Staff Sergeant (SSGT) Philip H. Pollock, Jr. was born 10 Oct 1923 in Joliet, IL. In June, 1942, he had finished his freshman year of college at Macalester College, MN and registered for the draft. He was inducted on 3 April 1943 at Ft. Douglas, UT, and took basic training with an unidentified Railway Shop Battalion near New Orleans, LA in the Spring of 1943. He applied for and was accepted in the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP)at Louisiana State University where he spent two quarters and was awarded a certificate of completion of a basic engineering course on 4 Dec 1943. In Nov 1943, he was assigned to the 87th Infantry Division, 347th Infantry Regiment, G Company at Camp McCain, MS. He joined the Tennessee Maneuvers in Jan 1944. He went with the division to Ft. Jackson, SC in Jan 1944 where they trained until leaving for Camp Kilmer, NJ, embarking on the Queen Elizabeth for overseas duty in Oct 1944, and landing in Manchester, England. In late Nov 1944, the division went to France, joining 3rd US Army in Metz. He fought with the 87th Division in the Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe campaigns until April 1945 when he was awarded a 45 day furlough in the US. He is still in the US on Victory in Europe (VE) day and never rejoins the 87th Division in Europe. In July 1945, he is assigned to an unidentified 4.2 Mortar unit at Camp Bowie, TX. He then went to Chemical Warfare School at Edgewood Arsenal, NJ in August 1946, where he earned a Certificate of Proficiency in 4.2 Mortars. He was discharged on 23 Nov 1945.
From the description of Philip H. Pollock, Jr. papers. (US Army, Mil Hist Institute). WorldCat record id: 56884240
