"Would I choose not to join? No. I couldn’t ... I couldn’t take that experience ...
I would want to do it all over again."
~ Keith Arnold (32:59)

Keith Arnold's Story:

Keith Arnold has always been a man of hard work. As a kid, he grew up with a father who had been in the Marines, his mother, and six siblings. His father was very structured so at young age he learned the principals of being prepared, being organized, and accepting challenges. When he was a kid, Mr. Arnold didn't see himself going into the Marine Corps. He wanted to be a teacher and a coach. Mr. Arnold went to college, but, two years after attending, he decided to join the Marine Corps. He went through extensive training at Parris Island to prepare for the Marine Corps. There were times when he wanted to give up, but Mr. Arnold persevered.

Keith Arnold was activated in November of 1966. He had to report the day after Thanksgiving, and was given two weeks to prepare. During his time in the Vietnam War, he was stationed on an aircraft carrier in the ocean for all three years. He then came back from the war and finished collage. Mr. Arnold became a teacher and a coach just like he wanted to be when he was young.

Mr. Arnold went into the Marine Corps reserves in 1983. He was then put back into action again in 1990 to fight in The Gulf War. The Golf War had just started in August and he was deployed later in December. Mr. Arnold was sent to Saudi Arabia and walked Kuwait. Despite being in the dessert, it was cold. During the day he wasn't too hot, the temperature was perfect but at night it was frigid. The living conditions weren't the best either. Mr Arnold's tent was more like a clear poncho where at night he could up look at the stars. He ate MREs (meals ready to eat) which were basically freeze dried foods, and had no access to showers. The desert was desolate. there was one paved road but that's all there was for miles.

Mr. Arnold traveled all the way up to the Persian Gulf where he fought during G-day (ground day). When he arrived, the first thing he noticed was that there was no wind. However the skies quickly became pitch black from the smoke of the burning oil fields. Because of this, he lost air support, but still continued fighting.

When Mr. Arnold finally came home he was overjoyed to see his family again. Although, he didn't come home right away. He first stopped at Camp Lejeune in Wilmington, North Carolina for a few weeks. He then made his journey home by bus all the way to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. His family was standing amongst a crowd of people holding signs, welcoming their return.

A few weeks after coming home, Mr. Arnold went back to working at the Brewster Recreation Department. One of the secretaries noticed how he had been angry when he first came home from the war, but the pore time that passed the better it got. Mr. Arnold still keeps in touch with his friends from the war. He attends luncheons held by the Semper Fidelis Society where he sees his friends and fellow veterans.

Today, Keith Arnold is a veteran, retired teacher and coach, and a friend to many.