World War II Honoree

Jose James Arnold

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Laredo, Texas

Honored By

Aida Arnold Trevino & Douglas M. Alford, USN

HE WAS SWORN INTO THE UNITED STATES ARMY AT THE AGE OF 15, AT FORT SAM HOUSTON, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. RECEIVED BASIC TRAINING AT CAMP ROBERTS, CALIFORNIA. AFTER ADDITIONAL INFANTRY TRAINING, HE WAS TRANSFERRED TO CAMP KILMER IN NEW JERSEY. THERE HE WAS ASSIGNED TO THE 45TH INFANTRY DIVISION. THIS WAS THE EMBARKATION POINT FOR THE TROOPS ON THE WAY TO EUROPE. IN NEW YORK HE BOARDED A TROOP SHIP FOR NORTH AFRICA. LANDED IN TUNISIA AND FOUGHT FROM THERE TO BISSERTE, WHICH ENDED ON MAY 7TH. RECEIVED ADDITIONAL TRAINING FOR THE INVASION OF SICILY ON JUNE 10TH. FROM THERE HE FOLLOWED UP THE ITALIAN BOOT TO NAPLES. AFTER THE COMBAT IN NAPLES HE WAS PLACED ON A SHIP BOUND FOR NORMANDY. HE LANDED AT POINT DU HUE ON THE FRENCH COAST. THE 45TH DIVISION WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE 30TH INFANTRY DIVISION WHICH CAME ASHORE ON NORMANDY IN JUNE 1944. HE WAS ON BOARD THE SHIP FOR FOUR DAYS BEFORE IT LANDED AT NORMANDY ON JUNE 6TH. ON JUNE 7TH HE WAS IN COMBAT AT ST. LO, FRANCE. THE EFFORT WAS TO STOP THE GERMANS SO THE ALLIES COULD UNLOAD THE SUPPLIES. TO DO THIS THEY HELD OFF 5 GERMAN DIVISIONS. HIS UNIT WAS A REPLACEMENT UNIT SO THEY FILLED IN WHERE NEEDED. HE WAS INVOLVED IN THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE WHEN THE GERMAN FORCES FORCED THE AMERICANS BACK. HE HELPED STOP THE GERMANS FROM BREAKING THROUGH AT BASTOGNE AT THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE. GERMANY THEN SURRENDERED AND THE WAR ENDED. HE WAS SHIPPED OUT OF LA HAVRE, FRANCE BACK TO THE UNITED STATES ON A THE HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, A CONVERTED CRUISE LINER AND LANDED IN MANHATTAN, NEW YORK. HE WAS FURTHER SHIPPED BACK TO CAMP CHAFFEE, ARKANSAS WHERE HE WAS RELEASED AND WAS ABLE TO RETURN TO LAREDO BY BUS. HE RECEIVED SHRAPNEL INJURIES IN COMBAT. DURING HIS TOUR HE RECEIVED THE WWII VICTORY MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN THEATER MEDAL, COMBAT INFANTRYMAN BADGE, GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, AND ARMY PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION.