About the Book Dig & Dig Deep

Dig & Dig Deep is the compelling narrative of one embattled teenager whom destiny protected, and the path he walked to keep a battlefield pledge alive.

From a small town in upstate NY to the fields of Bastogne and back again, Private Richard "Dick" Arnold reconstructs his grueling journey as a front line combat infantry foot soldier and radio operator on his tour of duty in the European theatre.

From basic training to the liberation of Buchenwald, he shares his observations on human nature and our capacity for unimaginable cruelty...and great compassion.

This book was 65 years in the making as Dick came to grips with his experiences and was finally able to put what he went through in words. His story is written chronologically in the first person and is a rare glimpse into a WWII veteran's path through military service, encompassing academy and basic training straight through to discharge from Army service. 

About the Author Richard "Dick" Arnold

Dick was born on Oct. 14, 1925, in Syracuse, N.Y., son of the late Benjamin S. and Rosetta W. Arnold, both of Syracuse and was the youngest of three children.

In 1939, Dick entered the Manlius Military Academy where he remained active in many extracurricular activities which included football, basketball, softball, tennis, golf, and the Cadet Band. He acted as editor-in-chief of the school newspaper and graduated with the rank of Corporal in 1943.

He reported for active military duty on Nov. 17, 1944, was assigned to the 87th Acorn Division of the U.S. Army on March 4 of the same year, and began his tour of duty in the European Theatre of World War II at the age of 19.

Dick was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries sustained while fighting in the Battle for Bastogne as a front line radio operator, went on to help liberate the Buchenwald Death Camp in April of 1944, and was honorably discharged from service on Jan. 26, 1945, with the rank of Private First Class.

About the Project

From start to finish this project was a labor of love by everyone involved. Richard Arnold wrote this memoir out of love of freedom, truth, and children all over the world so than the mistakes humankind made which led to WWII would never be repeated.

Guido DiMatteo III formatted, illustrated, transcribed, and published this book out of love for his grandfather as well as a deep-seated love of reading.

Frederick Gale MD edited hundreds of pages of text and performed exhaustive factual research out of love for his Uncle and the well crafted written word.

All development time and resources were donated to this project in following with Dick's desire to eliminate project costs wherever possible.

About the Publisher

2 Flowers Publishing was established in 2011 by Guido DiMatteo III (Dick's grandson) in order to publish and protect Richard Arnold's WWII memoirs.

As a result of Dick's inspiring work with kids over the years, 2 Flowers Publishing plans on releasing subject matter appropriate children's literature for young advanced readers in order to carry his legacy forward for generations to come. 

About the Editor

Frederick Gale, MD, FACS (Richard Arnold's nephew) is a graduate of Yale University. He is Board certified in General Surgery (residency at UCLA; and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard), and trained in the subspecialty of Infectious Diseases (Barnes Hospital, Washington University).

Fred has won awards for teaching excellence in both of these disciplines, and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He spent 25 years researching how doctors and patients make healthcare decisions, and is currently involved in research on how medications perform in real-world settings.