Philip B. Larimore

Philip "Phil" Bonham Larimore Jr. (January 4, 1925 – October 31, 2003) was a United States Army officer who served during World War II as the youngest commissioned Army officer. He participated in several key campaigns in the European Theater and received multiple military decorations for his service including the Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars, three Purple Hearts, and three Presidential Unit Citations. After his time in the Army, he became a professor of cartography at Louisiana State University (LSU). In civilian life, Larimore contributed to geographic education and community service.

Early life and military training Philip B. Larimore Jr. was born on January 4, 1925, in Memphis, Tennessee. He attended Gulf Coast Military Academy in Gulfport, Mississippi, beginning in the 9th grade at age 13. He graduated in May 1942 with honors from the advanced ROTC program. Subsequently, he enrolled in the U.S. Army’s Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Fort Benning, Georgia, completing the program on December 17, 1942, at the age of 17, making him the youngest graduate in history. Due to age restrictions, he received his commission as a second lieutenant on January 20, 1943, shortly after turning 18. He was awarded Boy Scouting’s highest rank of Eagle Scout two weeks after his Army commission.

After commissioning, Larimore was assigned as a platoon leader at Camp Wheeler, Georgia. He later joined the 326th Glider Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division, where he served as a rifle platoon leader and held roles as Battalion S-1 and S-2 during training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Fort Benning, and Alliance Air Base, Nebraska. He received a Silver Star for his actions in repelling German counterattacks near Cisterna di Littoria in March 1944. As part of the 30th Infantry Regiment, he earned a Combat Infantryman Badge and was promoted to first lieutenant. In the Vosges mountains, he reimplemented the mule-based supply system. In November 1944, he was wounded again, receiving a second Purple Heart, and recovered in a field hospital before rejoining his unit.

Final combat and injury On April 8, 1945, near Rottershausen, Germany, Larimore led an assault against entrenched German positions. During the engagement, he operated a tank-mounted machine gun to rescue a surrounded squad, destroying multiple enemy positions. He was severely wounded by a sniper’s bullet, resulting in the amputation of his right leg. His actions earned him a second Silver Star, later upgraded to the Distinguished Service Cross, and a third Purple Heart. Larimore was promoted to captain in April 1945.

Personal life Larimore married Maxine Wilson in 1949, and they raised four sons, all of whom became Eagle Scouts. He died on October 31, 2003, and was interred at Port Hudson National Cemetery, despite a reserved plot at Arlington National Cemetery. the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center at Fort Benning, and the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. In 1997, he was inducted into the Hall of Honor by the Cadets of the Ole War Skule at LSU. In 2023, he was inducted into the 3rd Infantry Division’s Marne Hall of Fame and, in 2025, into the Army’s OCS Hall of Fame for Valorous Combat Leadership. The LSU Department of Geography & Anthropology maintains the Philip Larimore Memorial Fund to support geographic education.

A 2022 biography, At First Light: A True World War II Story of a Hero, His Bravery, and an Amazing Horse by Walter L. Larimore, one of his sons, and Mike Yorkey, received a 2022 Silver Medal from the Military Writers Society of America and was named the 2023 non-fiction book of the year by the International Page Turner Awards. At First Light was also a featured book at the 2024 Louisiana Book Festival.