Dear friends, I’m over the moon delighted to share with you some great news. My father and my hero, MAJ Philip B. Larimore, Jr., is to be inducted into the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division’s Marne Hall of Fame at Fort Stewart Georgia on August 1, 2023.

Phil Larimore’s “Captain portrait

I was invited by the (then) commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division to come to Fort Stewart and make a presentation about Dad’s heroics and exploits in 15 months of front-line battles in Europe in WWII. It was a pleasure and honor to do this for Major General Charles Costanza’s command staff on Wednesday, May 17. Barb and I, along with our dear friends, Paul and Julie Lyons, were given a private tour of the remarkable 3rd Infantry Division Museum by the museum’s director, John Potter.

Then, on June 1, I received this note from LTC Brian Smith, who had been our host at Fort Stewart:

“After your presentation, I discussed the nomination of your father into the 3ID Hall of Fame with the Division Chief of Staff who gave his full support for inclusion.

“I’ll submit the nomination myself and will reach out to you for any additional information as needed. This will go through a board process with the senior most members of the Division for final decision however this shouldn’t be anything more than a formality based upon your father’s military record and accomplishments.

“I’ll keep you posted with updates every step of the way and wanted to say thank you again for sharing your father’s story with us.

“I look forward to seeing you in the future at MAJ Larimore’s induction ceremony and wish you and Mrs. Larimore the best until we can speak again. 

The 3rd Infantry Division’s Marne Hall of Fame recognizes Dogface Soldiers that served and left a lasting impact within the 105-year-old organization.

Just to have been nominated to be considered alongside such heroes as Audie Murphy, said to be the most decorated American combat soldier in WWII, was an unequaled honor for my Dad.

Barb and I with (then) MAJ Brian Smith at the 3rd ID headquarters at Ft. Stewart

Then, on June 15, Barb and I received a call from LCT Smith informing us:

“By unanimous vote of the Command Staff of the 3rd Infantry Division earlier today, Philip B. Larimore, Jr, has been selected to be inducted into the 3rd Infantry Division (Rock of the Marne) Hall of Fame on August 1, 2023.

“This is a singular honor that’s been awarded to only a few soldiers such as Audie Murphy and some of the 3rd ID commanding generals.”

I’ll have to admit, that our tears freely flowed. We were so very happy.

The Hall of Fame website says:

“The Marne Hall of Fame preserves the 3rd Infantry Division’s legacy by paying respect to past heroes and promoting the unit’s remarkable history. Its goal is to connect current Soldiers with past Dogface Soldiers that have exemplified courage, selfless service, grit, and resilience in the face of adversity.

The 3rd Infantry Division recognizes inductees into the Marne Hall of Fame who are U.S. military members of the 3rd Infantry Division and who have brought great honor to the Division through deed, sacrifice, or achievement.

Maj. Gen. Charles Costanza, commanding general of the 3rd ID, Fort Stewart, and Hunter Army Airfield, said, “While Soldiers might be familiar with the 61 Medal of Honor recipients the division has, there are many who made lasting contributions or are the epitome of a Dogface Soldier we want to honor for our Soldiers and communities of today.”

The induction will take place on August 1, 2023, at Fort Stewart. My three brothers and I, along with some of Dad’s grandchildren and a beloved daughter-in-law or two, will be there to honor him.

Pictured to the left are just a few of his valor awards, including the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the French Croix de Guerre, among others.

Here’s a brief synopsis of his exploits from the multi-award-winning book, At First Light: A True World War II Story of a Hero, His Bravery, and an Amazing Horse:

A Southern boy, an unruly, latch-key Memphian, whose parents had to send him off for high school at the Gulf Coast Military Academy, there flourishes and graduates with honors as the bombs fell on Pearl Harbor.

He became the youngest-ever graduate of the Army’s Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning (at 17 years old) and then served as perhaps the youngest front-line junior Army officers in Europe for over 15 months as a teenager. He was also one of the most highly decorated front-line junior officers in WWII.

A month before the end of the war, he was sent on a top-secret mission that led to saving the Lipizzaners and then a few days later lost his leg and almost his life saving a surrounded patrol of his men.

He spent two years in rehabilitation, helping the Army establish equestrian programs for amputees and other wounded warriors, and then fighting what he felt was the Army’s inhumane, insane, and inane policy of automatically discharging officers who were amputees.

His interactions with Winston Churchill, Audie Murphy, General Dwight Eisenhower, and President Truman add interest to his “Forest-Gump” stories of swimming across the Mississippi River at flood stage as a boy, horrific battles, difficult romances, excruciating recovery and rehabilitation, and a final legal hearing reminiscent of Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise’s courtroom scene in “A Few Good Men.”

All that interwoven with heartwarming horse stories and one incredibly amazing horse that saves this young man’s life in more ways than one.

A forgotten hero fighting on the forgotten Southern front in Europe in WWII, then becomes an unassuming and beloved professor at LSU and loving family man for 50 years before passing peacefully in his sleep.

The book, At First Light: A True World War II Story of a Hero, His Bravery, and an Amazing Horse, is the result of 16 years of painstaking research.

The amazing endorsements for the book can be seen here and snippets of press coverage here.

I’m so grateful that Dad and the men with whom he fought on the “Forgotten Front” in Southern Europe in WWII are being remembered and honored this way.