Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Phil Ovelman

Vietnam | Combined Action Program, Group 2, 1st Unit, 5th Platoon

Ovelman expresses the gratitude he feels for being part of the Marine Corps, whom he truly sees as Brothers For Life. (1:55)
Phil Pollock

WWII | G Company, 347th Infantry Regiment, 87th Infantry Division

Phil Pollock's pacifist father would not allow him to enlist, but the draft took him in 1943. His first unit was eventually sent to the Burma theater but he wound up in a rifle company chasing the Nazis across France. He was amused when the Germans set up a loudspeaker system and "welcomed" the Americans. (6:01)
It was their first day in combat. Phil Pollock's rifle company was beginning to move across France when a young platoon leader was shot and left for dead by the others. As the snow covered bodies were being removed, there was something different about that one. (2:21)
The rumors of a German counter attack in the Ardennes forest proved true and after it was fully underway, Phil Pollock's unit was moved in and joined the Battle of the Bulge. He saw the widespread destruction in Bastogne, and his unit swapped positions with the Germans in a deadly dance before they were finally forced to retreat back to their homeland. (7:20)
As he crossed first the Moselle River and then the Rhine, Phil Pollock encountered white sheets hanging in the windows of every village. The war was going to come to an end. Before that happened, he got news of a special leave granted to every rifleman by General George Patton. Soon he was on a brand new troop ship eating real eggs. (5:07)
He was at home on leave when the war in Europe ended so Phil Pollock did not have to rejoin his outfit. Instead, he was sent to a special heavy mortar outfit training in Texas. Then came some more happy news. (2:51)
Phil Sligar

WWII | 497th Bomber Group

Phil Sligar and company invade Mexico during the height of WWII. (2:09)
Phil Sligar and other men aboard an Army bomber endure flak and fatigue in the skies over Japan. (4:33)
Phil Wells

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

He was off to war with the Marine Corps, and at his high school graduation, Phil Wells was represented by a cap and gown on an empty seat. Joining the 4th Division as a replacement, he found himself watching the Japanese fire as he circled off shore at Iwo Jima, waiting for the landing to begin. (4:03)
As he waited off shore at Iwo Jima, Phil Wells was reassigned as a Radioman/Runner when the Marine who had that job fell out of his bunk and broke his arm. The first day he was wounded by shrapnel but he stayed with his unit. They nicknamed him "Chick" because he was the youngest looking guy there. He says a mistake was made when they bypassed some of the tunnels and caves. (5:04)