Arnest, Richard Tuberville
Title
Arnest, Richard Tuberville
Last Name
Arnest
First and Middle Name
Richard Turberville
Hometown
Hauge, Virginia
County and/or State
Westmoreland County, Virginia
Birth Date
5 December 1892
Birthplace
Hauge, Virginia
Death Date
23 December 1969
Place of Death
Hauge, Virginia
Parents
Thomas Maund Arnest and Gertrude Turberville Beale
Spouse(s)
Bertha Elizabeth Orr
Children
Captain Richard Turberville Arnest Jr.
VPI Graduating Class
1914
Graduated
No, but attended VPI during the 1910-1911 school year. Transferred and received a degree in medicine at University of Maryland.
Unit
Ambulance Company 113, 104th Sanitary Train, 29th Division
Rank
1st Lieutenant, ended war as Captain
Retired Rank
Continued in military service and retired as Colonel
Military Events
- Sailed to France in Ambulance Company 113 on 5 July 1918 on the Aquitania.
- Listed on transport from France on the USS Manchuria on 11 May 1919 serving with Ambulance Company 113, 104th Sanitary Train. However, transferred to American Embarkation Center, AEF with the 29th Disision on 26 April 1919.
Decorations or Citations
Received the Silver Star, citation reads:
"Action Date:
October 8, 1918
GHQ, American Expeditionary Forces, Citation Orders No. 1 (June 3, 1919)
By direction of the President, under the provisions of the act of Congress approved July 9, 1918 (Bul. No. 43, W.D., 1918), First Lieutenant (Medical Corps) Richard T. Arnest, United States Army, is cited by the Commanding General, American Expeditionary Forces, for gallantry in action and a silver star may be placed upon the ribbon of the Victory Medals awarded him. First Lieutenant Arnest distinguished himself by gallantry in action while serving with 104th Sanitary Train, American Expeditionary Forces, in action near Bois de Consenvoye, France, 8 October 1918, in caring for the wounded under heavy shell fire."
"Action Date:
October 8, 1918
GHQ, American Expeditionary Forces, Citation Orders No. 1 (June 3, 1919)
By direction of the President, under the provisions of the act of Congress approved July 9, 1918 (Bul. No. 43, W.D., 1918), First Lieutenant (Medical Corps) Richard T. Arnest, United States Army, is cited by the Commanding General, American Expeditionary Forces, for gallantry in action and a silver star may be placed upon the ribbon of the Victory Medals awarded him. First Lieutenant Arnest distinguished himself by gallantry in action while serving with 104th Sanitary Train, American Expeditionary Forces, in action near Bois de Consenvoye, France, 8 October 1918, in caring for the wounded under heavy shell fire."
Battles or Engagements
Meuse Argonne Offensive
Other Events
During the Second World War, Colonel Richard T. Arnest one of the officer in charge of caring for soldiers at the 93rd Evacuation Hospital near Santo Stefano. One of his patients was Private Paul G. Bennett of the 17th Field Artillery Regiment who was suffering from shell shock. When visiting the hospital, General George S. Patton slapped Bennett with his hand and yelled to the hospital's commanding officer to remove the private from the hospital before striking Bennett again. Colonel Arnest wrote a report on this incident and submitted copies of this incident to Lt. General Omar Bradley and Brig. General Frederick Blesse. This report eventually made it to Eisenhower to ordered an investigation.
1927 "Virginia Polytehnic Institute in the World War" booklet
No
Bibliography
- Military Times Hall of Valor for Richard Arnest: https://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient/recipient-80065/
Files
Collection
Citation
“Arnest, Richard Tuberville,” VPI in World War I, accessed March 9, 2025, https://vpiworldwarone.lib.vt.edu/items/show/1193.
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