My father is chosen for the 2025 Army Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame
December 12, 2024
December 14, 1944 – Phil finally is recovered from a severe leg wound and begins a trains journey back to his men
December 14, 2024Signed 1st edition copies of “At First Light” available just in time for Christmas
Signed first editions of books tend to be the most valuable and collectable. Amazon.com has the first edition still available in hardcover ($35 without a dust cover) and soft cover ($21). To get a signed copy (or copies) for your self, family members, or close friends, follow these steps”
- Order one or more hardcover or soft cover copies from Amazon here.
- Have Amazon deliver the books to me at 1265 Foothills Farm Way, Colorado Springs, CO 80921-3954.
- Email me at waltlarimore@aol.com and let me know these five items:
- The date of predicted delivery,
- To whom you want the book or books signed (they will be dated “Christmas 2025” unless you request another date),
- The address to which to send the book(s) sent, and
- Whether you want it/them sent media mail (~$5 per book on average but may not arrive by Christmas Day) or priority (~$10 on average).
- Whether you’d rather reimburse me for shipping by check or Venmo.
- When I sign and mail the book, I’ll send you an email letting you know it’s coming, the cost of shipping, and if you need it, our Venmo information.
I’m so happy to do this you guys. I just hope you don’t overwhelm me!
And, I hope you and yours have a warm, memory-creating, family-filled holiday season and a Blessed New Year.
BTW, here’s some recent news about the book:
Great news. Some wonderful things have happened for my and Mike Yorkey’s book, At First Light: A True World War II Story of a Hero, His Bravery, and an Amazing Horse.
Just this week, I was notified that my father, MAJ (Ret) Philip B. Larimore, Jr., (3rd ID, 30th IR, 3rd BAT) was just chosen to be inducted into the 2025 Army Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame at Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning), Georgia.
The folks at OCS have confirmed that as far as the current records that are available show, he was the-only-ever 17 year old graduate of OCS, and thus is the youngest-ever-graduate of OCS. He was nominated by General David Petraeus, who was an early and enthusiastic supporter and endorser of the book (in fact, part of his endorsement is on the front cover).
The induction ceremony will be in March. What’s cool is that 2025 will be the 100th anniversary of Dad’s birth and the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe (VE-Day).
OTHER NEAT RECOGNITIONS:
On August 1, 2023, the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division inducted Dad into their Marne Hall of Fame at Fort Stewart, Georgia. Dad was inducted along with General Marshall, General Eisenhower, General Ridgeway, and his two commanders, General O’Daniel, and General McGarr. Dad is one of only 30 men who have been inducted into this Hall of Fame. What a wonderful honor. My brothers and I were able to attend together along with our spouses and kids.
Also, the LSU Military Museum in the LSU Memorial Tower in Baton Rouge opened a special exhibit honoring Dad in October, 2023. It was only scheduled to be there for a year an a half, but will be kept up indefinitely as it is the most popular exhibit at the museum (and a copy of the book is in the exhibit).
The awards that the book has received so far include:
- 2022 Silver Medalist for “Book of the Year” by the Military Writers Society of America;”
- 2023 Non-fiction “Book of the Year” by the International Page Turner Awards (London);
- 2023 “Book of the Year” in the Genre “True Stories” by the International Page Turner Awards (London);
- 2023 “Golden Author Award,” for old farts, by the International Page Turner Awards (London);
- 2023, One of only 10 books Featured Book at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans; and
- 2023, a “Featured Book” at the Louisiana Book Festival in Baton Rouge.
© Copyright WLL, INC. 2024.
