Arnold was born December 24, 1920 in Courtland, Kansas.
Enlistment Date: 9 Oct 1942
Discharge Date: 15 Nov 1945
Arnold served in the U. S. Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF), which was the military aviation arm of the United States Army during and immediately after World War II. The USAAF was the predecessor of the United States Air Force.
Arnold did his training at the Air Depot Training Station in Albuquerque, New Mexico. When the war ended he was part of the 89th Depot Repair Squadron, stationed in England. The Squadron was at least in part responsible for repairing aircraft that flew bombing runs from England to Germany.
Draft Registration (front)
Draft Registration (back)
Written by Arnold on the back: "Taken in Nov. 1942. Myself and my buddy, Pvt. Earl Myers, Jr of Joplin, Mo. Jefferson Barracks Tent City"
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Arnold is in the front row on the left. Photo taken in front of the B-24 "Lyndy"
See here for another photo
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Arnold is in the front row, 4th from the left
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Arnold is standing, 3rd from the left. He wrote on the back of the photo:
"Hut B-7, A.A.F. Station 505, Griston, Norfolk Co., England.
L to R Back Row: Gaddie, Honeycutt, Moline, Rasmusson, Fezendon, Bohnert, Jowers, Cross, Hagemier
L to R Front Row: Brown, Kessler, Essela, Hazelhurst, Kittila, Knutsen
Taken shortly after VE Day, June, '45"
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3rd Strategic Air Depot Memorial, Watton-Griston, England -- “89th REPAIR SQ” is the third item in the left column
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Arnold returned to New York from Europe on board the Queen Elizabeth. Multiple newspaper articles documented the return, and the clipping below is from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Aug 11, 1945, “Eight Vessels Bring 5,397 From Europe.” Notice the listing of the “89th Depot Repair Squadron.”
The QUEEN ELIZABETH leaves Southampton with over 15,000 returning G.I.s in August 1945
The QUEEN ELIZABETH’s arrival at New York.
Altogether the QUEEN ELIZABETH made 35 round-trip voyages across the North Atlantic on the 'G.I. Shuttle'. During this time, and for a while after, she was under American control through a lend-lease agreement. She did, however, remain all the while under Cunard management with British officers and crew. Throughout the 'G.I. Shuttle' the two Queens (Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary) were never in the same port at the same time, and the schedules avoided either ship lying at anchor at Gourock during the period of full moon.
Sources for this section are:
Wikipedia: Victory Over Japan Day
Google Newspapers
Liverpool Ships
