Some, because of his injuries in the crash, were not. Mix that in with the fear, hunger, and dehydration, he was a goner. Who is Russell Allen Phillips beyond a companion to Louie? The beam fell and struck Louis in the head, momentarily knocking him out. They knew enough not to eat raw shark meat, but they were able to enjoy a bloody meal of shark liver. THEY KNEW ENOUGH NOT TO EAT RAW SHARK MEAT, BUT THEY WERE ABLE TO ENJOY A BLOODY MEAL OF SHARK LIVER.. He told them about life in La Porte and how he wanted to go back and become a schoolteacher. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/131554080/russell-allen-phillips. -Unbroken book. 0 cemeteries found in La Porte, La Porte County, Indiana, USA. They were able to do this twice, after which no more small sharks came around. Phil is an Indiana native who trains to be a military pilot. On May 27, 1943, while on a search mission for a lost aircraft and crew, the bomber succumbed to its mechanical woes. Join Facebook to connect with Russell Allen Phillips and others you may know. ). There, he is subject to more extreme physical and emotional maltreatment and abuse. I thought you might like to see a memorial for 1LT Russell Allen Phil Phillips I found on Findagrave.com. The beatings left Louie deaf in his left ear for several weeks. It wasnt until Mr. Burns started talking with Cecile Phillips, Russells wife, that the remarkable story came out. A system error has occurred. "Because of my own personal feelings, I treated the prisoners strictly as enemies of Japan. He was captured by the Japanese and Want 100 or more? You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Phillips shied away from the limelight, according to the story in The Times of Munster. Zamperini would hang the bait over the edge of the raft and as the shark swam past he would yank it out of the water by its tail. Russell Allen Phillips, age 52, of Plainfield, died unexpectedly on June 11, 2014. In their new location the two experienced kindness and sympathy. 1 bestseller. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Phil, Louie, and a new crew member they called Mac were the only survivors of the crash. They rose from their seats and waved their shirts and shouted. based on information from your browser. Try again later. They spent the next few days repairing their raft by cannibalizing the raft that Allen had been convalescing in. But small pilot fish and shark was not the only source of meat for the men. Gracefully gliding the thermals high above them the men watched albatrosses soar in the blue skies. 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. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! "They took great joy in telling us we were going to be executed," Zamperini told 60 Minutes, "and they'd always go through the motion, you know, samurai sword [swipes hand across neck] and so forth. Research genealogy for Russell Allen Phillips, as well as other members of the Phillips family, on Ancestry. Hours later, he would return to club the POWs. returned home, including turning to Pacific Ocean, leaving him stranded at To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. Along with Louie, Phil is captured and treated horribly at Kwajalein. Wanting to be closer to his loved ones, he expanded into logging and turned down the final road opening Phillips Garage as an auto mechanic. was born on February 5, 1975 to Orville and Nancy (Boynton) Phillips in Fremont, Michigan. Epilogue. Other names that Russell uses includes Russel Phillips, Russell Gray Phillips, Russell G Phillips, Russel G Phillips and Russell Gray Phillips. When the war ends and he and other prisoners are rescued from that camp, he returns home to Indiana, where he soon weds his dedicated girlfriend, Cecy Perry Phillips. You're signed up for the American Outdoor Guide Boundless newsletter. 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. Three feet beneath their raft, swimming with seven-foot sharks, the men watched as their raft was strafed with bullets. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Louis Zamperini later carried the Olympic torch at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California and in 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Phil, Louies closest friend both during and after World War II, is pretty much left as such through out Unbroken, but what is his story? Phil's crazy-good pilot skills enable him to land the Super Man after an air fight leaves the plane in critical condition. Plant a tree Russ you are going to be missed by so many- love you, Love Amy, Anthony, Maureen, Bryan, Danny & Sean. 0-663341, who died in the service of his country in the Central Pacific Area, May 28, 1944. The men knew that if they went into the water, the bullets wouldnt get them. She just had that feeling., He was quiet and reserved, said Jerry Williams, who taught with Phillips. Thanks for your help! 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. He began drinking when he was eight, hiding under the dinner table sipping glasses of wine. They were so close at times that the men would only have to reach out their hands to touch them. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. Russell deeply enjoyed spending time with his family and many, many friends that he acquired along the back roads, especially his road brother, Charlie and becoming a valued member of the Drexler Family. We have set your language to However, in that case, Lomax's tormentor had already spent years atoning for his actions. The book states the phrase as, "A lifetime of glory is worth a moment of pain. Yes. He promised Louie a rice ball and ended up giving him two. "The worst part I think about being in the cell was [Japanese] submarines," Louie revealed in a CBN interview. LAPORTE, Ind. Their unbelievable but true-life tale hit movie theaters nationwide on Christmas. Zamperini had even prepared a letter to give to Watanabe, which in part stated, "I committed my life to Christ. They cut the bird up, but found they couldnt eat it. However, the sharks were not always bad. Despite sailors superstition, the three of them knew that if the opportunity presented itself, theyd eat one. The amazing tale of survival is told in Zamperini's memoir 'Devil At My Heels', and in Laura Hillenbrand's #1 bestseller "Unbroken".Much of this bio was provided by findagrave member B24CoPilotNiece, U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Failed to report flower. After three weeks, Allens bandages were removed and he did more around the raft. The Unbroken movie true story verifies that they were taken to the atoll of Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. Current Address: CAQE Eagle Canyon Rd NE, Albuquerque, NM. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. He attended Purdue University, and earned a degree in forestry and conservation. a movie to be released in 2015 based on the book will feature James Franco as Louie Zamperini and Matt Damon as . held in an internment camp until the end Allen, as friends and colleagues knew him in his hometown of La Porte, Indiana, graduated from La Porte High School in 1934 and earned a degree in forestry from Purdue University. Russell was a member of Kingsway Christian C They had their sores treated, were fed, and treated like friends, but their journey wasnt over yet. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? 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. Later, Phil and Louie are both members of the Green Hornet crew that suffers an anticipated crash. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Russell Allen Phillips I found on Findagrave.com. This infuriated him and made him bitterly jealous of officers, including Louis Zamperini. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? He wrote his own message again, but at the last minute, they gave him a prewritten one filled with propaganda. When Louie was declared dead after his plane disappeared, Pete would help hold his family together, and would never abandon hope. Charlie and becoming a valued member of the Drexler Family. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. "A submarine came in and of course, they never see prisoners. But the island was moving. All rights reserved. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. -60 Minutes, Yes. "When they first put us in a cell, I just looked down at my knees, my bones, and my skin, and I just started crying. In December 1941, Japan attacks the United States at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and on the island of Wake Atoll. After he was found and returned home, Russell Allen Phillips married Cecile Perry, who never gave up on him, and they had two children. This one, the Green Hornet, was used on the daily vegetable runs between the air base and Hawaii. "A lot of people in LaPorte didn't know anything about what he did," he said. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. He graduated from Newaygo High School in 1993. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. moment his ongoing nightmares of his On occasion, the waves would toss small fish into their raft. 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. Once Phil and Louie re accounted what had happened to them they were blindfolded, lead onto another ship, andbrought to an island. The wrestled with the bird, fought against its razor sharp beak and finally wrung its neck. Unbroken tells the story of Failed to remove flower. After the war Phil went home to Indiana where he finally was able to marry and raise a family with Cecy. Domhall Gleeson, the son of Golden Globe-nominated Irish actor Brendan Gleeson, plays Phillips in the movie. -CBN, Yes. I am now interned in the Tokyo prisoners' camp and am being treated as well as can be expected under war time conditions" The latter, of course, was a lie. He also had a penchant for stealing and fighting. On November 7, 1941, Phil enlisted in the Air Corps near his home at Fort Benjamin Harrison during his engagement to Cecile Perry. Try again later. Oops, something didn't work. Others, like Kesling Middle School Social Studies teacher Robert Burns, had no idea that the man in the science classroom next door had spent nearly two months adrift in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with little food and nearly no water. tormentor, the Bird, ended. It was no use. 1 best-seller. He simply had to make it home and see her again. It wasn't until Mr. Burns started talking with Cecile Phillips, Russell's wife, that the remarkable story came out. No. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Year should not be greater than current year. First he was declared missing at sea, and then on May 28, 1944, a year and a day after his plane crashed, he was mistakenly declared KIA (killed in action). They all knew that Allens bleeding gash would quickly attract sharks. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? -CBS Sports Coming from a wealthy Japanese family of high pedigree, Corporal Watanabe, who had a privileged upbringing, felt humiliated and disgraced when his application to become an officer was rejected. A lot of people russell allen phillips family LaPorte did n't know anything about what he did ''! This flower to administrators as offensive or abusive Louie was declared dead his. He simply had to make it home and see her again the men watched as their by..., Russel G Phillips, Russell G Phillips, Russell Gray Phillips [ ]. Itself, theyd eat one, Allens bandages were removed and he did more around the raft close Times! 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