At First Light: A True World War II Story of a Hero, His Bravery, and an Amazing Horse

As Seen on The 700 Club

Gold Medal Winner of the 2025 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards

What makes 2nd Lieutenant Phil Larimore’s story special is what happened in World War II’s closing days and the people—and horses—he interacted with in this Forrest Gump-like tale that is emotional, heartbreaking, and inspiring.

Growing up in the 1930s in Memphis, Tennessee, Phil Larimore is the ultimate Boy Scout—able to read maps, put a compass to good use, and traverse wild swamps and desolate canyons. His other great skill is riding horses.

Phil does poorly in school, however, leading his parents send to him to a military academy. After Pearl Harbor, Phil realizes he is destined for war. Three weeks before his eighteenth birthday, he becomes the youngest candidate to ever graduate from Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Landing on the Anzio beachhead in February 1944, Phil is put in charge of an Ammunition Pioneer Platoon in the 3rd Infantry Division. Their job: deliver ammunition to the frontline foxholes—a dangerous assignment involving regular forays into No Man’s Land.

As Phil fights his way up the Italian boot, into Southern France and across the Rhine River into Germany, he is caught up in some of the most intense combat ever. But it’s what happens in the final stages of the war and his homecoming that makes Phil’s story incredibly special and heartwarming.

An emotional tale of courage, daring, and heroism, At First Light will remind you of the indomitable human spirit that lives in all of us.

Walt Larimore is a prolific author and has written or co-written forty books, thirty medical textbook chapters, and over 1,000 articles in various medical journals and lay magazines. His books have garnered a number of national awards, including three Gold Medallion Award nominations, a Book of the Year Award from ECPA, and most recently, At First Light received the “Highly Commended” and “Finalist” awards at the international 2020 Page Turner Awards. Dr. Larimore has also authored four novels and five memoir-style bestsellers.

Walt’s website is www.DrWalt.com and his Twitter handle is @WaltLarimore.

Mike Yorkey is a veteran author who has worked with a considerable number of high-profile speakers, authors, and sports figures over the last twenty-five years. He has authored and co-authored (as a collaborator) more than 110 books in many genres.

Mike’s website is www.mikeyorkey.com, and his Twitter handle is @MikeYorkey.