Arley was born on May 3, 1919 to William and Viola Haeffner Mundt. 

He was the 3rd child of five having an older sister, Winona, an older brother, Raymond, a younger brother, Elton, and a younger sister, Marilyn.

Arley grew up on the family farm raising wheat, oats and potatoes. He started out farming with horses and mules and saw farming change throughout his lifetime to use more and more machinery. He always had a dog or two and, often, they would follow him to the field and wait patiently for him to finish his work.

He attended the Berea school and would ride a horse to and from school. He told a story about Ned the farm horse that was so tall that when Ned walked into the school's barn, the saddle horn caught on the top sash of the barn door. Ned didn't stop and ripped the barn door right off. Arley finished school after the 10th grade. He was an avid reader and enjoyed Reader's Digest and Louise L' Amour. He was also very good with numbers and kept impeccable farm books as well as being church treasurer for many years.

In 1942, Arley entered the Army Air Corp and did his training at Kelly Field in San Antonio, and also in Florida. He was dispatched to the Pacific Theater and served there as an airplane mechanic in the Philippines and near New Guinea. He was very meticulous about his work and brought home his detailed mechanic notebooks with specifications for many different airplane engines. He served through 1945.

Arley and his family and friends played on the Berea baseball team and traveled all over the Panhandle playing other town teams. This was just following in the footsteps for Arley and his brothers and cousins as their fathers also played baseball on a Berea team. Arley played whatever position was needed ... first base, outfield, even pitcher, and was quite a good batsman. He passed along his love of baseball to his sons who played Little League, Pony League and Legion ball in Alliance.

Arley married Mildred Claire Hess of Lancaster, Pennsylvania on June 14, 1958. They lived near the family homestead and welcomed their first son, Arley David in 1959. Another son, Warren Douglas, and a daughter, Anne Elizabeth, followed in 1960 and 1962.

Photo of Arley Leroy Mundt in his military uniform

ARLEY LEROY MUNDT

Service

WORLD WAR II

US ARMY AIR CORPS,

SGT

Resting Place

Mementos

Tributes

Word Cloud

Biography

Milestones

Mementos

Historical Documents

Veteran programs and services

More VA resources

Get VA updates

In crisis? Get help now

Contact us