Besancon enlisted in the United States Army on September 29, 1942 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. He was placed into the Antitank Company of the 337th Infantry Regiment of the 85th Infantry Division. The 337th Infantry Regiment was sometimes referred to as the "Wolverine Regiment," and the 85th Division was sometimes referred to as the "Custer Division," with the men called "Custerman."
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Besancon's unit moved eastward to Fort Dix in New Jersey on October 12, 1943. They then departed for Camp Patrick Henry in Virginia. In late December of 1943, they left from the ports at Hampton Roads, Virginia.
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