When he was 17, Arch found a recruiter and signed up to join the Navy. He headed to Boston for a swearing-in ceremony and was shipped out less than a month later. At the Great Lakes Naval Academy, they provided him with a duffel bag and a shovel (for the snow). After six months there, he completed his training and was sent to Rhode Island for his first duty station as a Seaman. During this time, he visited with Bea by borrowing cars to drive between Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Afterward, he was stationed in Iceland, primarily for automotive mechanic training. Although getting his request for leave approved was tricky, he was able to marry Bea during this time. The rest of his tour in Iceland was challenging, as Arch did not adjust well to the long periods of darkness/light that occur in the Arctic Circle. After this training, he didn’t receive the rating he had hoped for and went back to being a Seaman.

Once he returned stateside, Arch was stationed in Virginia Beach and worked on the Admiral’s yacht. In April of 1965, his ship was sent underway to the Dominican Republic due to a political uprising. While the violence was contained and a new government was set in place with the aid of US intervention, Arch found himself missing the birth of his first child: his daughter, Lisa.

When he returned home, his wife was a bit miffed at only receiving a quick kiss from him before he started fawning over his daughter. He replied, "I’ve seen you before, but I want to see my new daughter!” In between changing diapers and learning how to be a father, he was assigned to the USS Beverly W. Reid and later the USS Little. Two years later, his son, Paul, was born. However, Arch received transfer orders and had to leave to South Weymouth, Massachusetts, only two weeks later. At South Weymouth, he was part of the base police and was chosen as the Sailor of the Month in February of 1968. His family lived in Fitchburg and Arch traveled there regularly to be with them.

He received orders to Naval Air Station Point Mugu in California. He was a Craftmaster and was in charge of a craft with a crane, which stopped civilian boats from coming into the waters of the air station. One day at 5AM, a sudden and violent storm hit. An Air Force helicopter was trying to bring a drone back to shore, but their cable broke. Arch said he and his crew would ensure the drone was safe. He worked until 2AM to secure the drone. Arch returned to the pier to find his family waiting for him there, as the storm had surfaced so quickly and they weren’t able to send out any communication. Although some liked to tease Arch for his smaller stature, he knew, "It doesn’t matter the size of the person, it’s the ability to get it done.” Some in the Command were also reluctant to take Arch seriously because he was a First Class rather than a Chief. However, Arch took his job as a Craftmaster seriously and notes, "It all depends on how you take your command.”

He was then sent to Survival School, which was meant to prepare the group for supporting operations in Vietnam. In September of 1966, the USS Passumpsic AO-107 oiler set sail. They were dry docked in the Philippines, in charge of refueling four rigs for 10 months.

When their deployment was complete, his detailer gave him a choice: to go to Japan or an aircraft carrier. He picked Japan and was there on a tender for a year. He loved his crew, earning several awards for his excellent leadership and care for the men. During this time, he was separated from his family for almost two years, so he was happy to land in Long Beach afterward.

Two months later, in 1973, Arch and his family were stationed in Hawaii on a submarine base for three years. He loved his time there, enjoying relaxing days on the beach with his children. He even purchased a VW Bus with working music and AC for their adventures.

To end his career, Arch went to the Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek in Norfolk. There, he oversaw LTV, a type of landing craft. (He was the first First Class ever to take charge of LTV.) After being enlisted from 1961-1980, Arch retired with 19 years and 3 months of service as an E-6 in the Navy.

Arch stayed in Little Creek with his family after his retirement. He loved the area and lived happily there for many years. He worked for the Hartz Mountain Corporation, a company that was known for its flea collars for dogs and cats. As a regional manager, he oversaw the VA, NC, and MD branches.

After Bea’s passing in 2004, he remained for an additional two years before moving to Woodbridge. He quickly got involved with the VFW and has been part of our Post 1503 community since 2006.

He has also continued with his hobby of golfing, a sport he has enjoyed for over 40 years. (Arch started playing when he was stationed in Virginia Beach.) Although he may not be as intense of a player as he was in his younger years, he still enjoys a good round of golf with his buddies.

As his grandchildren live close by, Arch gets to enjoy their company regularly. Arch still pops into the VFW for a few drinks and a bit of his trademark mischief. His words of wisdom are a reminder that "everybody needs a sense of humor.”

• - Quite the crooner in his youth, Arch used to sing for his local Catholic Church where he served as an altar boy. He was excellent at mimicking other singers and even won a state singing championship with his solo rendition of Ave Maria.
• - One day, Arch and his friends were caught by the Catholic priest eating the unconsecrated hosts and drinking the communion wine. The priest was not happy about the boys drinking all his wine.
• - Although Arch eventually signed with the Navy, a Marine Corps recruiter tried his best to sway Arch into another branch. The recruiter exclaimed, "Hey, you’d look good behind a machine gun!” But Arch retorted, "Yeah, but they shoot back, dummy!”
• - While three others from Arch’s hometown had also signed up to join the military, Arch found he was the only one who showed up at the train station when the time came to report.
• - On his first day off from training at the Great Lakes Naval Academy, Arch was invited to get a meal in town. However, when they were unexpectedly delayed in their return due to his ride arriving late, he was sent back, which meant he ended up missing his then-fiancée’s graduation and prom.
• - His young fiancée, Bea, was not happy with the separation when Arch was stationed in Iceland, and even attempted to send the engagement ring back. However, he returned it to her, joking that it was already paid for so she might as well keep it.
• - While he was at his first duty station, Arch found himself pulled over with a borrowed car. He discovered the lights were illegally blacked out, but the officer took pity on him and made sure he knew how to get to his destination safely.
• - When Arch put in for leave to get married, it was turned down. However, Bea’s father was the Mayor of the town and contacted the Governor. Arch’s Captain was not pleased and told him he didn’t want him contacting his local Congressman. Arch thanked his Captain for unwittingly identifying his Congressman, and sharply told him that he indeed planned to write to him now that he knew his name. Afterward, thanks to the intervention of his Congressman, Arch's leave was approved.
• - About 40 years ago, Arch had a grand mal seizure, which impacted his memory. Although he had to re-learn some of the aspects of his life, like the existence of his daughter-in-law, he also completely forgot that he was a smoker.
• - While serving with the base police in South Weymouth, Arch wrote a Captain’s wife a ticket. Needless to say, he got an earful about that, as he didn’t know who she was.
• - Although Arch had the opportunity to work toward an E-7 promotion before his retirement, doing so would require another cruise, which meant he would have to miss his children’s graduations. After missing their births due to deployments and faraway duty stations, he made the decision to be there for this important milestone in their lives.