John Arnold lives in Glenoma, Washington with his wife, of 38 years. He was born in Kennewick, Washington. His family immediately moved to Lewiston, Idaho. He learned to love the great outdoors from his father who hunted every year to keep the family freezer filled. Hunting camp was a big to do, it unusually lasted the entire hunting season, with base camps and numerous hunting jaunts from it. As a child in Idaho hunting consisted of bounty hunting for magpies, and ground squirrels. He learned horsemanship, tracking, hunting skills and an awesome since of navigation, from his days in the Idaho Mountains. He shot his first elk when he was 12, using his Dad’s 308. He then ventured with his father to South America and ending up in Arkansas. In Arkansas, when he was in his late teens, he enjoyed hunting and fishing and capturing poisonous snakes for a local college research project.

After a 3 year tour in the Army during the Vietnam era he returned to Arkansas where,  he studied for an BS degree in Wildlife and Fishery Management, in college, until he, volunteered for the Army Reserve in 1980, and eventually retired in 1993, from active Reserve. During his time in the Army he worked as a Helicopter Pilot, Maintenance test pilot, Aviation Life-support and Equipment Officer, Survival Escape and Evasion Instructor, and as an Executive Officer. His overseas duties included Korea, Germany, Hawaii, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq. Yes, he went to Desert Shield/Storm, as the maintenance test pilot, he spent most of his time flying the broken Blackhawks to King Fahd Airport to be repaired.

His main love is hunting and fishing in Washington State, so when he retired from the Army he settled in Glenoma, buying a house with acreage, and creating a farm, with horses, chickens, and an occasional cow. He started a business, NW Cabulance and it now operates in 3 Washington counties. Then he was re-called to active Reserve service in 2002 during Iraqi Freedom.

Like everyone, he took the CORT class and completed Check Station Training and then continued working the check stations and attending the meetings. Eventually the Wildlife director position came available and he accepted the challenge. He states “It has been a very eye opening experience for me, working with the WDFW. I have a greater understanding and respect for the service the Fish and Wildlife Biologist/and Enforcement are providing”. He is now working with the web site to try to open the channels of communication between the WDFW and EITW members.

He also volunteers for Lewis County sheriff’s department, where he participates in crime scene searches, disaster relief, Child ID, various parade’s and he is training his yellow lab to search for missing people.