As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Phillips, who was an educator in LaPorte for decades before dying in 1998, and bombardier Louis Zamperini, survived a number of combat missions, including one where nearly 600 rounds riddled their plane. Louie said that he experienced dizziness and prickly spots all over his body. In this Louis Zamperini interview, the Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. A Japanese KI-21 Sally bomber had spotted them and decided to utilize the raft as a target for practice. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Phil's raft became unusable, and Louie cut up the canvas from it and used it for a canopy. together footage from the movie with They only stopped when he told them that he was on the verge of passing out. 2023 www.indystar.com. Discount, Discount Code Some days, the clouds would skirt their raft; they went for seven days without a drop of rain. On Thursday September 20th, 1945, the Daily Times-Tribune of Alexandria, Indiana beneath a photo of the hulking wreckage of the Mitsubishi factory destroyed by the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki announced to friends and family that First Lt. Russell Allen Phillips horrific ordeal had finally ended. Leikness & Stahl Funeral Home, Plainfield is assisting the family with arrangements. Dive deeper into the Unbroken true story with the interviews below, including a candid Louis Zamperini interview and a short documentary that features the rare Mutsuhiro Watanabe interview. Some of these challenges include being adrift at sea, declared "dead," and facing the severe reality of prisoner-of-war camps held by the Japanese. This is your Louie talking. Phillips shied away from the limelight. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? We caught a shark and tore it up and ate the liver out of it. life raft for 47 days after a plane crash After a bombing raid on Nauru, Allen earned special distinction awards for piloting his crippled B-24 home despite missing one rudder, having the hydraulic system completely shot away, and nearly 600 bullets holes tearing through the plane his crew nicknamed Superman. He first meets Louie at a training base in Washington state. Louie will nickname him Phil, and Phillips will call Louie "Zamp." Louie meets the rest of his crew, namely Pillsbury, Mitchell, Glassman, Lambert, Brooks, Moznette, and Douglas. 20% Louie's interaction with Hitler is not shown in the movie. After drifting more than 2,000 miles and washing up on the Marshall Islands, Phillips and Zamperini were captured by the Japanese and imprisoned for two years. prisoner-of-war camp. Zamperini dressed Allens wounds and rowed the small raft after a second one that was drifting in the currents nearby. They rose from their seats and waved their shirts and shouted. And every one of them is either swearing at ya, throwing rocks at ya, or jabbing ya with sticks, spitting on ya. There was a problem getting your location. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. "The next thing you know another albatross landed," said Louie, "and I told the guys, 'We got to try to eat it.' The email does not appear to be a valid email address. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/62938403/russell-allen-phillips. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Zamperinis version of the story says he used maggots from rotting shark to clean the wound. . As Zamperini took inventory of the supplies he realized they were without a knife. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. They had drifted approximately 2,000 miles. Charlie and becoming a valued member of the Drexler Family. I wouldn't even have a milkshake. Pacific Ocean, leaving him stranded at I swear I almost started to search for the rafts trademark to see if it was made in Germany or Japan. Phil is an Indiana native who trains to be a military pilot. Theyd acquired a following of sharks. This plane was on a search and rescue mission for Pilot Clarence Corpening's B-24D #42-40519 that had disappeared the day before. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. Zamperini and pilot Russell Allen "Phil" Phillips were picked up by the Japanese on July 13, 1943 (approx. Russell Allen Phillips: Home Biography What He Suffered After the War Family References Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates. Louie, Phil, and other crewmates name their original B-24 Super Man. Research genealogy for Russell Allen Phillips, as well as other members of the Phillips family, on Ancestry. Louie's message is read near verbatim in the movie by actor Jack O'Connell, "Hello mother and father, relatives and friends. Sports as part of their coverage of The two of them quickly became close friends. 1st LT USAAF WWII S/N 15082395 11th BG, 42nd B Sq Pilot and 1st Lt. Russell Allen Phillips was born in 1916 in Greencastle, Indiana and grew up in La Porte, Indiana. Just before he went into a violent rage, his right eyelid would sag. The fateful crash took place during a search and rescue mission when the bombers engines failed. Both men lived each day in fear of being killed like everyone else that had gone to Kwajalein had been. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. In 1934 Phil graduated from LaPorte High School, and finished all forms of school in 1940. Phil is an Indiana native who trains to be a military pilot. After Macs selfishness with the chocolate, the men turned to the sea for food. "Because of my own personal feelings, I treated the prisoners strictly as enemies of Japan. One of the survivors of the plane crash, he remains confident and good-spirited on the raft. One of Phils co-workers at Kesling Middle School states he never even heard about the incident until he was speaking to Phillips wife Cecile (Matt Fritz 1). But he was the one who put the plane down in the water. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. After a crash, they spent 47 days adrift in the ocean on a life raft with tail gunner Francis McNamara, who died on the 33rd day. Weve updated the security on the site. Allens father was a minister and was serving as a chaplain in France and Allen taught the other men some of the songs from church. difficulties and went down over the at the 30:20 mark. Russell Allen Phillips We found 100+ records for Russell Allen Phillips in Missouri, South Carolina and 45 other states. | After that, he continues training and becomes friends with Russell Allen "Phil" Phillips, a pilot and the son of a pastor in Indiana. The salt water helped, too.. It is believed that this was part of the reason for his cruelty. was born on February 5, 1975 to Orville and Nancy (Boynton) Phillips in Fremont,. He requested to meet with Mutsuhiro Watanabe (aka "The Bird"), but his former tormentor declined the meeting. When we all came home, we got together again.. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/131554080/russell-allen-phillips. Russell Allen Phillips, age 52, of Plainfield, died unexpectedly on June 11, 2014. He practiced judo on an appendectomy patient." Weve updated the security on the site. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? Bird"). Born August 1, 1916. I had a head injury. I thought you might like to see a memorial for 1LT Russell Allen Phil Phillips I found on Findagrave.com. This infuriated him and made him bitterly jealous of officers, including Louis Zamperini. In 1934 Phil graduated from LaPorte High School, and finished all forms of school in 1940. The late Russell Allen Phillips, a World War II pilot and longtime LaPorte resident, spent nearly two months eating raw albatrosses and seagulls that happened to land on a tiny life raft that was besieged by sharks, battered by a typhoon, and nearly sunk by a Zero plane's strafing machine gun. On their twenty-seventh day adrift, the three men were strafed several times by a Japanese bomber, which left dozens of bullet holes in the life rafts (they would later be told by the Japanese that this was impossible, as it was a violation of their military code of honor). Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Unbroken tells the story of We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. To use this feature, use a newer browser. The Bird interview starts This ruined Louie's plan to allot each man one square of chocolate in the morning and one in the evening, which would last them a few days. Try again later. Phillips withered down to around 80 pounds. You know, and here you are 65 pounds, you got constant diarrhea, your starved, they throw a rice ball, they don't give it to ya. Unreliable, no appearance, hard to stir, "death trap." Why did Louis consider Phil to be such a good pilot? In 1945, Mutsuhiro Watanabe was ranked number 23 on General Douglas MacArthur's list of the 40 most wanted war criminals in Japan. Zamperini was well known to me. On May 27, 1943, flying the Green Hornet over the Pacific Ocean, there were several system malfunctions and the plane went down. was born on February 5, 1975 to Orville and Nancy (Boynton) Phillips in Fremont, Michigan. Phillips shied away from the limelight, according to the story in The Times of Munster. It caught the attention of Adolf Hitler, who requested that Louie come over to his box in the stands. Louis Zamperini died on July Two years later, Russell Allen Phillips returned to his hometown and became the schoolteacher he had told Zamperini and Mac he would be. Try again later. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. "He was thoughtful and caring and a very good teacher.". Now, here I'm an athlete, I remember myself when I was a powerful, physical athlete, and now I'm just skin and bone and a skeleton, that's all, and that brought tears to my eyes." Russell never graduated from high school but many people did not know this from his many talents. We caught sea birds and a couple of small fish, recalled Phillips, whoworked for Allis-Chalmers after the war and retired from teaching in the LaPorte school district. Russell was a member of Kingsway Christian C 0-663341, who died in the service of his country in the Central Pacific Area, May 28, 1944. Renews March 8, 2023 This browser does not support getting your location. He was born on June 5, 1962 in Wild Rose to Gene and Betty (Baker) Phillips. This is the Unbroken Trailer 2 Like in the movie, they caught a small shark and killed it, cutting it open with the edge of a mirror and eating the liver for food (the only edible part). Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Year should not be greater than current year. In the movie, Louie (Jack O'Connell) notices that Commander John Fitzgerald's fingernails had been torn off. The Japanese saw an American Olympian as a valuable asset. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Phil Russell Allen Phillips, known as Phil, is Louie's companion throughout his war experiences. Drag images here or select from your computer for Russell Allen Phillips memorial. They become crewmates and close friends. Allen and Zamperini had to stop Mac from eating the fish. Try again later. -Unbroken book, Yes. The real Louis Zamperini was in Japan in 1998 to carry the Olympic torch in Nagano to celebrate the start of the Winter Games. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. While attending Purdue, Phil's parents moved to Terre Haute which just happened to be where Cecile "Cecy" Perry had recently moved to with her family. Try again. In a lot of ways, the real-life experiences were much worse. At first, Watanabe mocked Louis and laughed, but as time ticked by, he realized that his punishment had turned into a moment of defiance for Louis. Current Address: CAQE Eagle Canyon Rd NE, Albuquerque, NM. They scooped water from the ocean and let their bodies warm it so they could find some rest. Adapted from Laura Hillenbrand's book of Even after the loss, neither man would give up hope. Three initially survived the crash; the Pilot, 1st Lt. Russell Allen Phillips, Bombardier Louis Zamperini (a former 1936 Olympian runner), and Tail Gunner SSgt Francis McNamara. But small pilot fish and shark was not the only source of meat for the men. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. In researching the Unbroken true story, we learned that Hitler reached from his box and shook Louie's hand, saying something in German. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Russell Allen Phillips, known as Phil, is Louies companion throughout his war experiences. Zamperini and pilot Russell Allen "Phil" Phillips were picked up by the Japanese on July 13, 1943 (approx. Dont have an account? Oops, we were unable to send the email. Phil is well respected for his character and for his piloting skills. Allens job was to ram a spent flare cartridge into its mouth and Zamperini would drive the screwdriver end of the pliers through the sharks eye and into its brain. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. On May 27, 1943, while on a search mission for a lost aircraft and crew, the bomber succumbed to its mechanical woes. Plant a tree Russ you are going to be missed by so many- love you, Love Amy, Anthony, Maureen, Bryan, Danny & Sean. He was born on June 5, 1962 in Wild Rose to Gene and Betty (Baker) Phillips. After the war Phil went home to Indiana where he finally was able to marry and raise a family with Cecy. One night, after weeks stuck at sea with Louie and Phil, Mac passed away. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Zamperini (Jack O'Connell). One afternoon, while the men slept, an albatross landed near Zamperinis head.