Writing

February 17, 2024

February 17, 1944 – A teenage WWII hero meets a dressage master

After arriving on the docks at Naples, the ever-present Army 6×6 trucks were waiting to take Phil and the other second lieutenants to the Replacement Depot, […]
February 16, 2024

February 16, 1944 – A teenage WWII hero’s future units pinned down on Anzio

On February 16, 1944, the Germans had completely surrounded the Allies that were pinned down on the Anzio Beachhead — which the men quickly named ‘The […]
February 15, 2024

February 15, 1944 – A teenage WWII hero ships out to Naples

In Oran, Phil was among 200 infantry lieutenants who boarded the Highland Queen, a small British steamer bound for Naples, Italy. He was part of a […]
February 13, 2024

February 13, 1944 – A teenage WWII hero rides a train to the war

Orders were issued for 1,000 men, including Phil, to board narrow-gauge railroad cars for a three-day train ride across Morocco and Algeria to Oran, a major […]
February 12, 2024

February 12, 1944 – A teenage WWII hero rides a famous Berber war horse in Morocco

Phil had written his mother about letting “a cute girl that I met near camp teach me French.” He also learned from her about a Moroccan […]
February 11, 2024

February 11, 1944 – A teenage WWII hero writes home from French Morocco

While Phil  and the thousands of replacements in camp with him waited in French Morocco for their assignments, the war waged in Europe without them. Phil […]
February 10, 2024

February 10, 1944 – A teenage WWII hero arrives in North Africa

On the Liberty Ship, 18-year-old, Phil Larimore, the youngest commissioned Army officer in World War II, stood on the deck and watched his homeland disappear over […]
February 9, 2024

My “Ask Dr. Walt” column in Today’s Christian Living on over-the-counter hearing aids and health risks from Wi-Fi routers

I enjoy writing a bi-monthly column for the readers of Today’s Christian Living magazine. In the January issue I address over-the-counter hearing aids, health risk from […]
March 23, 2024

March 23, 1944 – Was Ernie Pyle, the most famous correspondent from WWII ever scared?

Was the most famous correspondent from WWII ever scared? Here’s Ernie Pyle’s report from the front lines at Anzio Beachhead.
March 24, 2024

March 24, 1944 – Supply lines at Anzio

The real drama of this Anzio beachhead campaign is the supply system. I’d almost like to write that sentence twice—to make sure you get it. The […]
March 25, 2024

March 25, 1944 – Fate of Anzio Beachhead rests heavily on the ‘Ducks’

Probably the two outstanding features of our handling of supplies on this 5th Army beachhead have been the “duck,” or amphibious truck, and our system of […]
March 26, 2024

March 26, 1944 – A well deserved break at a rest camp

Beginning on 26 March, every two days another company the 30th Infantry was sent to the 3rd Division Rest Center in the heart of the Pine […]
March 27, 2024

‘Dogface’ Hero: Headstrong Teen Becomes Highly Decorated Young Leader (Feb 2024 — ARMY magazine)

An article, ‘Dogface’ Hero: Headstrong Teen Becomes Highly Decorated Young Leader , based upon my and Mike Yorkey’s book, At First Light: A True World War […]
March 28, 2024

March 28, 1944 – Sometimes you hear shells coming, sometimes you don’t on Anzio

When you get to Anzio you waste no time getting off the boat, for you have been feeling pretty much like a clay pigeon in a […]