On March 27-28, family and friends gathered in Columbus and Fort Benning, GA, for the posthumous induction of Philip B. Larimore, Jr. (my dad) into the Army Officer Candidate School (OCS) Hall of Fame. It was a great family reunion and ceremony.

Here’s what was said about him:

Major Philip B. Larimore, Jr.

Major Larimore is being inducted in the 2025 Class of the OCS Hall of Fame for Valorous Combat Leadership.

Upon graduation from Officer Candidate School class #128 at Fort Benning, Georgia on 17 December 1942 as the only-ever documented 17-year-old graduate from OCS, he had to wait until just after his 18th birthday, on 4 January 1943, to be commissioned as an Infantry Officer, becoming the youngest commissioned officer in WWII.

His first duty assignment was to Camp Wheeler, Georgia, to command an African American platoon but was quickly transferred as a Platoon Leader, 82nd Airborne Division and 326th Glider Infantry.

He transferred to the 30th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division at Anzio in January 1943 where he served as commander of a front-line Ammunition and Pioneer (A&P) Platoon, pioneering a program to use mules to deliver ammunition and supplies to the front line.

After front-line fighting for 15 months in Italy, France, and Germany, just one month before VE Day, on 8 April 1945, in a hail of bullets and engaging in hand-to-hand fighting, Larimore killed a German officer at pointblank range and with his men seized their objective. When he found out a patrol of his was surrounded by about 120-150 enemy, he climbed behind the turret of a Sherman tank to relieve them.

Facing overwhelming fire, Larimore fired at the enemy from his tank’s .50 caliber machine gun until out of ammunition. As he leaped from the tank, his canteen and helmet were struck by enemy snipers. He continued to engage the enemy until he was severely wounded, losing his right leg and almost his life.

He saved all but one of his men. A captured German officer stated that had Larimore not appeared, the GI patrol would have been destroyed except that his men were demoralized at the appearance of the man on the tank that bullets could not stop.

During rehabilitation, Larimore helped pioneer equine therapy with Army amputees and rode with the Caisson Platoon Honor Guard at Arlington National Cemetery while single-handedly fighting the Army’s policy to automatically discharge all amputee officers before himself being medically discharged.

His highest military awards include: Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart with two Oak Leaf Clusters, European Theater of Operations Campaign Medal with Four Bronze Stars & Arrowhead, Presidential Unit Citation with Two Oak Leaf Clusters, Fourragère and Croix de Guerre with Palm—France, American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and Combat Infantryman Badge.

Brothers Rick, Billy, Walt, & Phil

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