BY KADIE TAYLOR
FOR THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA —Veteran, James “Jimbo” Arnold Jr. is living proof that it is never too late to learn. After serving in the Army for 20 years, the retired sergeant first class is now pursuing his bachelor’s in electrical and computer engineering at Auburn University.
But his story to continuing education started in New Hampshire where Arnold joined the Army immediately after high school, inspired by his older brother and a passion for working with helicopters.
“I was fascinated with helicopters, and I wanted to go into the Army and become a helicopter mechanic,” he said. “So my senior year, at 17 years old, I enlisted to ship out when I graduated. I actually went to basic training five days after I graduated high school in June of 1986. So my first job was as a helicopter repairman.”
After working for the Army for five years, Arnold said he wanted to try civilian life but was told by a superior he was an Army man and would be back in a couple years. His superior was correct — he missed the Army and returned for another 15 years.
“I’ve been assigned to Korea, Germany and Iraq via Kuwait,” he said. “So I’ve been to those four places based on the Army. I was assigned to Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Knox, Kentucky, when we had the armor center there, my second job when I came back in 1995 and was as an Abrams tank mechanic. So I did that for 15 years in the Army.”
Through his experiences serving overseas, Arnold said he grew in his pride and appreciation for America and the freedoms provided.
“There are some countries where you don’t get an opinion, and you get what the government gives you,” he said. “Here, you are so blessed that your rights and liberties are invoked based on the Constitution, and no one can take them away. So I think if Americans were to go see other places in the world, they might change their perception of what they have at home, but I think for a lot of them, they’ve never left. Some of them have never left the state they live in.
“There was a young man who was arrested in North Korea for being defamatory to, I want to say, the President, but the Supreme Leader of North Korea. So your rights [as an American] don’t extend to a foreign country. You need to follow the rules, laws and norms of where you’re at and be respectful of that country.”
Along with pride in his country, Arnold said as he learned from senior leaders in the Army to have pride in his service — a lesson he has carried throughout his life a veteran.
“When I first came in, I was proud to be coming into the Army, because it wasn’t that far after Vietnam; it was the mid-80s, so there was a sense of pride and privilege to be able to serve, because not everybody can go into the service,” he said. “So when I first came in, I was not necessarily focused on the prestige of being in the military, but as I got stationed in Alaska at my first permanent duty station, the senior noncommissioned officers that we were around were all Vietnam era veterans, and they helped create that sense of pride that you represent the Army, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, while you wear the uniform and after.”
As Arnold reflects on the pride and patriotism he carries, he expressed his wishes for younger soldiers to have that same pride in their sacrifice and service.
“When people first started thanking me after Iraq kicked off in 2003, I wouldn’t say anything, but I learned from some of the other veterans that America wants to thank you based on serving and possibly sacrificing your life,” he said. “So I kind of overcame it, but that sense of pride is something that we hold personally. I would say, I don’t want to pick on the younger service members today, but somehow we lost that sense of pride that we serve 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That was our sense of honor.”
While serving overseas, the American flag and National Anthem were reminders of what Arnold and the other soldiers were fighting for, but now, it is a reminder of all of the sacrifices made for Americans’ freedoms, Arnold said. Now when he sees these symbols for America he said he is reminded of all of the sacrifices made for American’s freedoms.
“I served for 20 years, so if the colors are going by, I will stand at attention,” he said. “Taking action against the representation of the country, flag or the national anthem because of something you believe that you want to support isn’t within the paradigm of what the flag and the national anthem represent, and if you’re disrespectful to the flag or the national anthem, you’re disrespectful to me.”
While serving out of Germany in the Unit 126 Infantry from 2006 to 2007, Arnold experienced loss firsthand — something he, like many others, still navigates today.
“We changed the structure of the unit to fit what we’re doing for maneuver and war,” he said. “As a battalion, we lost 31 guys. That was probably the most overwhelming thing I’ve been through; it’s hard to swallow. It’s even tougher to get over emotionally after. It doesn’t go away. It’s just always in the background somewhere. But you learn to never forget that. And so that’s probably why I have such a high sense of emotion for Veterans Day.”
With Veterans Day approaching, Arnold said he will take time to reflect on those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for American’s freedom.
“It’s a day for me to remember those who sacrificed their life for the greater cause,” he said. “I may not go out to a parade, [or] do anything but I think of them every day.”
Arnold also said on Veterans Day, he especially tries to take time to honor their memory.
“They did sacrifice, they did make the ultimate sacrifice for what they believed in,” Arnold said.
After his military service Arnold lived in several different places, eventually moving to Huntsville, Alabama, to be near his daughter. After finding out most of the jobs he wanted required a degree, he moved to Auburn to go back to school.
“I was pursuing an electronics technician positions that required an engineering degree, so I looked into the VA sending me back to college, and got approved,” he said. “I do have an Associate Degree in Applied Science from Central Texas College. I transferred from there to Auburn, so they recognized a bunch of my classes.”
As he navigates tough Auburn engineering classes, he carries his dedication, discipline and perseverance from the Army, Arnold said.
Outside of his studies, Arnold often visits Irish Bread Pub, where he said he enjoys chatting with workers and regulars having built a community for himself there.
“I’ve gotten to know most of the staff, it’s a comfortable place,” he said. “They have some of the best food you can get locally. The staff is very courteous and considerate with everyone.”
He also said he is enjoying campus activities.
“I ran into a couple at an Auburn basketball game, and they asked me, ‘Jim have you rolled Toomer’s?’” he said. “I was confused and said, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ She said, ‘toilet paper.’ I was like, ‘What?’ They told me, ‘You have to come with us. When the game’s done, we’re gonna go over and roll Toomer’s Corner.’ I was like, ‘you brought toilet paper?’ She said, ‘We have a 40-pack roll.’ So we went over there, and when we got to Toomer’s Corner, the trees were already covered, and you can barely walk around out there when they’re rolling it.”
With classes, campus activities and meeting up with friends at Irish Bred Pub, Arnold said has put down roots here on The Plains.
