Arnold Tucker entered the Navy V-12 College Training Program to prepare him as a commissioned officer at the University of Miami in Florida he was discharged to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. He was a member of the West Point football team as a 3rd string quarterback. He became the starting quarterback in 1945-1946.
In 1946, Tucker received the Amateur Athletic Union’s James E. Sullivan Award (nation’s best athlete). He was also the fifth choice for the 1946 Heisman Trophy. Tucker was inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame and Army Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. Tucker was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1947 but declined the offer as he chose to continue his service as a second lieutenant. He participated in the Korean and Vietnam war before he joined the Fifth Air Force in Japan as the deputy chief of operations from 1968-1970. Midway through 1970 he was assigned the duty of the Commander of the 16th Operations Squadron basin in Thailand.
Tucker received several honors during his service, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal, in recognition of his non-combatant service.
Tucker returned to the University of Miami in 1971 to command the Army ROTC program. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1976. Following 30 years of dedicated service within the Army and Air Force. Tucker died on Jan. 10, 2019. He was 95
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