My WWII book, At First Light: A True World War II Story of a Hero, His Bravery, and an Amazing Horse, has generated quite the response from our U.S. Congress (Senators, Representatives — Republican and Democrat).

One or more of Colorado Congressman Jeff Crank’s staff had read the book and were concerned that my father, Philip B. Larimore, Jr., (and potentially) other WWI and WWII officers with amputations whose actions resulted in their having been awarded a Distinguished Service Cross may have been passed over for consideration for the Medal of Honor due to military and cultural discrimination against Army officers who were amputees.

Crank and several of his colleagues have penned a bicameral and bipartisan letter to the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, to request a formal investigation in this potential bias.

Here’s that letter:

Mary Shinn of the Colorado Springs Gazette penned an article about this exciting turn of events titled, “After losing limbs, WWI and II vets may not have received deserved Medals of Honor; lawmakers call for review.

Colorado lawmakers are asking the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to re-examine acts of heroism among veterans who lost limbs during the world wars to see if they should receive Medals of Honor.

The lawmakers want to ensure bias did not influence the decisions of the honors that amputees received for their valor. In some cases, those who lost limbs may have received Distinguished Service Crosses rather than the nation’s highest honor, the letter states.

“This request is made with deep respect for the Department’s awards and its solemn duty to honor valor with consistency and fairness,” the letter said.

The letter was signed by six lawmakers, including Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colorado Springs, Rep. Gabe Evans, R- Fort Lupton, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Windsor, Rep. Jeff Hurd, R- Grand Junction, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R- La., and Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo.

Maj. Philip Larimore Jr., the father of Colorado Springs resident and author Walt Larimore, may be among those who suffered such discrimination following heroism in Germany that resulted in the loss of his leg, the letter states.

After German soldiers surrounded a patrol of about nine American soldiers in a forest, the elder Larimore led rescue efforts from a tank firing the machine gun until he ran out of ammunition, Walt Larimore said. When he left the tank to fight on foot, he was shot in the leg, an injury that led to amputation.

Walt Larimore described the heroic scene in his book “At First Light: A True World War II Story of a Hero, His Bravery, and an Amazing Horse.”

The work tells the story of his father, who was commissioned as an Army officer at 18, making him likely the youngest commissioned officer in the war. He later completed a secret mission to help save the world-famous Lipizzaner horses during the war.

Philip Larimore didn’t share any of these stories with his family until his 50th wedding anniversary, and they took his four sons, including Walt, by surprise. They had always been told silly stories about the loss of their father’s leg, including that he lost it to a shark bite while lifeguarding, and they didn’t necessarily take the truth seriously either.

“The stories were literally unbelievable,” Walt Larimore said.

After Philip Larimore passed away in 2003, Walt Larimore found a footlocker containing accounts of the war, including 450 letters and three books proving the stories. The material in the locker paved the way for the book that first drew Crank’s interest in recognizing Philip Larimore’s actions with a Medal of Honor, his son said.

Such an honor had been considered before when Philip Larimore was working his way through the bureaucratic process to remain an officer, and his commander was considering recommending him for a Medal of Honor. He told Larimore that seeking to stay in the Army and receive the Medal of Honor could hurt both efforts.

Larimore opted to continue his efforts to remain in the military to help other amputees and accepted a nomination for the Distinguished Service Cross, Walt said.

Transcripts from Larimore’s Army Retiring Board proceedings show a bias against those who lost limbs, Walt Larimore said.

“It was pretty ugly the way he was treated,” he said, and it reflected broader beliefs at the time. However, a few years later, the Army changed its policy to allow amputees to stay in the service.

While Philip Larimore would not have wanted to pursue a Medal of Honor in recognition of his own actions, he would approve of going forward with a review to recognize the value of others who lost limbs, Walt Larimore said.

As part of this effort, Larimore used artificial intelligence to identify cases of service members who received Distinguished Service Crosses with descriptions of actions that closely aligned with heroism recognized with Medals of Honor for the DOD to consider.

His search found 1st Lt. Sidney Hantman, who remained at his combat station after his arm was blown off at the shoulder, and 2nd Lt. Wilfred Holsberg, who continued to help guide a plane after catastrophic injuries to both his legs, among others.

Larimore said he expects that if the Department of Defense greenlights a review, the work would be outsourced to a university history department, which would bring expertise. Similar projects in the past have followed that template.

I’m so grateful to these Members of Congress who are standing up for amputees who may have experienced discrimination, and I’d like to ask you to join me in praying that Secretary Hegseth will authorize this investigation and that any and all WWII veterans who were amputees and officers, that were “passed over” due to their major limb loss, will be appropriately remembered and honored.

As my grandfather used to say, “It’s never too late to do what’s right.”

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