At First Light, Walt Larimore, M.D.
At First Light, Walt Larimore, M.D.
List: $25.99 | Sale: $18.20
Club: $12.99

At First Light
A True World War II Story of a Hero, His Bravery, and an Amazing Horse

Author: Walt Larimore, M.D., Mike Yorkey

Narrator: George Guidall

Unabridged: 12 hr 16 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 04/19/2022


Synopsis

What makes 2nd Lieutenant Phil Larimore’s story special is what happened in World War II’s closing days and the people—and horses—he interacted with in his Forrest Gump–like tale that is emotional, heartbreaking, and inspiring.

Growing up in the 1930s in Memphis, Tennessee, Phil Larimore is the ultimate Boy Scout—able to read maps, put a compass to good use, and traverse wild swamps and desolate canyons. His other great skill is riding horses.

Phil does poorly in school, however, leading his parents to send him to a military academy. After Pearl Harbor, Phil realizes he is destined for war. Three weeks before his eighteenth birthday, he becomes the youngest candidate to ever
graduate from Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Landing on the Anzio beachhead in February 1944, Phil is put in charge of an Ammunition Pioneer Platoon in the 3rd Infantry Division. Their job: deliver ammunition to the frontline foxholes—a dangerous assignment involving regular
forays into No Man’s Land.

As Phil fights his way up the Italian boot, into Southern France and across the Rhine River into Germany, he is caught up in some of the most intense combat ever. But it’s what happens in the final stages of the war and his homecoming that
makes Phil’s story incredibly special and heartwarming.

An emotional tale of courage, daring, and heroism, At First Light will remind you of the indomitable human spirit that lives in all of us.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Connie on May 04, 2022

This is a book you have to read! It is a true story of the writer Walt Larimore's father, a true WW II hero Phil Larimore. It is a story of a hero, his bravery and an amazing horse. You will be amazed at his exploits and drawn in page after page to the harrowing exploits he and his comrades went thr......more

Goodreads review by Robert on May 05, 2022

A captivating and compelling story of a true American hero. As the son of a World War II veteran, At First Light made me reflect on the great dedication and sacrifice embodied in Phil Larimore, who fought to protect everything that is great about America. His courage and leadership in the face of in......more

Goodreads review by Olivia on September 04, 2023

Another book my grandma lended me to read. Definitely not as dry as other nonfiction I’ve read, but still leaned too heavy into battle details for me.......more

Goodreads review by ROSS on May 22, 2022

Imagine a war story that morphs into a cowboy saga about driving world-famous horses away from a secret Nazi stronghold. I was mesmerized by the development of the main character, Phil Larimore, from troubled teen past his love interests and into the formation of a genuine but forgotten military her......more

Goodreads review by Raymond on May 27, 2022

At First Light recounts the combat experiences of the author’s father, Philip B. Larimore Jr., who served as an infantry officer in the 30th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. Joining the veteran division in the Anzio Beachhead in mid-February 1944, Second Lieutenant Larimore encountered inten......more