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parents received, informing them of Phil's injury. Further correspondence was received
throughout the following months, which detailed the extent of his injury and kept Beatrice and
Clyde up to date on his recovery.
Due to the injury Phil sustained on Saipan, he did not participate in the Battle for
Tinian two weeks later, July 24 through August 1, 1944. When he returned to Camp Maui, he and
the other Marines wounded in the Marianas were awarded the Purple Heart by General Harry Schmidt.
The following is a portion of General Schmidt's speech during the presentation of the award:
This medal is not offered in compensation for the wounds you have suffered. It is a
symbol. It betokens a nation's respect for the sacrifices you have made" (Proehl).
A few weeks later, Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz made one of several trips to the
Marines' camp to also present the award the Phil and those others who were wounded. He too
spoke of the valor and courage of the men, extolling their actions in the following portion from
his speech:
The world knows of the gallant performance and achievement of the men who fought at Saipan
and Tinian Islands...There, the Fourth Division wrote another brilliant chapter in the chronicles
of the Marine Corps" (Proehl). |
