Jackson D. Arnold

70 Years Ago - Pearl Harbor

2011-12-06T21:05:00.001-08:00

Seventy years ago tonight, asthis is written, twenty-nine year old LTjg Jackson D. Arnold, USN, USNA Classof 1934, an Engineering Test Pilot assigned to Ford Island in the middle ofPearl Harbor was at one of the usual Saturday night parties very common at thetime. He and his new girlfriendMuriel McChesney would not get home until early the next morning. No problems, it was going to be a lazySunday. He could sleep in. Jack was, in today’s terms, a PartyAnimal. He dropped off Muriel ather home a mile or so away near the foot of Diamond Head and went home to whatmight be generously called sleep. Things were good, things were stable. All was well.

Things would change. Change faster than Jack could imagine.

Just before 0800, Jack awoke tothe biggest bang he had heard since he was the Officer in Charge of ARIZONA’sNumber Four Turret. He rolled outof bed, ran out side and looked up. Divebombers, rolling in on Pearl Harbor, meatballs on their sides. The bang had been a Jap mistaking hispickle button for a radio key. A500 pounder fell a few hundred feet from his front lanai. He ran back inside, put on his khakiuniform, grabbed his desktop radio and headed towards Pearl, with a quick stopto give Muriel the radio and tell her to keep her wits about her and listen tothe radio.

Into his car and towardsPearl. As he raced along what isnow Nimitz Highway, through the cane fields, a military staff car pulled infront of him, shortly thereafter a truck pulled in behind him. A convoy of three. Soon a Zero found them, rolling in, hestrafed the staff car, which ran off into the cane fields. The Jap came back around and rolled inon the truck, riddled with bullets, it went off burning into the canefields. Jack had had enough ofthat, he pulled off the road and dove under the car. After about two minutes, it came to him; there he wasunder the only potential target. He decided he would more likely survive if he were a moving target andnot hiding under the gas tank. Back on the road! In a fewminutes he came to the Pearl Boat Facility where he looked for a launch to FordIsland. No launches! Then, he looked in the boat shed. It was full of launches and cowering coxswains.

Jack jumped into the launchclosest to the open boat house door. A coxswain came out, “You can’t take that, she’s mine.” Jack said, “Well, she’s going to FordIsland.” “Not without me driving,”as the coxswain hopped aboard and started her.

Arriving at Ford Island in themiddle of the first wave, Jack sprinted across the field, scrambled into theonly flyable F-4F Wildat and got her running. A plane captain clambered up the side of the runningaircraft to tell him that not only was the aircraft very low on fuel, but itwas totally devoid of ammunition. So much for his first air to air victory. With no other flyable aircraft remaining, he looked aboutfor a way to “contribute to the war effort.”

Just before the second wave hit, Jackcame across a young Marine who had lost his life in the first wave attack, butkept his BAR from hitting the ground. Jack, having been on the All Navy Rifle and Pistol Teams and an avidbird hunter felt at home with the Browning. As he stood there near the base of the new tower, a lonetorpedo bomber rolled in to strafe the tower and thus him. Judging his lead carefully, he emptiedtwo magazines into the Jap, killing the pilot and severing a line or two. Smoke and flame poured from the planeas it crashed on the field. The secondwave was gone. Jack went over tothe wreck, it was the Torpedo Squadron Commander. Jack took a bottle of sake from the plane, they would notneed it now. He took a big gulp,passed it to sailors gathering to see what he had found, and ran back to thewhaleboat he had taken to Ford Island.

Grabbing the launch, he put outfor ARIZONA to pick up survivors. The first person he pulled from the water exclaimed, “Mr. Arnold! Mr.Arnold! Mr. Arnold!” Looking atthe man, covered head to toe in bunkers, black as a seal, Jack responded, “Sir,you have the advantage of me. Whothe blazes are you?” The slipperydark form responded, “Sir, it is me, Johnson.” The Number Four Turret Captain, the Petty Officer with whomJack had worked on his first assignment out of the Naval Academy.

Things would change forJack. In five weeks, he wouldmarry his new girl friend Muriel, a marriage that would last over 60years. In less than a year, hewould be a full Commander, form a new Air Group, Air Group Two, be the TorpedoSquadron Commander, with a very short but more successful career than the JapCommander he shot down. He wouldbe Air Group Two’s first Commander or CAG for her first War Cruise on HORNET,the second carrier of that name. Shooting down four more Japs, he would command the most successful AirGroup of the war. After the war,Jack would be Air Officer on BOXER, one of the first jet pilots in the Navy,then go into the Bureau of Naval Materiel. He would design space suits, pioneer new techniques inaircraft and ship procurement. Thenfinally he would be the first Commander of the newly formed Naval MaterielCommand, the biggest command in the Navy. He would retire as a Four Star Admiral. But, he would always be known as Gentleman Jack whose menwould follow him anywhere.

More later!

More than saving a life

2011-11-18T21:03:00.001-08:00

We are coming up on the fourth anniversary of the passing ofJackson D. Arnold, Admiral, United States Navy. The year before Jack died I was going through Christmas cardswith him asking who was who and he told me this story when we got to one fromJoe Wilson.

Known to almost all who knew him as Gentleman Jack. Uniquely positioned in history, born ayear after the first aircraft touched down on a ship, he started flying biplaneseaplanes, flew the very first jets off carriers, designed the first space suitsand ended up his career as the first commander of Naval Materiel Command.

Much of what he did in his naval career made huge impacts onthe course of Naval Aviation and the course of several wars. But nothing he did had more impact on alife than a single strafing run on HIRYU while he was Commander of the Air Group(CAG) on the second HORNET.

Near the end of her first war cruise, HORNET was Flagship ofRADM Jocko Clark’s Task Force 58.1 for the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Six Grumman TBF Avenger TorpedoBombers from Belleau Wood, one ofthe Task Force’s four carriers, hit the Japanese carrier HIRYU. She was burning strongly. HORNET’s fighter squadron attempted alow angle dive bomb attack on her. After dropping his bombs, Jack dropped down to strafe the deck with hisF6F Hellcat’s six .50 caliber machine guns. While the bombs had done little apparent damage, between thebombs and the torpedoes, HIRYU’s aviation gasoline tanks had been breeched. Jack’s strafing run set the vapors offand the vessel sustained mortal damage.

At the time of time of the attack on HIRYU, a young Japanesepilot was bolted in the cockpit waiting to take off on a Kamikaze mission. Imprisoned in his cockpit, he waited with terror, thenresignation as HIRYU was torpedoed, then bombed. Just as it looked like he might survive, he looked up to seea dark blue Hellcat with 99 on the nose and a white meatball on the tail strafethe deck. He was sure he would behit. When he was not, he relaxed. Then the gasoline vapor explosioncame. Surely he would burn todeath, but then a ground crewman let him out of what would have been a highexplosive coffin. The ship sankfrom under him, he survived, was picked up and somehow managed to live throughthe remaining 14 months of the war. Had HIRYU not sunk, he would have launched on a one way mission, perhapstaking an American ship with him, perhaps not.

Because of the attack which sank his ship, the young pilotsurvived the war. After the war,disillusioned with the Japanese War Party, tired of killing, he wanted to knowmore about the people who beat the invincible Japanese. What he found was a Christiancountry. As he learned about thecountry, he learned about Christianity. In it he found the meaning and peace missing from his life.

The young pilot became a Christian, perhaps at first becauseof the peace our Lord offers, but soon because there was no other way. He eventually immigrated to the UnitedStates, adopting the anglicized name of Joe Wilson. He sought out the identity of the pilot of the Hellcat with99 on the nose and the white meatball on the tail. Joe lived in San Diego, he found the pilot only a few milesfrom him in Rancho Santa Fe. Acall and he made arrangements to meet Jack almost 30 years after the sinking. They talked about the war, they talkedabout the attack. But, they alsotalked a lot about what happened afterwards. Each year thereafter, Joe sent Jack a Christmas cardthanking him for saving not only his life, but most importantly giving him timeto find Christ, thus saving his soul.

Godspeed,

Hap

Jack Arnold and the first Space Suit

2009-01-01T14:57:00.000-08:00

While I was the Air Materiel Officer at the Philadelphia Naval Yard, I had many interesting experiences. Our facility was in charge of ejection seat development and what are now called egress systems. We also ended up being the office of primary responsibility for all personal equipment for aviators.

When it was clear the country was going to go into space, either by way of the Air Force’s DynaSoar program or NASA’s Mercury Program, the Navy was given the task of developing a suit that would allow the astronauts to live in the vacuum of space. Blood boils at around 62,000 feet, so just breathing oxygen would not help. Somehow we had to be able to replicate the pressure to that of at least 33,000 feet while maintaining flexibility. The Navy was picked because we had a lot of experience going the other way, down deep, where we needed to replicate a higher altitude and still move. We thought we could use some of the same methods, perhaps altered.

That is when I first got to be good friends with Wally Schirra, a young Navy pilot I would stay close to until his death (just a few months before Jack’s – ed). Wally, one of the original Mercury Seven Astronauts was detailed to my operation to help develop the spacesuit. We worked with the Navy dive equipment people and the aviator equipment people and came up with the first spacesuit.

Looking back, it amazes me how much we did with so little. Shows what happens when you don’t know you can’t do something.

ADM Jackson D. Arnold, Oral History November 2005

Arroz con Gansos o Patos (Rice with Geese or Ducks)

2008-02-24T17:52:00.000-08:00

Jack Arnold was more than a Warrior - Artist - Scholar - Businessman, turns out that he was also a great COOK! from SUNSET magazine, we find this entry in a later issue:

Our "Chefs of the West" column (January 1954) featured recipes "by men ... for men." The note accompanying the recipe read: "Jackson D. Arnold--now a two-time Chef--can trace the following recipe back to an Italian cook in Nicaragua. Chef Arnold served it first after a hunting trip into Mexico where he got his limit of wild geese and ducks. Hence the name 'Arroz con Gansos o Patos' (Rice with Geese or Ducks)." Prep and Cook Time: about 2 hours.

Want to know more, for here: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1547088

Notice, this is Jack's second gastronomical entry for SUNSET!

ATTACK INTO THE SETTING SUN - “First Battle of the Philippine Sea”

2008-02-14T21:31:00.000-08:00

As the sun sat on June 19, Admiral Mitscher in LEXINGTON sent a message to all TG-58. “Desire to attack enemy tomorrow if we know his position with sufficient accuracy. POINT OPTION should be advanced westward.” At 1330 on June 20 the

-1-

ENTERPRISE and WASP launched search planes – eight Avengers and four Hellcats to search northwest for the Japanese fleet. About the same time Airgroup TWO was told to man our aircraft. On deck 14 F6F-‘s were loaded with two 500 lb. bombs and belly tank; 18 SB2-C Dive Bombers were loaded with 1000 lb bombs and 4 TBF-s Torpedo planes were hanging torpedoes and 2 TBS-s had 4 500 lb bombs. About 1430 we received word we could return to ready rooms to grab a sandwich and coffee or cold drink. At 1515 we received word to man planes again. We still had no word as to where the Japanese fleet was located. After about 45 minutes in the cockpit the word was passed to start engines. As I looked at the blackboard on the side of Primary Fly the Air Officer had printed in large letters the latitude and longitude of the Japanese fleet. As we put the information in our cockpit chart boards it became readily evident that it was well beyond the range of any aircraft to attack and return to our carriers (about 335 miles). We were under RADIO SILENCE (no radio transmissions) thus it meant no questioning the information as we sat prepared to take off with engines turning over. As Admira1 Jocko Clark leaned over the bridge I pointed to the blackboard and held my nose, indicating “We can’t make it!!” He gave a thumbs up signal with both hands meaning "Good Luck". At that moment dozens of microphones clicked, inicating many others wanted to say something, but not one transmission went on the air. I was never more proud of those pilots than at that instant.

Instead of circling our 38 plane deckload for the usual rendezvous of all aircraft units, we started a slow climb towards the northwest in order to conserve fuel. About 30 minutes after takeoff a message was received telling us that the Japanese were 60 miles further west. At this point I decided that we would pursue and attack then retire as far as possible before darkness set in, notify HORNET by key then have all the planes land in the water in the same vicinity so that rafts might be lashed together to make rescue more easily effected.
About 1830 with the sun low on the horizon like a blood red ball, clouds
-2-

from 3000 to 10,000 feet and a large cumulus buildup over 15,000 feet, we saw a mass of flashes from anti-aircraft guns such as we had never seen before. Immediately the sky was filled with deadly colored puffs – red, yellow, blue, black, purple and lavender as the marker bursts enveloped our formation. We came out from the large could buildup, I could see four major elements of their fleet. To the northwest was a large carrier, a smaller carrier, a battleship, two cruisers and eight destroyers. To the sourh was another group with a carrier, several battleships, several cruisers and seven or eight destroyers. Far to the south was a supply group and a number of oilers.

Immediately I called for Lt. Hal Buell’s division of 6 VB gto take the big carrier which I thought was SHOKAXU but I believe turned out to be ZUKAKU. The VB squadron commander, Lt.Cdr. “Soup” Cambell dived his group of 8 planes from the north. Several hits on the carrier were observed with fire coming out of the flight deck.

After directing the bomber aircraft towards the large carrier, I took our fourteen fighters down on a group of three carriers to the south which were HIYO, JUNYO and RYHO. After bomb release we strafed the decks and gun positions of the carriers attacked. (Later as observed by Lt(jg) George P.Brown and his crewmen ARM Babcock and AMM Platy from BELLEAU WOOD VT squadron who had been shot down and were in a life raft in the midst of the Japanese fleet, they witnessed he HIYO roll over and go down).

It became evident after the attack and the continuing dog fights that we would be unable to carry out my plan to all land together in the water. I called for all planes in Air Group TWO to retire towards out TG-58 which was closing the distance towards us. As the sun set and planes started landing in the water, I plotted the postion on my chart board to facilitate rescue, then lead as many planes as I could get to join up back towards our forces. As darkness came I was surprised to hear a signal sent for the destroyers “to make smoke”. (This would have been a good signal in the daylight, but hardly any help for making night landings).
-3-

With all carriers trying to land aircraft simultaneously there was considerable confusion in the area. In an attempt to assist pilots in landing and finding their ships, Admiral Mitscher ordered all ships to ”light pp", after a HORNET Avenger landed on LEXINGTON. He then sent a message for "pilots to land on any carrier”. Four HORNET fighters and torpedo planes landed on YORKTOWN, and one fighter landed on BELLEAU WOOD.

After finding HORNET and observing that all planes had not landed I headed up through the smoke where some of our planes had been circling, gave the “join up” signal, led them down to the ship and put them in the landing circle. When the last plane had landed, I commenced my approach, noting that the #1 and #2 wires had been pulled out by previous aircraft in their landings. I was at 50 feet over the ramp and was about to take a wave-off when the engine quit and I decided to dive for the deck rather than land in the water astern. Without the first two wires I stepped hard on the left brake to ground loop the plane, but it headed for the 40 mm gun mounts where I ended up in the catwalk. The flight deck crew chief said, “Skipper, you had better get out - - we can’t hold this plane much longer”. I grabbed my chart board and jumped to the deck saying, “Hold the plane until I can get the photo-film out”. They let go and all the film from the battle went overboard. I went ot the bridge and gave Admiral Jocko Clark my chartboard with the plot of where out pilos had gone down.

(On June 21, 51 pilos and 50 sircrewmen were rescuedand on June 22 and 23 33 more pilots and 26 aircrewmen were pulled out of the water. This was the total for from all carriers with a launch total of 226 planes from TF-58).
-4-

This memo was hand typed by Admiral Arnold and OCR’d for this posting.

The Altitude Chamber

2008-02-03T16:56:00.001-08:00

Pilots who fly above 10,000 feet above sea level need to be intimately familiar with what is now called Aerospace Physiology, the effects of the thinning of air on the body as you climb to altitude.

When I attended flight school at Pensacola in 1936-37, almost all our training was done below 2,500’msl, much less 10,000’msl. We had a class on high altitude flight, but there was no such thing as an “altitude chamber” where one could experience the physiological changes as one climbs to altitude. It had not been invented yet and most Navy pilots never would fly that high. But, when you left flight school, if you were headed to a fighter, you had to get the training.

There was no “altitude chamber”, so what to do? Once you got your wings and your assignment, you got one last ride. I don’t remember his name, but he was a Marine pilot instructor. He briefed me on my “altitude familiarization” flight. The aircraft was one of two, or maybe three, single seat Boeing F4B biplane aircraft fitted out for this specialized training. It was supercharged, had a recording barometric altimeter to make sure you really climbed up and had a large oxygen tank fitted. You were to breathe from a wooden mouthpiece, which as I recall, you started using about 10,000’msl, or so. The Marine told me that I should look for symptoms of oxygen starvation, check my nails for bluing, tingling in the fingers and the like. As soon as I felt light headed, I should take off my gloves, look at my nails and if they were blue, start down.

So off I went. Passing about 27,000’msl, I began to feel a bit tingly, I looked at my nails, still pink, or maybe some other color. Passing about 29,000’msl, I felt a bit light headed, I, well I don’t really know what I did next. According to the recording barometric altimeter, I climbed to a little over 33,000’msl. All I can tell you is that I woke up in a spin at around 7,000’msl.

When I got down, the Marine seemed satisfied. I was not so happy. I said, “What if I hadn’t awaken at 7,000’msl?” “We’d of had to get a new plane,” he answered.

I was never tempted to set any altitude records after that.

Oral History by Admiral Jackson D. Arnold 2004

JUNE 1944 – A BUSY MONTH FOR AIR GROUP TWO

2008-02-02T14:12:00.000-08:00

In preparation for eventual landngs of our troops on Saipan and Guam, Task Group 58.1, consisting of the carriers end air groups of HORNET, YORKTOWN and ESSEX made strikes on Saipan, T1n1an and the Bonin Islands Group, Chichi Jima, Haha Jima, with special attention to the airfields Orote and Agana on Guam.

June 15 – The landings on Saipan with the Second and Fourth Marine Divisions met more resistance inland than on the beaches.

On June 17 the air groups of HORNET, YORKTOWN and ESSEX continued attacks on the airfields at Guam. At about 0100 June 19 bogies were reported just west of TG-58 and ENTERPRISE launched search planes but no contact, was made. At about 0600 CABOT’S CAP shot down a Val. (CABOT was about 24 miles south of HORNET) It became evident that many Japanese aircraft were in the area and head1ng and heading in the general direction of Guam. CAP aircraft were launched from HORNET, YORKTOWN and BELLEAU WOOD and by 0845 our aircraft had downed 10 ZEKES and several HAMPS. By this time Task Groups 58.1, 58.2 and 58.3 were placed between th4 Japanese fleet and Guam. This began what was later called the “MARIANNNAS TURKEY SHOOT” with about 400 Japanese aircraft destroyed.

The VT-2 and VB-2 squadrons were launched with 100 lb. and 500 lb. bombs to hit the airfields at Agana and Orote with Japanese planes landing or trying to land. As we circled the field we had a front row seat to watch Tex Vineyard (VF-2) shoot down four Japanese planes as they went into echelon to land. By 1045 the “Turkey Shoot” was over, and of the 500 planes the Japanese had launched, about 100 returned to their fleet. Our losses for the entire operation were 22 shot down by fighters or the deadly flak around Orote.

AN UNLUCKY AND LUCKY DAY FOR ONE NAVAL AVIATOR

2008-01-31T21:08:00.000-08:00

On 13 June 1944 our air group was launched with fighters, dive bombers and torpedo planes to hit the Agana and Orate alrfie1ds at Guam. Strike CAG-2 Lt. Cdr. J. D. Arnold with wing man Ens. Donald C. Brandt were flying F6F-3's (0930). As we pushed over in a bombing run anti-aircraft fire intensified and Ens. Brandt's plane was hit almost immediately with smoke pouring out. As he opened the canopy with the plane headed for Agana Bay I called to tell him not to ball out yet (I didn’t think ke could make it to the bay and to parachute to the land area meant capture and death-- we had been briefed that the Japanese were taking no prisoners with beheading the most likely result). In the next minute he left the plane while nosed over in a fast dive and the parachute snapped open. The wind carried him towards the bay, and several of us started to strafe the beach where it was apparent he was going to land about 500 yards off shore.

I called the life guard submarine STINGRAY which was supposed to be station off the harbor entrance. (Skipper of the sub was Lt. Cdr Sam Loomis). Realizing the sub might be attacked, I called for dive bombers to hit AA positions along the harbor entrance and for all fighters with ammunition remaining to set up a strafing circle and to take out the boat which was departing 'the beach and heading for Brandt’s raft which he had managed to crawl into.

(1230) With ammunition gone, I headed back to the ship to refuel and rearm so we could keep the shore batteries busy sp they wouldn’t have time to shoot at Ens. Brandt. Meantime the wind was pushing him away from the beach. We were hoping that the wind would take Brandt toward the bay entrance. At about 1430 we returned from the HORNET rearmed, and commenced runs on the beach and the dive bombers on shore gun positions. At this point, I was cussing the skipper of the sub for lack of action. As I felw low over Brandt in his raft, I noticed he seemed to be moving faster than the wind would ordinarily propel him -- a second pass and the reason was apparent -- he had secured his raft to the sub's periscope with a line and was being towed towards the harbor entrance. It was more important than ever that we

- 1 –

silence all guns in the area, and that we did. At about 1630 the STINGRAY surfaced and took Ens. Brandt aboard.

I learned later that after our troops landed on Guam in August 1941~, a diary was recovered from a dead Japanese soldier. On the afternoon of 13 June 1944 the soldier had watched Ens. Brandt’s rescue and had written down these impressions: “The Americans are very stupid. They risk a submarine for one man. I think they have very foolish minds>’

This memo was hand typed by Admiral Arnold and OCR’d for this posting.

TRUK REVISITED

2008-01-31T20:03:00.001-08:00

On April 29 - 30, the HORNET launched Air Group TWO against Truk which was one of the largest Japanese bases In the Pacific. The first strike had been made on 16 February and the magnitude of the development of the island base had been well photographed. The first attack had focused on ships and aircraft, leaving ground targets largely un-touched. TORPEDO TWO targets were the airfields gun positions, buildings, docks and the Dublon seaplane base. Bombs were dropped with great success as warehouses and an ammunition dump went up with large explosions. The airfields were made ot look like swiss cheese and several ships in the lagoon were rolled over.

As we retired, Lt. Cdr. Arnold heard Scott Scammell say he was hit and going down near the atoll entrance. Noting that he was landing near the heavily armed island of Faleu. guarding the entrance, I called for our dive bombers (VB-2) to attack the island. The bombers literally sunk the island. So effective was there operation that as we circled and watched Scott’s life raft blown towards the island he and his crewmen carried the raft across and launched it back into the water on the other side. Their only injury was from stepping on a hot bomb fragment.

At the same time I called for the dive bombers, a call as made to the rescue submarine on station. This turned out to be the TANG commanded by my classmate Dick O’Kane. Scott and his crewmen were picked up and joined nineteen other pilots and crewmen already recovered by TANG.

Coincidentally, a Kingfisher two place seaplane (OS2U) launched from a cruiser in the task force group had already picked up seven pilots and crewmen and was unable to take off because of the load and sea condition. O'Kane finally had to take all aboard the sub and then sank the plane by gunfire.

-1-

This memo was hand typed by Admiral Arnold and OCR’d for this posting.

THOUGHTS OF A SQUADRON COMMANDER - (Torpedo Squadron TWO)

2008-01-26T17:58:00.001-08:00

We had formed and trained at Quonset Point, Rhode Island--flew our planes cross country to Santa Rosa, California, and after some delay, embarked as passengers aboard USS CABOT to Hawaii. More training and delay but hopeful, as the Navy's first SPARE AIR GROUP, for a carrier to adopt us and give us a platform from which we could carry the fight to the enemy.

On 3 March 1944 at Pearl Harbor, Admiral Halsey assigned us to the newly arrived USS HORNET and on the 4th we were headed west to MAJURO, Marshall Islands. On arrival we were assigned to TASK FORCE 58 and became the Flagship for Rear Admiral “Jocko” Clark (58.1).

March 20th all squadron and air group commanders, were summoned to the Flagship of Admiral Mitscher for briefing and planning for our first strike. The Admiral said that Palau was second only to TRUK in its importance as a fleet anchorage for the Japanese. If we could bottle up or deprive their fleet elements the use of that harbor it would greatly enhance an operation planned later for Hollandia, New Guinea. His Operations Officer, Cdr. Gus Widhelm, an old friend, proceeded to brief the Torpedo Squadron Commanders on a few of the details we needed to put together our attack plan for laying the mines (MK 52 2000 Lb. parachute type).

This was to be the first aerial mine laying job by any element of the U.S. Navy. Then came some very important specifics:

1. The mines had to be released at no higher than 200 feet--so chute would open.
2. The speed of the aircraft should be at exactly 120 knots, straight and level -- no jinking.
3. The narrow channels we were mining had hills some 400 feet high on both sides and were probably heavily armed!
4. In order to cover all channels we would probably have to make three or four trips!
- 1 -
About this time I asked Gus, who was nervously waving a cigar as he talked, if he had another cigar. He produced one and the squadron commander on my left asked if he had another. We all alternately smoked and chewed those cigars through the remainder of the briefing. On return to the HORNET I decided I would put off briefing my pilots on the details for several days because the loss of sleep can be dangerous for someone flying a torpedo plane. Anyway we had nine or ten days until launch.

Proceeding towards Palau, on the night of March 29, our night fighter Combat Air Patrol intercepted and splashed a Japanese BETTY (twin engine bomber capable of carrying torpedoes). Since the presence of our Task Group had been discovered, it was decided we would have a pre-dawn launch.

There had been much discussion with the Air Officer regarding the spotting of my plane on the flight deck because I was to be first off and no one was quite sure how much deck was needed to get airborne with a 2000 lb. mine. Since the deck was fully spotted there was no appeal. To bed and up for the pre-dawn launch.

As we manned the planes in the pre-dawn darkness, I told my radioman, Adair, who was also the tunnel gunner to train the tunnel gun straight down and if he felt it striking the top of a wave to let me know. (Only a short time before, we had installed a radio altimeter which was supposed to give a much more accurate reading than our barometric altimeter, but complete confidence was lacking). As we took off into the blackness the radio altimeter, set for flight deck height, went immediately from yellow to red and in seconds Adair reported, "Skipper, 'the gun is bouncing!" Wheels were up and flaps bleeding slowly as I watched the radio altimeter go from red to yellow to green.

The rendezvous of our torpedo planes was accomplished with minor strain, but the accompanying fighters left something to be desired. As we approached Palau the sun was rising behind us -- a beautiful day with billowing clouds all around. Additional color was added to the scene as anti-aircraft bursts appeared as colored
- 2 -

clouds all around. we pushed over and headed for the various labyrinthine shipping lane channels. As we slowed to 120 knots and leveled off at 200 feet, you realized that the anti-aircraft guns were shooting down on you and you felt like a duck on the opening day of the hunting season!

Those mines were laid and channels closed. (On following flights the mine laying aircraft were given another 100 feet of flight deck for take-off).

Torpedo Two pilots were Lt. Cdr, J. D. Amold (Squadron Commander), Lt. Joe Moore, Lts. (jg) Kenny Glass, Troy Porterfield, Moose Langford, Ken Nelson, Clint Branham, K. G. Sull!van, Scotty Scammell, Ens. Bernard and Ens. Richards. (We lost Ens. Bereolos on the takeoff).

- 3 –

This memo was hand typed by Admiral Arnold and OCR’d for this posting.

19 January 2008 - Final Flight

2008-01-20T15:28:00.000-08:00

The photograph above shows US Navy Chaplain LCDR The Reverend Cartus Thornton reading the gospel, with Jackson E. Arnold and The Reverend Keith Acker assisting. Admiral Arnold's urn is on the table, along with the burial flag, a photograph of he and his wife and his wings and medals. Behind the portrait, his unique four star flag can be seen.

---------
Admiral Arnold's funeral service was held 19 January 2008 at the NAS North Island Chapel. Chaplain LCDR The Reverend Cartus Thornton, Wing Chaplain assisted The Reverend Keith Acker of Blessed Trinity Church of Alpine, CA, who had been Admiral Arnold's priest for the past couple of years. The Admiral's great nephew, Jackson E. Arnold was Acolyte and read High Flight, the poem by Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, the American pilot who died while flying with the RCAF four days after Pearl Harbor as the result of a mid-air collision in the UK.

The funeral was attended by his sister, Dorothy Sivyer; his brother in law, Rod McChesney, a fellow torpedo plane pilot and all 26 of his nieces and nephews, as well as numerous grand nieces and nephews and friends.

At the conclusion of the service, the 11 man Honor Guard performed the flag folding ceremony; then the flag, which had flown over both ARIZONA and HORNET, was presented to his sister, Dorothy Sivyer. Following the flag folding ceremony, the congregation went outside for the customary 21 gun salute, taps and a fly-over by two F-18 Hornets from Navy Leemore.

All of the family, the US Marine Honor Guard, the Hornet pilots all came together at a reception following the service at the lobby of the I building and I Bar, the final surviving pilot bar in the US Navy. All in all, it was as Admiral Arnold directed, "Quite an operation."

Funeral Arrangements

2008-01-09T20:39:00.000-08:00

Admiral Arnold’s funeral arrangements have been finalized as follows:

Date: 19 January 2008 - Saturday
Time: 1430 (2:30pm)
Place: NAS North Island Chapel

The funeral will be a full military honors funeral, with an Honor Guard, Flag Team and live bugler. Weather permitting there will be a Missing Man formation flyover, tentatively set to be United States Marine Corps F-18 Hornets from MCAS Miramar.

Following the funeral service, there will be a reception at the NAS North Island Officers’ Club, in the tradition of aviators everywhere. Jack asked that it be, “Quite an operation.”

If you plan on attending the funeral, and I really encourage you to do so, please let me know so we can plan for you. Also, the funeral will be held on an active military installation. If you do not have a base decal, we will need to make arrangements for a guest pass for you. If you do not provide information for the guest pass, there will be parking outside the gate with buses to the chapel and Officers’ Club. Please see the form at the end of this letter.

If you have any questions, please call or e-mail me: (800) 207-9301 • bill@arnoldoffice.com

ARIZONA Mess Treasurer

2007-12-24T14:49:00.000-08:00

Ensign Jack Arnold designed this Christmas card for Arizona's wardroom officers, probably in 1934 or 1935. Note that the lights on the tree match those on the ship.

Jack joined the wardroom of USS Arizona in 1934, shortly after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy. He was assigned as officer in charge of the aftermost of the battleship's four heavy gun mounts, Turret No. 4. In addition, he was elected mess treasurer for the wardroom, a post which he had run for on the promise that he would please one man at every meal. When one of his comrades demanded later to know why the quality of the food hadn't improved, Arnold replied that he had indeed pleased one man at every meal. When the officer demanded to know who that man was, Arnold replied, "Me. I've been happy with every meal we've had!"

Information courtesy of USS ARIZONA Preservation Project, with many thanks for the honor they do our people. Check out their project. What a wonderful site.

http://www.pastfoundation.org/Arizona/Arnold.htm

The Second Chicken Thief

2007-12-21T11:48:00.001-08:00

While AC was stationed at Fort Monroe, Virginia after World War I, Douglas MacArthur came to dinner. AC and MacArthur had been friends since serving together under Brigadier General John J. Pershing on the Mexico Punitive Expedition. The menu for the evening was fried chicken, gravy and the like. Jack’s mother, Irene, was famous throughout the Army for her fried chicken. An Arnold chicken dinner was an event not to be missed. Quite an accomplishment for a southern service.

AC being an Army captain at the time had no houseboys assigned. Thus, the job of serving the dinner fell to the eldest son, Jack. As Jack was serving the chicken, he served from the “wrong” side. Ever the gentleman, MacArthur hesitated a bit to allow service from the correct side. When it appeared Jack would not be moving he reached for the chicken. Just as he reached, Jack noticed the eye gesture from AC and quickly stepped to the other side. MacArthur grasped open air for his chicken and exclaimed, “You took my chicken!” A moment passed, as Jack started to respond MacArthur continued, “That is the second time an Arnold took my chicken!”

With that the story from a couple of years before in 1918 surfaced. AC had been on patrol with his unit, the 1/326 Infantry at Chateau-Thierry. They had gone through the lines on a reconnaissance patrol into No Man’s Land, then probed enemy lines. As they crossed back through the lines, the Germans began shelling the American position. Their entry back into the American lines was near MacArthur’s Command Post. When they got there they found the post empty, the headquarters personnel had withdraw to their bunker until the shelling ended. On the table was set a roast chicken dinner, complete with vegetables, dessert and, most important, a nice wine. With the food in sight, the shelling did not seem so near or deadly. After consuming all that had been put out, AC went to the bunker to report.

Thus, Jack became the Second Chicken Thief in the Arnold family.

ADM Jackson D. Arnold, Oral History November 2005

Night Flying aboard SAVANNAH

2007-12-19T20:13:00.000-08:00

When I was the Senior Aviator for Cruiser Scouting Squadron Eight aboard the brand new light cruiser SAVANNAH in 1939 someone at fleet got a great idea, we should try night operations. Up until that point, we were really a Day VFR Only operation. Our SOC Floatplanes were fitted for instrument flying, but we did very little of it. Anyway, the fellow up at fleet directed SAVANNAH’s air detachment to conduct a feasibility study on night operations. They apparently never thought about a gradual approach. Our first operation called for all six aircraft to launch at night and conduct a sortie, then land. The operation was to be conducted on a night with a full overcast.

The night came. We launched all six aircraft. I climbed into my cockpit, started the engine. As the gyroscopes wound up, I caged the attitude and heading gyros and called for the catapult shot. I was slammed back into my seat. When the aircraft stabilized, I uncaged the attitude indicator, then the heading indicator. Black as the inside of a cow it was. Hopefully, we were still right side up. The gyros would self correct for vertical over time and I could adjust the heading from my compass.

After flying around uselessly for about two hours, we came back to land. The ship had her lights on. She turned giving us a wake to land in. I touched down and came to a rather abrupt stop. My aircraft almost went over on her back, but she made it.

My five other aircraft all ended up upside down in the water. Frankly, I don’t think it was because I was the best pilot(although I expect I gave the others that impression), I was just way luckier. I wish I could remember the names of the other pilots and observers. Brave men, all.

That flight was my most terrifying experience of my career. It pretty well showed that at that time night flying was impractical for floatplanes. There just weren’t enough brave marines embarked to get a pilot in the plane for a second flight.

ADM Jackson D. Arnold, Oral History December 2005

Funeral Arrangements

2007-12-18T17:44:00.000-08:00

Because his nieces and nephews are so widely scattered, Jack asked that we give sufficient time for every one who wanted to come to be able to make arrangements. Because of the date of his death in relation to the Christmas holidays, his funeral has been set for:

LOCATION: NAS North Island Chapel
DATE: Saturday, 19 January 2008
TIME: 1430 (2:30pm)

There will be a reception following, currently set for the North Island Officers’ Club. Jack was stationed at NAS North Island at least three times and commanded two units there, in addition to being assigned to ARIZONA while she was home ported in San Diego. The specific date was chosen as it would have been Muriel’s 92nd birthday and they always made a big event of it. The people at North Island are honored to have the service there and are providing considerable support.

If you have any questions, please contact Bill Arnold at:

e-mail bill@arnoldoffice,com
Telephone (619) 233-1096

BB-39 ARIZONA Memories

2007-12-14T17:16:00.000-08:00

During the 1930s two of the ship’s junior officers were Ensigns Rufus Taylor* and Jackson Arnold, not long out of the Naval Academy. Half a century later, Arnold, by then a four-star admiral, recounted a time the two had gone ashore together in Panama. They stumbled onto a game of chance, and Arnold soon lost half his $20 cash supply while rolling dice. He was ready to quit, but his friend, who had been roaming around the room, encouraged him to keep on shooting. Arnold did, and he lost the remaining $10. He was thoroughly disgusted when he confronted Taylor, who—to Arnold’s amazement—gave him $60 as his share of winnings. “Where did you get that?” asked Arnold. Taylor smoothly replied, “Look, you are probably the worst crap shooter in the world. I’ve been betting against you ever since you’ve been rolling.” Another voice from the Arizona. - Paul Stillwell

From http://www.privatehenrykalinowski.org/html/facts___trivia.html

* Rufus Taylor, later Vice Admiral, USN Intelligence

The Start

2007-12-14T16:54:00.001-08:00

Admiral Jackson Dominick Arnold was a four-star admiral in the United States Navy who served as Chief of Naval Material (CNM) from 1970 to 1971.

Early Life

"Jack" Arnold was born in Gainesville, Florida, the first of five children of U.S. Army Major Albert C. "AC" Arnold and the former Irene Dominick. A far-ranging adventurer, AC Arnold had fought in the Boer War on the side of the Boers; joined the Seventh Cavalry as a trooper; been a riverboat gambler; fought beside Brigadier General John J. Pershing on the Mexico Punitive Expedition; been awarded a Distinguished Service Cross for actions with the 1/326 Infantry at Château-Thierry during World War I; gone to law school; and been assigned to several positions in the peacetime Army before rejoining the Seventh at Fort Lewis, Washington, where he passed away in 1932.

Jack grew up in Army posts around the United States. He was proud of accidentally “taking the chicken” from then-Colonel Douglas MacArthur while serving MacArthur dinner in Washington, D.C. MacArthur informed Jack that he was the second Arnold to take MacArthur’s chicken; during World War I, AC had taken an entire chicken dinner from MacArthur while he was in a bunker during a shelling.

Naval Career

Jack was appointed to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland from Fort Lewis, Washington, where his father was serving as judge advocate general for the Seventh Cavalry and was responsible for federal law west of the Mississippi River. Jack lettered in tennis at the Naval Academy,[3] and graduated with the Class of 1934 at the age of 21.

Like all Naval Academy graduates of the time, he served his first tour in what is now the Surface Warfare Community. After two years aboard the battleship Arizona as her Number 4 Turret Officer, he was selected for training as a naval aviator. Designated Naval Aviator 5551 upon graduating from Pensacola in 1937, his orders were signed by Captain William F. Halsey.

Naval Aviator

His first assignment as a naval aviator was as Material Officer with Torpedo Squadron Six, flying TBD Devastators aboard the aircraft carrier Enterprise on her maiden voyage, which included a goodwill tour of South America. During a port call in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Lieutenant (junior grade) Arnold was awarded a medal from the government of Argentina for saving the life of President Roberto María Ortiz during an assassination attempt. Arnold attended the state dinner that night in his dress whites, complete with blood spatters at the President’s request.

In 1938, he was assigned as the Senior Aviator for Cruiser Scouting Squadron Eight aboard the light cruiser Savannah, flying SOC-1 Seagull floatplanes. His most memorable aviation experience occurred during this tour when he performed night test flights to see if a floatplane could be operated in blackout conditions at sea. The conclusion was that it could, but probably not with the same pilot for more than one flight.

His next assignment was to Ford Island, Pearl Harbor in 1940, as the Engineering Test Pilot, where he met his wife-to-be, Muriel McChesney.

Attack on Pearl Harbor
During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, then-Lieutenant Arnold made his way to Pearl Harbor under fire. After quite a bit of trouble convincing the crew of a whaleboat to take him to Ford Island, his normal duty station, he finally got to the island. There, during the middle of the first wave’s attack, he fired up the only flyable Wildcat fighter on the island. A ground crew member crawled up on the wing telling him, “You can’t take this airplane!” “The heck I can’t, get off my wing!” Arnold replied. “But it doesn’t have any ammunition!” came the response.

Arnold jumped out of the airplane near the base of the airfield control tower and picked up a Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) from a Marine who did not need it anymore. A member of the All Navy Pistol Team and a longtime pistol and bird shooter, Arnold was an excellent marksman, and shot down a torpedo plane coming in to strafe the new control tower next to which he was standing. The plane crashed on the field. Between the two waves, Jack and a couple of sailors went over to look at the wreckage. Discovering it belonged to the first wave’s Torpedo Squadron Commander, they drank the downed pilot's sake and returned to the battle. That kill from the ground was later to make Jack the only known pilot who shot down five aircraft (one with a BAR, two with an Avenger torpedo bomber, and two with a Hellcat fighter) who was not an ace.

During the lull between attacks he commandeered a motor whaleboat and began picking up survivors from Arizona and other ships in the harbor. The first person his boat pulled from the water was the Petty Officer in Charge of the Number Four turret on Arizona. Jack did not recognize him as he looked like a seal, black with oil head to toe.
Before leaving Pearl Harbor, he married Muriel McChesney on 16 January 1942.

Carrier Group Two

Then-Lieutenant Commander Arnold was sent to at Naval Air Station Quonset Point as Commander Torpedo Squadron Two,[1] whose patch he designed, flying the new TBF Avenger torpedo bomber with the newly forming Carrier Air Group TWO. The Group was assigned to new aircraft carrier Hornet for her first war cruise. After a short time, then-Commander Arnold was designated Commander Air Group TWO, callsign "Ripper Leader", flying the F6-F Hellcat fighter.

The job of Air Group Commander (CAG) brought a new challenge. The job was offered at 2200, the night before the invasion of Iwo Jima, where Hornet was to play a pivotal role in close air support. The first takeoff was at 0430, to allow the aircraft to be over the beach 30 minutes prior to sunrise. Although an experienced pilot with flight time in an extremely wide variety of aircraft, Arnold had never flown a Hellcat. After planning the attack, he went down to the flight deck and boarded the CAG aircraft with its 99 on the nose. With a flashlight under a blanket, he familiarized himself with the aircraft, then went to his room for a brief rest. The self-checkout must have worked. He made his first Hellcat takeoff at night, into combat. On that very first flight he got the only two kills he was to get in the Hellcat.

At the Battle of the Philippine Sea, he was handed a contact report that indicated the possible presence of the enemy fleet at a point too far west for a round-trip flight. Eager for battle, he declared that regardless of how far west the enemy was found, he would lead an attack, regroup as many planes as possible, and fly eastward until fuel ran out. He felt that a mass ditching would allow the downed aircrews to support each other until the arrival of the task force, which would be summoned to their location with Morse code messages prior to ditching. During the actual attack, he personally scored a damaging near miss on the aircraft carrier Zuikaku, then led his flight back to base and assisted several in his group in landing in darkness under extremely difficult conditions before boarding the carrier himself, a feat for which he was awarded the Navy Cross.

Hornet and her Air Group supported operations in Palau, Guam, Iwo Jima, Saipan and Tinian and the Battle of the Philippine Sea. During the cruise, he flew 165 combat hours, made 4 Japanese aircraft kills, and was awarded two Navy Crosses, a Silver Star, a Distinguished Service Medal, two Distinguished Flying Crosses and seven Air Medals. Air Group Two finished the war after two cruises as the Pacific’s highest scoring Air Group in terms of tonnage sunk and the second in terms of air-to-air kills.

Postwar

After his tour as CAG, he was assigned to Washington, DC for staff tours, serving in the Aviation Plans Division of the office of the deputy chief of naval operations from 1944 to 1946 and as head of the Integrated Aeronautic Program Unit with additional duty as secretary of the Air Planning Group from 1946 to 1947.

He returned to sea in 1948 as Air Officer aboard the aircraft carrier Boxer. He was in the first group to check out in the McDonnell Phantom (later the Phantom I), the first carrier-borne jet fighter. After that tour, he was offered command of Boxer. With the absolute independence he was known for, he said, “No thank you. I have been at sea since 1934, I’d like a stateside tour, then I’ll be happy to take her to sea.” Turning down a command is never good; turning down command of a carrier, particularly Boxer, the newest of the best, is the end of a career.

Chief of Naval Material

Jack was designated an Aeronautical Engineering Duty Officer and assigned to Naval Air Station North Island as the Overhaul and Repair Officer. There he met the man who was to be his best friend and neighbor, Commander Johnny Olson, who had joined the Navy as a Ship’s Carpenter in 1903 and was now the Commander of the Aircraft Repair and Overhaul Unit.
After another staff tour, Arnold attended Harvard University, where he got his Masters in Business Administration in 1952. Subsequent assignments in the various Bureaus of Aeronautics, Weapons and Materiel, culminating in an assignment as the Force Material Officer on the staff of Commander Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet in 1963, gave Arnold a well-rounded background which made him the logical choice to succeed Admiral Ignatius J. Galantin as the final Chief of the Bureau of Naval Materiel and the first Commander of the newly formed Naval Material Command. The fact that he kept current as a Naval Aviator made him a standout choice for promotion.

He became Deputy Chief of Naval Material for Logistic Support in 1966, Vice Chief of Naval Material in 1967, and Chief of Naval Material in June 1970. He was advanced to the rank of full admiral on October 14, 1970, the first restricted line officer to attain that rank.

He retired from the Navy on November 30, 1971, and was replaced at Naval Material Command by a longtime friend and shipmate, Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, Jr.

Retirement

After moving around the country and being at sea for years, Arnold retired to Rancho Santa Fe, California, where he built a home of his own design for himself and his wife Muriel. They were both active in the Rancho Santa Fe Garden Club and other activities in the community.

In retirement, Arnold stayed active in aviation, joining the Cubic Corporation Board of Directors, the Golden Eagles, the San Diego Aerospace Museum and various other naval aviation oriented groups. Ever the artist, he continued drawing and working in his garden. Occasionally, he would put an entry into the Rancho Santa Fe Garden Club show, almost always gaining a ribbon or two. Towards the end of his life, Jack spent most of his time in his living room watching television. He loved to watch cavalry, western, and action movies. A particular favorite was Walker, Texas Ranger.

Although the Arnolds had no children of their own, they were very close to their families, the McChesneys and the Arnolds. They spent a lot of time with their nieces and nephews over the years. Somehow the assignments always kept them near their family and they got an opportunity to be with them. Leading by example, he passed his values throughout the family: God, honor, country, politeness, and preparing for all of life.