Sidney Phillips
Encyclopedia
Sidney C. Phillips, Jr. (born September 2, 1924) is a retired family practice physician from Mobile, Alabama
who is most widely known to the public as one of the collaborators
who provided source material and interviews for the making of Ken Burns
' PBS
documentary film The War
and the HBO miniseries The Pacific
. His recollections revolve around his time as a young man fighting in the Pacific War
as a United States Marine
.
during the Guadalcanal Campaign
and the Battle of Cape Gloucester
. He reported that his mortar
crew observed effective fire control discipline
with one example being a firefight on Cape Gloucester where they were able to provide light high explosive rounds through the jungle
canopy only fifteen yards in front of their own lines.
Phillips reported that after his overseas duty he enrolled in V12
, a program designed to educate young men so they could become US Navy officers. However his four year US Marine Corps enlistment expired on December 31, 1945, freeing him to return to Mobile. He had decided while at Cape Gloucester to become a physician so he followed by enrolling in Spring Hill College
, then went to medical school to become a family physician. In April, 1946 he married the former Mary Houston; his best man was Eugene Sledge
. He enlisted in the reserves
while at Spring Hill, then was finally discharged in April, 1948.
He lives quietly in Alabama, after completing a long career and finally retiring. He reports that Sledge's widow and sons introduced him to Ken Burns
' writing team, then later the HBO writers, so that he was able to provide needed information about the lives of WW-II Marines in combat for the making of The Pacific.
battles including the Guadalcanal Campaign
and the Battle of Cape Gloucester
he has provided valuable documentary interviews describing his recollections of the Pacific Theater of Operations
. (See oral history preservation
.) His character was played by actor Ashton Holmes
in the HBO miniseries The Pacific.
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
who is most widely known to the public as one of the collaborators
Collaboration
Collaboration is working together to achieve a goal. It is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together to realize shared goals, — for example, an intriguing endeavor that is creative in nature—by sharing...
who provided source material and interviews for the making of Ken Burns
Ken Burns
Kenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is an American director and producer of documentary films, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs...
' PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
documentary film The War
The War (documentary)
The War is a 2007 American seven-part documentary television mini-series about World War II from the perspective of the United States that premiered on September 23, 2007...
and the HBO miniseries The Pacific
The Pacific (miniseries)
The Pacific is a 2010 television series produced by HBO, Seven Network Australia, Sky Movies, Playtone and DreamWorks that premiered in the United States on March 14, 2010....
. His recollections revolve around his time as a young man fighting in the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
as a United States Marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
.
Biography
Phillips was born in Mobile, Alabama, the second child after his sister Katherine. A younger brother, John, followed. Their father, Sidney, was a US Army veteran of the Battle of Argonne Forest and became a teacher, then the principal of Murphy High School. Phillips, a 1941 Murphy High School graduate, volunteered to enlist in the US Marines at age seventeen on December 8, 1941, then was inducted later that month after gaining parental permission. He served with How Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division and saw combat as an 81mm mortarman in a number of battles including the Battle of the TenaruBattle of the Tenaru
The Battle of the Tenaru, sometimes called the Battle of the Ilu River or the Battle of Alligator Creek, took place August 21, 1942, on the island of Guadalcanal, and was a land battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, between Imperial Japanese Army and Allied ground forces...
during the Guadalcanal Campaign
Guadalcanal campaign
The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II...
and the Battle of Cape Gloucester
Battle of Cape Gloucester
The Battle of Cape Gloucester was a battle in the Pacific theater of World War II, which took place between late December 1943 and April 1944, on the island of New Britain, part of the Territory of New Guinea....
. He reported that his mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
crew observed effective fire control discipline
Fire discipline
Fire discipline is a system of communication in the military, primarily the Artillery. By definition, Fire Discipline is the language of fire control. It consists of words, phrases, rules, and conventions which have specific meanings and which result in some definite action at the guns...
with one example being a firefight on Cape Gloucester where they were able to provide light high explosive rounds through the jungle
Jungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
canopy only fifteen yards in front of their own lines.
Phillips reported that after his overseas duty he enrolled in V12
V-12 Navy College Training Program
The V-12 Navy College Training Program was designed to supplement the force of commissioned officers in the United States Navy during World War II...
, a program designed to educate young men so they could become US Navy officers. However his four year US Marine Corps enlistment expired on December 31, 1945, freeing him to return to Mobile. He had decided while at Cape Gloucester to become a physician so he followed by enrolling in Spring Hill College
Spring Hill College
Spring Hill College is a private, Roman Catholic Jesuit liberal arts college in the United States. It was founded in 1830 on the Gulf Coast in Mobile, Alabama, by Most Rev. Michael Portier, Bishop of Mobile, Alabama...
, then went to medical school to become a family physician. In April, 1946 he married the former Mary Houston; his best man was Eugene Sledge
Eugene Sledge
Eugene Bondurant Sledge was a United States Marine, university professor, and author. His 1981 memoir With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa chronicled his combat experiences during World War II and was subsequently used as source material for Ken Burns's PBS documentary, The War, as well as...
. He enlisted in the reserves
United States Marine Corps Reserve
The Marine Forces Reserve is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. It is the largest command in the U.S...
while at Spring Hill, then was finally discharged in April, 1948.
He lives quietly in Alabama, after completing a long career and finally retiring. He reports that Sledge's widow and sons introduced him to Ken Burns
Ken Burns
Kenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is an American director and producer of documentary films, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs...
' writing team, then later the HBO writers, so that he was able to provide needed information about the lives of WW-II Marines in combat for the making of The Pacific.
Media presentation
Phillips is the author of the book You'll be Sor-ree, an accounting of his experiences in the US Marines. As a surviving veteran of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
battles including the Guadalcanal Campaign
Guadalcanal campaign
The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II...
and the Battle of Cape Gloucester
Battle of Cape Gloucester
The Battle of Cape Gloucester was a battle in the Pacific theater of World War II, which took place between late December 1943 and April 1944, on the island of New Britain, part of the Territory of New Guinea....
he has provided valuable documentary interviews describing his recollections of the Pacific Theater of Operations
Pacific Theater of Operations
The Pacific Theater of Operations was the World War II area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period...
. (See oral history preservation
Oral history preservation
Oral history preservation is the field that deals with the care and upkeep of oral history materials, whatever format they may be in. Oral history is a method of historical documentation, using interviews with living survivors of the time being investigated...
.) His character was played by actor Ashton Holmes
Ashton Holmes
Ashton Holmes is an American film and television actor, best known for the role of Jack Stall in A History of Violence and Private Sidney Phillips in the HBO miniseries The Pacific. He currently appears as Tyler Barrol on the ABC drama series Revenge.-Personal life:Holmes was born in Albany, New...
in the HBO miniseries The Pacific.
See also
- Robert LeckieRobert Leckie (author)Robert Leckie was an American author of popular books on the military history of the United States. As a young man, he served in the Marine Corps with the 1st Marine Division during World War II...
- Eugene SledgeEugene SledgeEugene Bondurant Sledge was a United States Marine, university professor, and author. His 1981 memoir With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa chronicled his combat experiences during World War II and was subsequently used as source material for Ken Burns's PBS documentary, The War, as well as...