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Contact Info
Home Town Burley, Idaho
Last Address Born: Mapleton Utah Raised in: Burley, Idaho Buried: Idaho State Veterans Cemetery, Boise.
Date of Passing Dec 15, 2009
Location of Interment Idaho State Veterans Cemetery - Boise, Idaho
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Last Known Activity:
Arvel Milton Rudolph
He was born January 19, 1926 at Mapleton Utah, the son of Archie Milton Rudolph and Inez Perry Rudolph. He was the first son, and one of nine children. He moved with his family to Burley, Idaho when he was 11 months old. He lived there until he was 16, when he moved to Boise, working at a café until he moved to Seattle, Washington to work for Boeing Aircraft. On August 12, 1943, at the age of 17, he joined the Navy. He took his basic training at Farragut and then went to Treasure Island, California where he was involved in the commissioning of the destroyer U.S.S. Twining. He spent most of his time in the Navy aboard the Twinning in the Pacific fleet fighting the Japanese. His ship escorted the U.S.S. Missouri into Tokyo Bay when Japan surrendered. He was discharged from the Navy in 1945 at the end of the war after two years of service, he was 19. and in 1946, he met the love of his life, Norma Shepard. They were married in 1947 in Burley, Idaho. Arvel spent his entire working career as a master carpenter. In 1967, he moved to Boise to become a building supervisor for Hon Construction Co.. This work allowed him the opportunity of building in Everett, Washington, Sun Valley, Cascade and Boise. He was preceded in death by his parents Archie and Inez, and brother Jim. He is survived by his wife of 62 years Norma; sons Rick and wife Jan Rudolph, Martinez, Ca., Layne and wife Cheryl, Boise, daughter Kara and husband Jack Lewis, Nampa, Idaho, six grandchildren, and six great grandchildren; sisters Maxine Twedt, Lancaster, California, Bernyce Kalblinger, Nampa, Opal Wilcox, Twin Falls, Dixie Montgomery, Boise and brothers Perry Rudolph, Placerville, Ca., Reid Rudolph, Cheyenne, Wyoming and Riece Rudolph, Burley . Arvel was active in community service. He was President of the Burley Jaycees, a Boy Scout leader, a Cub Scout Leader, member of the Elks, Toastmasters and received an Idaho Life Merit Award for his work in PTA. He had a love of the outdoors, enjoying hunting, fishing, camping, and spending time with his Good Sam group, the "Boise River Eagles." He enjoyed wintering in Yuma, Arizona. He spent his retirement building furniture and teaching his grandchildren the love of fishing and camping. The family wishes to express gratitude and thanks to the staff at the Idaho State Veterans Home for the loving care they gave Arvel during his three years there. He was buried at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery, Boise.
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World War II/Asiatic-Pacific Theater/Okinawa Gunto Operation
From Month/Year
March / 1945
To Month/Year
June / 1945
Description The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg. was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945. After a long campaign of island hopping, the Allies were approaching Japan, and planned to use Okinawa, a large island only 340 mi (550 km) away from mainland Japan, as a base for air operations on the planned invasion of Japanese mainland (coded Operation Downfall). Four divisions of the U.S. 10th Army (the 7th, 27th, 77th, and 96th) and two Marine Divisions (the 1st and 6th) fought on the island. Their invasion was supported by naval, amphibious, and tactical air forces.
The battle has been referred to as the "typhoon of steel" in English, and tetsu no ame ("rain of steel") or ("violent wind of steel") in Japanese. The nicknames refer to the ferocity of the fighting, the intensity of kamikaze attacks from the Japanese defenders, and to the sheer numbers of Allied ships and armored vehicles that assaulted the island. The battle resulted in the highest number of casualties in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Based on Okinawan government sources, mainland Japan lost 77,166 soldiers, who were either killed or committed suicide, and the Allies suffered 14,009 deaths (with an estimated total of more than 65,000 casualties of all kinds). Simultaneously, 42,000–150,000 local civilians were killed or committed suicide, a significant proportion of the local population. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki together with the Soviet invasion of Manchuria caused Japan to surrender less than two months after the end of the fighting on Okinawa.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
March / 1945
To Month/Year
June / 1945
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories Plank Owner and service from 1943-1945 on the USS Twining DD-540; awarded: AMERICAN AREA Campaign, 8 Battle Stars ASIATIC-PACIFIC AREA including Marianas Campaign, Tinian Campaign, Paulau Campaign, Leyte Campaign, Luzon Campaign, Iwo Jima Campaign, Okinawa Gunto Campaign, PHILIPPINE LIBERATION ribbon with star: Initial Landing in Luzon and the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
