Rhodes F. Arnold II
Rhodes Felton Arnold II born January 5, 1919, in Alexandria, Louisiana, the oldest son of Capt. Rhodes F. Arnold of Minot, N.D. and Jessie M. Taylor of Kansas City, MO, passed away Sunday, September 2, 2007.
Rhodes Felton Arnold II born January 5, 1919, in Alexandria, Louisiana, the oldest son of Capt. Rhodes F. Arnold of Minot, N.D. and Jessie M. Taylor of Kansas City, MO, passed away Sunday, September 2, 2007. He was a direct descendent of the 1st Arnold in America, John Arnold of Milton Abbas, Dorset, England, later of Cambridge, MA, 1634 and a founder of Hartford in 1636. His Revolutionary ancestors: Jabez Arnold and son Samuel Brown Prince Arnold, of Haddam Neck; Civil War ancestor: Charles Willard Arnold of the 15th Penn. Cavalry. Rhodes Arnold Sr. and brother John Willard Arnold served on the Mexican Border and at Verdun as CO and First Sergeant, respectively, of Company F, 140th Infantry, Missouri Nat'l Guard. Rhodes Sr. retired as a Regular Amy colonel, serving 40 years through WWI, WWII and Korea. An Army Brat, Rhodes lived at Fort Wayne, MI, Fort Benning, GA, Windsor Hills, MD, La Ballaja and Fort San Cristobal, P.R., Fort Snelling, MN, Fort Leavenworth, KS, Fargo, ND, Plattsburgh Barracks, NY, and Western Michigan Military District, Grand Rapids.
A Latino at heart, his roots lie in Kindergarten where he learned Spanish at the age of 6 in La Casa Blanca in San Juan and Saint John's Academy in Santurce, P.R. Other schools: Homecroft School, St. Paul, MN; Roosevelt Jr. and Central High, Fargo, ND; Univ. of Missouri, Columbia; Grand Rapids Junior College, MI, Western University, Silver City, NM; U of A and Pima CC, Tucson, earning a BA in Anthro. at UNM 1948 and a BS in Econ. and Acct. at Univ. of Albuquerque 1958. Military service: enlisted in the Army Air Corps, 17 December 1941; Air Mechanic at Sheppard Field, TX; Hudson Mechanic, Lockheed Factory School; Burbank, CA; Beechcraft AT-11 mechanic, Midland Army Flying School, TX; Commissioned 2nd Lt, 28 Oct, 1942 at AAF OCS Miami Beach; Weather Forecaster training at the 2nd Air Force Weather School, University of Utah; Weather Officer, Biggs Field, El Paso, TX; Combat Intelligence Officer, Orlando, FL; Rapid City Army Air Base, SD; Radar Intelligence Officers' Course, Langley Field, VA. initial class. Radar Intelligence Officer, 28th Bomb Group and 404th Bomb Squadron, 11th Air Force, Shemya, Aleutian Islands; Commanded the 188th Weather Station, New Mexico Air National Guard USAF Supply School, Lowry AFT; Base Supply Officer of the NMANG; Korean War: Intelligence and Supply Officer of the 57th Fighter Group, Elmendorf AFB; U. S. Property and Fiscal Officer, State of New Mexico. Civilian: Titan II program Martin-Marietta, Denver, and Purchasing Supervisor, Titan site, Tucson. He taught at Pueblo and Cholla High Schools, Tucson. Honors include: President, Sophomore Class, Fargo H.S. and President, Tiwa Anthropology and Geology Clubs, UNM; Honor Graduate, USAF Supply School, Lowry AFB Co.; President, N.M. Nat'l Guard Assn: Chairman, Acquisition Committee, Pima Air Museum, and Vice President, Tucson Air Museum Foundation; Vice President, 11th Air Force Assn.; Originator of "Mission Improbable," 9428th A.F. Reserve Squadron acquisition of B-24J Liberator from Indian Air Force: Auth of: Shooting Star, T-Bird and Starfire, A Famous Lockheed Family; The B-24/-PB4Y in Combat, The World's Greatest Bomber; The Enchilada Air Force, New Mexico's Own 188th Fighter Squadron; and Foul Weather Front, A History of Air Activity in the North Pacific.
To honor his lifelong dedication to aviation his wife, Mary Wirts Arnold sponsored his name on the Wall of Honor, National Air and Space Museum, Dulles Airport, Virginia.
His son R. F. Arnold III, predeceased him in 2006.
He is survived by wife Mary of Metairie, LA; daughter Raquel Arnold Roybal; grandchildren James Felton Arnold, Danielle Peralta, Laura Pals, David J. Roybal; and great-grandchildren Brooke Rhodes Arnold, Colton James Arnold, Andrea Duran, Gabriella Roybal, Victor Peralta III, Alexandra Peralta, and Jacob David Roybal.
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