Former Marine Helps Combat Veterans Heal Through Rec Program

Bill Arnold always had the passion to serve his country. Coming from a family of five generations of veterans, military service was ingrained in him. 

But while driving home from a funeral of a veteran he once commanded, the question hit him – “Could I do more to support veterans struggling after combat?”  

That’s when the former Marine Corps officer established Blue Diamond Recreation, a nonprofit organization in Fort Worth, Texas, providing outdoor activities, fishing, hiking, and other sports, to assist veterans and their families, especially when they’re coping with mental health issues. Blue Diamond Recreation plans 6-10 retreats each year, offering peer support and ways to connect with other veterans. 

“The effects of war, it all comes back to the ripple effect,” Arnold said. “It affects everybody.”

Arnold told Fort Worth Report that his organization has 39 members and continues to grow. 

First-Hand Combat Experience 

In the Marine Corps, Arnold was thrust into combat situations on several occasions. 

He was deployed to Iraq during Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s, commanding the Scout Platoon, Regimental Combat Team-1, 1st Marine Division. 

Arnold became a reservist in 1994, transitioning to a career as a teacher for Fort Worth Country Day School. He enjoyed the break from full-time military duty while still maintaining a connection to the Marines. 

That changed on Sept. 11, 2001. Arnold watched on TV in stunned disbelief as the terrorist attacks unfolded in New York City and Washington, D.C. Again, he felt the urge to serve his country, but in what way? He asked his wife, Debbie, if he should return to active duty. 

“I specifically remember Debby looking at me and saying, ‘You’re a great Marine.’ I thought to myself, I’m still fit and relatively young,” Arnold said.

He decided to return to active duty; however, the choice weighed heavily on his family, including three kids, and his students at Country Day. 

“The real heroes are the military spouses,” Arnold said. “My wife found herself as a single parent for the first time, with three children and a husband deployed to one of the most dangerous places in the world at that time.” 

He was about to find out how dangerous it was. 

Arnold was sent to Fallujah, Iraq, to lead a scout platoon. The unit fought in the Second Battle of Fallujah, the deadliest battle of the war in Iraq. Coalition forces lost more than 100 troops, with over 600 wounded. More than 3,000 enemy insurgents fell, but so did thousands of civilians. More than half of Fallujah’s mosques suffered damage. The fighting raged on for six weeks, the most intense urban combat since the Vietnam War. 

In 2005, Arnold’s deployment ended. He returned to Fort Worth, reuniting with family, friends, and his students. 

The Marine couldn’t shake Fallujah, though. 

“My first tour was in peacetime, so the sights, smells, and the sounds of the battlefield were something that I was unfamiliar with,” Arnold said. “Because the battle had become a touchstone for me, every time I saw a traumatic news story, or if it was cold outside, everything came back to Fallujah.” 

For a while, Arnold tried to brush past the flashbacks. He tried to acclimate to life as a civilian. But he realized the battle had become a part of him. 

Saved Lives in Combat 

Mike Shupp, a retired Marine Corps colonel, said Arnold was constantly responsible for saving lives. Arnold and Shupp served together in Iraq. 

“Arnold was responsible for my security as a regimental commander,” Shupp said. “He kept me alive every day.”

Shupp remembers Arnold setting up checkpoints throughout Fallujah, making certain there would be no additional Marines wounded or killed after U.S. forces secured the city. He had an instinct to help his fellow comrades. Twenty years later, as he works to give veterans recreational opportunities, that instinct has not faded. 

“Seeing Bill’s example makes me a better person and a better Marine, because it makes me realize that I have to be supportive of these things as well,” Shupp said. 

The Need to Give Back 

Giving back, whether through military service or teaching, has become a core tenet of Arnold’s life. 

It all started when he earned a scholarship in high school to attend Virginia Military Institute. He received a bachelor’s degree in history from VMI and a master’s in history from the University of Texas at Arlington. He became a commissioned second lieutenant in 1990, serving in Quantico, Virginia. 

Arnold and other veterans will be honored in November for their service at an event hosted by the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas. 

He recently retired from teaching, devoting himself fully to Blue Diamond Recreation. 

After all, there will always be veterans who need a helping hand. 

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