Alexander John George Huton was born about 1923, in Prescott, Ontario, to his father, George Howard Huton and his mother, Martha Eva Millar. He had one brother, Bruce Huton. He later married Lillian Alice Henderson, and together they had at four children - two sons and two daughters.

     When the Second World War began in 1939, Alexander did not enlist immediately—he was still underage at first, and according to family history, his brother Bruce Huton, already serving in the military, advised him not to enlist. Alex eventually volunteered for the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, an elite airborne infantry unit noted for its demanding training and dangerous missions. The family legend states that his friend persuaded Alex to try out for the paratroopers, with the friend himself later washing out of training while Alex succeeded.

     He trained in Canada and England with the battalion and prepared for the Allied invasion of German-occupied Europe. On D-Day (6 June 1944), the battalion parachuted into Normandy as part of Operation Overlord, but many men were scattered away from their intended drop zones due to darkness and anti-aircraft fire — a common occurrence for airborne units that day. His story called "I Dropped Alone" by Lionel Shapiro was in Maclean's magazine (see below for full story). Later in Normandy, paratroopers from the battalion conducted aggressive reconnaissance and defensive operations around areas such as Le Mesnil, supporting the broader Allied advance after the landings.

     Alex was wounded by German shelling and spent roughly a month in a field hospital before returning to his unit. He participated in Operation Paddle, which was intended to clean the Germans through to the river Seine. During this campaign, Alex suffered a second wound from a mortar blast, which was more serious. He was evacuated to England and spent about six months in recovery.

     Upon returning to duty, he rejoined his battalion in time for the Ardennes Campaign, also known as the Battle of the Bulge (late 1944–early 1945). The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion was the only Canadian unit committed to that battle. This is where his war ends. According to his casualty records, no specific battlefield injury is listed from this period; historically, that type of record often indicates an illness or non-combat medical condition such as trench foot, frostbite, severe fatigue, or “shell shock” rather than a distinct combat wound. By the time he was fully recovered, the battalion had crossed the Rhine River with Operation Varsity in March 1945 and continued advancing into Germany. He remained on the reinforcement roster but was not called back to the front before the war in Europe ended.

     After the war, Alexander returned to civilian life in Prescott, Ontario. He died on 29 August 1978 in Prescott, Ontario, Canada.

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~A.D.H.S. teacher Ms. Shannon Campbell's great uncle