Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Archibald Vincent Arnold (February 24, 1889 – January 4, 1973) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

officer who served during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Early life and career

Archibald Vincent Arnold (1889–1973) at West Point in 1912

Arnold was born in

Collinsville, Connecticut Collinsville is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Canton, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,746 at the 2010 census. The central portion of the village is a historic district listed on the Na ...

on February 24, 1889. He attended

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

, where he was an All-American football player. After graduating from West Point in June 1912, Arnold was commissioned into the United States Army Infantry Branch. His fellow graduates included future

general officer A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...

s such as

Millard Harmon Millard Fillmore Harmon Jr. (January 19, 1888 – February 26, 1945) was a lieutenant general in the United States Army Air Forces during the Pacific campaign in World War II. He was presumed to have perished in February 1945 on a flight when th ...

Walton Walker Walton Harris Walker (December 3, 1889 – December 23, 1950) was a United States Army four-star general who served with distinction in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, where he commanded the Eighth United States Army before dying ...

Walter M. Robertson Major general (United States), Major General Walter Melville Robertson (June 15, 1888 – November 22, 1954) was a senior United States Army Officer (armed forces), officer. During World War II he received the second highest American military awa ...

Wade H. Haislip General (United States), General Wade Hampton Haislip (July 9, 1889 – December 23, 1971) was a senior United States Army Officer (armed forces), officer who served in both World War I and World War II, where he led the XV Corps (United States) ...

Gilbert R. Cook Major general (United States), Major General Gilbert Richard Cook (December 30, 1889 – September 19, 1963) was a senior United States Army Officer (armed forces), officer. He had a thirty-six-year military career and served in both World War I ...

Stephen J. Chamberlin Stephen Jones Chamberlin (23 December 1889 – 23 October 1971) was a lieutenant general in the United States Army who served during World War II as General of the Army Douglas MacArthur's Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, the staff officer in cha ...

John Shirley Wood Major General John Shirley Wood (January 11, 1888 – July 2, 1966) was a United States Army officer who served in World War I and World War II. He is most notable for training and commanding the 4th Armored Division, which spearheaded General G ...

Raymond O. Barton Major General Raymond Oscar "Tubby" Barton (August 22, 1889 – February 27, 1963) was a career officer in the United States Army and combat commander in World War I and World War II. As commander of the 4th Infantry Division during World War II ...

Charles C. Drake Charles Chisholm Drake (November 2, 1887 – July 16, 1984) was an American brigadier general and quartermaster of the United States Army Forces in the Far East during the Battle of Bataan. Junior officer Drake graduated from the United States ...

Robert McGowan Littlejohn Robert McGowan Littlejohn (23 October 1890 – 6 May 1982) was a major general in the United States Army who graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1912. He served with the Pancho Villa Expedition and ...

Harry J. Malony Major general (United States), Major General Harry James Malony (August 24, 1889 – March 23, 1971) was a decorated United States Army officer who, after seeing distinguished service overseas on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front dur ...

, Franklin C. Sibert, William H. Wilbur, and

Albert E. Brown Major General Albert Eger Brown (June 13, 1889 – October 12, 1984) was a decorated officer in the United States Army. A graduate of West Point, he was a veteran of Pancho Villa Expedition and both World Wars and is most noted for his service as ...

World War II

At the beginning of

, Arnold was Chief Staff of the

I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to: France * 1st Army Corps (France) * I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French A ...

and commander of the 69th Field Artillery Brigade and 44th Division. Arnold was the second-in-command of the 7th Infantry Division during the Battle of the Aleutian Islands. Arnold continued serving as second-in-command of the 7th until 1944. Arnold was the commanding general of the 7th Division during the Philippines Campaign and the

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army (USA) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) forces against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The initial invasion of ...

. He received the

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...

for his World War II service. After the war, Arnold was made the

military governor A military government is generally any form of government that is administered by military forces, whether or not this government is legal under the laws of the jurisdiction at issue, and whether this government is formed by natives or by an occup ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

from 1945 to 1946. He served as principal American delegate to the US-USSR Joint Committee that convened in Seoul, Korea, in January 1946, and then to the US-USSR Joint Commission that followed in April 1946. The primary task of the Joint Commission was to reunite North and South Korea after it was divided by the State War Navy Coordinating Committee (SWNCC) in 1945. He retired from the Army in 1948.

Personal life

Arnold married Margaret Treat Arnold.

Honors and awards

Distinguished Service Medal

Citation

Silver Star

Citation

Legion of Merit

Citation

References

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arnold, Archibald Vincent 1889 births 1973 deaths United States Army Field Artillery Branch personnel American football centers United States Army Infantry Branch personnel Army Black Knights football players Army Black Knights men's basketball players Korea–United States relations Aleutian Islands campaign Recipients of the Legion of Merit People from Canton, Connecticut American men's basketball players United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army generals of World War II United States Army generals United States Military Academy alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Air Medal