 His father, Captain Ion Arsenescu, fought in World War I and was killed in action at the Battle of Mărășești.Following in the military tradition of his father, Arsenescu trained as an officer and joined the 30th Regiment Dorobanți from Câmpulung.At the start of World War II he was Operations Chief for the 20th Division Vânători de munte, under the command of General Ioan Dumitrache.