Arnold protested loudly that the Parachute School was at Fort Benning, GA, but he got off the train in Starke, Florida. He was immediately loaded into a truck, which took him to an abandoned Civil Conservation Camp (CCC) consisting of small wooden tarpaper covered buildings. A Sergeant said. “Welcome to Camp Blanding.” 

Arnold always said that his situation improved when he was assigned to Headquarters Company of the First Battalion (Hq1), 508^th Parachute Infantry Regiment (508^th PIR). He served his entire military career in Hq1. 

However, no one ever told him that he would not go to jump school for many months. Or that before he could go to jump school he first had to complete basic infantry training, and pre-airborne school physical training. He also was not aware that the 508^th PIR had been activated only a few days earlier, and had only enough soldiers and cadre to form the First Battalion.

Moreover, there would be no passes or time off until he completed the training programs, bad news for married men like Arnold Foster.

Days later, Arnold learned that he was in a test program to determine whether it was more efficient to train entire units at Fort Benning as parachutists,  or to continue training individuals at the school, and assign them to airborne units after they qualified. 

On February 28, 1943, Arnold Foster qualified as parachutist and pinned on the coveted parachute wings. He left immediately for a ten day furlough with Alice in Indiana, his first days off since October 1942.

Arnold was a rare sight in the Indiana farming community; no one in the area had apparently ever seen a soldier wearing brown boots and a jaunty overseas cap with a blue and white parachute patch.

Arnold often recalled his confrontation with two Military Policemen that ordered him to “unblouse” his trousers from his jump boots.

Arnold Foster returned to Fort Benning, and the 508^th PIR moved to Camp Mackall, NC. At Camp Mackall, Arnold started what most farm boys considered a big adventure. They were fighting for their country, accomplishing difficult tasks, mastering intrinsic maneuvers, firing various weapons, and improving their parachutist’s skills.

In December 1943, the 508^th PIR moved to New York City and boarded the “James Parker” for an eleven-day trip to Ireland.  After several weeks of weapons firing, physical training, and small field exercises, the regiment moved to a tent camp near Nottingham, England. The regiment immediately implemented a vigorous training program to prepare for combat