Serving Around The World: A Second-Generation West Point Graduate Reflects

Joseph Arnold was born in 1942 in Alexandria, Louisiana, because of the Louisiana Maneuvers. His father, LTG(R) William Howard Arnold, graduated from West Point in 1924, when MacArthur was Superintendent. Growing up as an Army Brat with three other siblings, the family lived in St. Louis during World War II, and later they lived at Ft. McNair in Washington, D.C., in Ankara, Turkey, and in Salzburg, Austria. He describes some of his childhood experiences living around the world. He also reflects on some of his father’s experiences, including receiving the first large scale surrender of the Japanese on August 28, 1945, on Cebu Island, before the Japanese surrendered to MacArthur. His mother, Elizabeth, was “involved in everything,” including several religious charities and social groups. As a boy, Joseph enjoyed playing baseball and skiing, and was interested in airplanes and trains. For high school he attended Lake Forest Academy, where he had very good history and math teachers. He became interested in West Point through his experience with his father and some of the officers that he was exposed to. He recalls the shock of R-Day and remembers that he felt “very unprepared,” noting that he still does not “like the Class of ’62.” He felt that Beast Barracks was brutal, but he enjoyed his Yearling summer at Camp Buckner, and he learned that “Sergeants run things” during Army Orientation Training, which he describes as “fabulous.” At West Point, he continued to ski and was in the Catholic Choir. He started in Company C1 but graduated from K1. He remembers marching in Kennedy’s inaugural parade, which was miserable, cold and snowy. In December 1962, he met his future wife, Mary, after both of their mothers arranged it. They were married on June 28, 1968, after his first tour in Vietnam, but they corresponded daily while he was deployed. He branched Infantry, following in his father’s footsteps and appreciating the versatility that branch offers. His class did not attend the Basic Course, but did complete Ranger and Airborne School before joining their first unit. In 1964, he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment in the 4th Infantry Division at Ft. Lewis, Washington. While there, he completed Pathfinder and Northern Warfare School, and he conducted training in Norway. He also helped train some of the new recruits being assigned to the unit for Vietnam. On July 21, 1966, he deployed to Vietnam on the USNS General Nelson M. Walker, which was a miserable experience. They arrived in Cam Ranh Bay on August 2, 1966, and traveled by truck to Pleiku. At this point, he was serving as the Executive Officer of A Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry and they were based out of Camp Eagle. They operated in the Central Highlands, conducting patrols and trying to clear the North Vietnamese Army out of the area. Typically, the Company Commander provided oversight for two platoons, and Joseph, as the XO, managed the other two platoons. He describes some of his experiences leading Soldiers in combat and some of the things that can go wrong. Following his tour in Vietnam, he returned to Ft. Ord, California, where he commanded a training company in 1967. In 1968, he returned to Vietnam, where he served as an advisor before being assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. As a MAC-V Advisor, he worked with the Regional Forces / Popular Forces in the Central Highlands. When he joined the 101st, he worked as an Operations Officer in the Division TOC, writing the situation reports and the nightly briefing. While working in the DTOC, he applied to return to West Point to teach in the History Department. After returning from Vietnam, he attended the Armor Advanced Course before being assigned as the S3 in the 4th Battalion, 54th Infantry in 1971. In 1973, he earned a Master’s Degree at Rice University before being assigned to the 101st Airborne Division in the division plans cell. Command and General Staff College followed, and in 1975 he reported to West Point, where he taught MIL-ART (The History of the Military Art) in the History Department until 1978. His next assignment was as the Executive Officer of 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry in Germany, and the family lived south of Stuttgart. He describes conducting training at Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels, and preparing for their wartime mission of defending the Fulda Gap. In 1981, he took command of 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry at Cooke Barracks. In 1984, he attended the National War College followed by an assignment as the Chief of Training Division in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. In 1987, he took command of the 5th Training Brigade at Ft. Dix, New Jersey, consisting of two Basic Training Battalions. In 1989, he became the Chief of Staff for the IX Corps in Japan, followed by an assignment as the Deputy Commander for the United States Army, Japan, in 1991. In Japan, the family lived at Camp Zama, and he describes training with the Japanese Defense Forces. In 1994, he retired after 30 years in the Army, but remained busy with an antique business, and later worked in the food industry. Reflecting on his life, he considers the highlights to be graduating from West Point and marrying Mary.