One of my best professors died a few years ago, but he had been one of the youngest commissioned officers in WWII. You normally had to be 21, but he graduated from a military academy and managed to acquire a commission at 18. He fought with the 3rd Infantry Division in North Africa, the amphibious assault of Sicily, the invasion of south France and ended up an major in Germany in the crossing of the Rhine. He earned the Combat Infantryman's Badge and the Bronze Star in North Africa, the Silver Star in Sicily, the Purple Heart with 2 clusters, another Bronze Star in France, another Silver Star in Germany, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Croix de Guerre with palm, and the Legion of Merit for the action in Germany where he lost his leg. He served a short time as the commander of the Honor Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider before he was discharged at the age of 22 to enter college. The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Major (Infantry), Philip B. Larimore (ASN: 0-511609), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while Commanding Company L, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division, in action against enemy forces on 8 April 1945, near Rottershausen, Germany. Leading his company's attack, Major Larimore miraculously eluded the hail of enemy bullets concentrated on him and, in hand-to-hand fighting of which he was the center, killed a German officer at point-blank range. With the unit objective taken, he sent out a patrol. Learning soon after that it was surrounded by enemy forces, he determined to go to its relief. As he ran toward a tank in which to move up, enemy snipers opened fire, but leaping on the back of the vehicle, he ordered it forward and manned the turret machine gun. Firing into the woods and killing several of the enemy, he drew hostile fire on himself as his patrol used the diversion to withdraw. Moving across a clearing with the tank, firing and being fired on all the way, he was struck on the helmet by a sniper bullet and momentarily stunned. Leaping from the tank, he was again hit by enemy fire and severely wounded. Major Larimore, by his heroic leadership and courageous action in diverting the enemy, delivered his comrades from encirclement and greatly aided in securing the battalion objective. Major Larimore's intrepid actions, personal bravery and zealous devotion to duty exemplify the highest traditions of the military forces of the United States and reflect great credit upon himself, the 3d Infantry Division, and the United States Army.
My grandfather served in the Army during WWII. Though he never saw any combat, the story of his enlistment and discharge, to me, represents the attitude of his entire generation. He was in his late 20s/early 30s when he was drafted. He went through basic training out on the West Coast and was about 24 hours from shipping out (with the rest of his company) to somewhere in the Pacific. He got a call to see his Captain and, of course, reported promptly. The Army had just learned he had four young kids at home and was discharging him. His Captain wanted to know why he didn't say anything and his response was "Y'all told me I had to come, so I came." The generations that followed that generation (including mine) have looked for ways to shirk responsibility. That generation, on the other hand, just did what they were asked to do. A funny postscript to that whole story. His house, at that time, didn't have a phone. He tried calling a neighbor with a phone, but could never get through. He got back to the house a week or so later at about 2 a.m. All the doors were, of course, locked and he didn't want to wake the house so he tried sneaking in through a window. As soon as he got it open and was wiggling inside, he looked up and saw a shotgun, held by my grandmother, pointed right between his eyes. He didn't get shot, but never tried to go in through a window again either.
At the risk of upsetting the sober and respectful tone of the (my) thread, This guy was a freakin' badass!
No doubt. The thing with military awards is that they have become increasingly diminished in their value over time. What this guy accomplished, what he EARNED, what you see in the write up that is posted is a fraction of what really went down. It is the "highlights". In today's military you see people getting bronze stars like candy. He went to Iraq, yeaaaah here is a bronze star. Hell, if I put every award that I was written up for on my uniform you'd swear I was a mexican general. Instead I only wore then ones that really meant something to me, the ones I felt like I really earned and weren't just awarded because I was there. It really makes me and many of my compadre's sick. The really sad thing is that it really drags down the true meaning and principal for what these awards are supposed to stand for. The bottom line is yes, this dude was a complete bad ass and deserved everything he was awarded.
This is true. One of the "old guys" when I first started work was an infantry replacement in the last days of WWII. The vets who had survived the previous couple of years in combat always sent the new guys out at point because they didn't want to get killed in the last days of the war and the new guys wanted that CIB. So Ed got shot in the legs in his first day of combat running along a fence line like a dumbass and got evacuated to England the next day. He earned his Purple Heart but never felt much like a veteran with only one day in the line. Cut to 1985 and he received a Bronze Star in the mail. It turns out that every soldier in WWII who earned a Purple Heart was retroactively awarded the Bronze Star. It's true that they hand out Purple Hearts and Bronze Stars like candy, but that's not too bad, I think. It takes some balls to get shot with your face to the enemy even if you only did it once. But Silver Stars, DSCs, Navy Crosses, and Medal of Honor . . . they take the awarding of those much more seriously.
Well, and that is what I was building to but when I get on my soap box I tend to lose focus at times. I've seen a few people awarded a Silver Star, only 1 of them IMO even deserved consideration, DSC's are so bad ass and MOH is just unspeakable. The point is everything is getting so watered down that I fear it won't be long before the sickness infects the most prestigious of our military honors and that will truly be a shame. Sacred things should forever remain sacred.
My father served on bomber bases in England during WWII. He was a Cpl in Chemical arms battalion. Not gas and. Such, but incendiaries . I used to ask lots of questions and he was very circumspect in his answers. He did tell he had to help remove remains from a runway crash. My mom gave him he'll about that, and I don't remember many more details. I did grow up beside a fellow, who upon hi death I learned he had been in the actual first wave oflanding craft to hit the D-day beach. Never heard a word of it.
Couple more stories, first one concerning my now-deceased friend, who everyone called MB. Sidetracking...I've told you all that my brother recently retired from the Corps. He was a bandsman his whole career, and for his last assignment, was senior enlisted man for the Marine Forces Reserve Band in New Orleans. He used his influence to bring his band to Morgan City on a number of occasions, including a summer concert a few years ago that served as the retirement party for the Commanding General of the Marine Corps Reserve at the time. Before the concert I saw my father introduce MB to the General. First he introduced "The Commanding General of the entire Marine Corps Reserve" to MB, and his eyes just lit up. Then he introduced MB, "who was wounded at Iwo Jima" to the General, who had a look of awe on his face. They sized each other up for a moment, then they hugged. It was awesome to see. A few years ago I interviewed another WWII vet here who was a submariner in the Pacific. Can't remember the name of his sub, but in the final months of the war they were ordered into the Sea of Japan (which separates Japan from the Asian continent) to conduct raids on shipping. While on station, they came too close to the island during low tide and ran aground. They had to go ashore and try to rock the sub free in the middle of the night, making them the only Americans to actually land on Japan during the war. He told me that when they were en route to their station, they picked up a bomber crew that had ditched, and were floating around the Pacific in a lifeboat. When they told the flyboys their destination, they asked for their raft back!
An American hero indeed. Thanks to all for posting your wonderful stories. We don't do enough to recognize our veterans sacrifices and accomplishments. I'm retired Air Force and spent a year in Nam but that year was a walk in the park compared to what I've read here and elsewhere.
Everyone I ever knew that was a WW2 vet, kept really hush hush about their experiences. Of course it was only like 3 people.
