After a year of travel, Arbuckle took a job with Standard Oil in San Francisco.
With the outbreak of World War II, he enrolled in the United States Navy.
He eventually attained the rank of Lieutenant Commander; he commanded a Motor Torpedo Boat squadron off the coast of Italy, and in the process earned himself a Silver Star and a Purple Heart.
In 1958, Arbuckle was asked to become dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
In 1985, at the request of President of the United States Ronald Reagan, Arbuckle served as a member of The Packard Commission.