ARLEY PETT • VIETNAM
Arley Pett, 77
Gloucester, MA
Born: August 28, 1948
Born/Raised: Gloucester, MA
Service: US Army
Rank: E-5 Sergeant
Unit: 58th Military Police Company
Dates of Service: 1970-1972
Arley Pett and his two brothers Barry (a US Army Captain) and Toby are first- generation Americans, the sons of Polish and Ukrainian Jewish immigrants who came to the United States before WWII. Their father, Dr. Morris Pett, was a general practitioner at Addison Gilbert hospital and the City Physician for over 40 years. Their mother, Faye, a high school teacher in New Jersey before marrying, was an active volunteer in the city. They grew up in the family home on Beach Rd., now the home of Arley’s daughter Isabel. Arley was married to Miriam Pett for 43 years.
Arley graduated from Gloucester H.S. in 1966 having served in the ROTC band and the Cape Ann Symphony as a trombone player. He attended Boston University and studied Physical Geography/Meteorology and Climatology with the intention of becoming a TV weatherman. The draft and the US Army would derail those plans.
Drafted in 1970, Arley quickly became a squad leader and then platoon leader because of his experience in ROTC. After basic, he was assigned to MP (Military Police) school and volunteered for Correctional Training school in hopes of securing a stateside assignment and an additional stripe (Spec. 4). He figured that with 40 stockades in the US and only one in Vietnam, he was less likely to be sent overseas. The odds were in his favor. He finished his training in the top half of his class and achieved both his goals. He was posted to the Fort Bragg stockade in North Carolina and spent a year as a cell block commander. Several times he escorted prisoners from there to the stockade in Leavenworth, Kansas.
Also in his favor was the decision by then president, Richard Nixon, to return the military to an all-volunteer force. This shortened Arley’s tour by about six months. On his return, he utilized the GI Bill and returned to BU earning his graduate degree in Occupational Therapy with clinical work in mental health. He worked for the VA (Veterans Affairs) for 35 years in Boston, Jamaica Plain and Brockton. In 2008 he became the Director of Veterans Services for the Cape Ann Veterans Services, a position he held for 4 ½ years.
He now spends his time selling antique military toys and figurines. He also serves the City of Gloucester as chairman of the Historic District Commission and has been actively involved with the Temple Ahavat Achim on the building committee that rebuilt the Gloucester temple follow a devastating fire in 2007.