanding General of the Coalition Military Assistance Training Team ( CMATT ) , where he was in charge of training the Iraqi military from 2003 to 2004 . Upon return to the US he was Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Training , United States Army Training and Doctrine Command , Fort Monroe , Virginia . Awards . Eaton ' s awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal , Defense Superior Service Medal , Legion of Merit ( with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters ) , Meritorious Service Medal ( with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters ) , Army Commendation Medal ( with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters ) , Army Achievement Medal , Expert Infantryman Badge , Parachutist Badge , Ranger Tab , and the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge . VoteVets . After retiring from the Army in 2006 Eaton was a frequent guest on various media outlets , where he often criticized the Bush administration ' s prosecution of the Iraq War . In 2007 , Eaton appeared in a political ad for VoteVets . org , similar to the ones prepared by John Batiste . Eaton asserted that President Bush did not heed the advice given by his military commanders . Eaton appeared on Bill Maher ' s talkshow and spoke out strongly against those who launched the Iraq war . In 2008 Eaton served as an advisor to Senator Hillary Clinton ' s presidential campaign . Following Clinton ' s concession of the Democratic primary , Eaton has made several appearances in support of Senator Barack Obama ' s presidential campaign .