Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Phil Wells

WWII | F Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Regiment, 4th Division

On Iwo Jima, all of the original members of his platoon were awarded Purple Hearts, but Phil Wells says there were some men there of a different mind. On a trip back to the beach to bring up replacements, he passed a shell hole where two Captains were cowering, claiming to be pinned down even though they were a hundred yards behind the front line. (2:30)
It was thirty six straight days on Iwo Jima with no change of clothes or regular meals. Phil Wells carried an extra bandolier stuffed with fruit bars. He had come ashore with the fourth wave just as Japanese gunners really began to fire on the landing force. As a runner, he didn't come face to face with the enemy, though once he was sure he had. What's that password? (3:58)
As the air fields on Iwo Jima were being rebuilt, the weary Marines who had taken the island climbed the cargo nets back onto the transport ships anchored off shore. Phil Wells recalls that the Captain of his assigned transport told them that they were free of any duty and had the run of the galley. That was nice. (5:21)
Philip Carney

WWII | HQ Company, 1st Battalion, 506th Parachute Regiment, 101st Airborne Division

While training for the Normandy invasion, Philip Carney remembers volunteering for a peculiar task. (3:15)
Philip Carney recalls a few of the events during the 76 straight days his company spent securing bridges in Holland during World War II. (13:38)
Philip Carney describes fighting in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. (14:07)
Philip Coon

WWII | 31st Infantry Regiment

From Sapulpa, Oklahoma came Phillip Coon, a member of the Creek tribe who volunteered for the draft just before World War II. He could already drill, thanks to the military rigor at the tribal school. It was also there that he read about exotic Pacific islands which caused him to volunteer again, for duty in the Philippines. (7:23)
Philip Rivers

Vietnam | 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment

His father had served with Patton in Europe. Philip "Buddy" Rivers knew he couldn't match that but he felt it was his duty to serve. He didn't want to be drafted so he enlisted in the Marine Corps. Boot camp was a real awakening for him. (5:08)
It stinks being the new guy. When Philip Rivers got to his unit in the field, some jokers stole his boots. The rookie Marine was just getting used to the heat and the humidity of Vietnam and life in the field when he got his first Purple Heart. (5:12)
The intel was wrong. There was supposed to be no enemy in the area but Philip Rivers' platoon walked into a big ambush. For a day and a night they were pinned down and surrounded until Cobras chased away the bad guys. Then, inexplicably, it was off to China Beach for some R&R. (3:59)