Sidney "Sid" Phillips was a Private First Class who served as a mortarman in H Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment (H/2/1). He was a lifelong friend of Eugene Sledge.
Before Deployment[]
Sid is first seen with his friend Eugene Sledge the afternoon before Sid is set to leave for bootcamp. Eugene shares his disappointment that they are unable to go together, and tells Sid to take care of himself.
Guadalcanal[]
Sid is one of the original Marines of the 1st Marine Regiment who participated in the Guadalcanal campaign, participating as a 81mm mortarman in the battle in Robert Leckie's unit. At the end of the Battle of the Tenaru, Sid reveals that his 18th birthday was a few weeks prior, and his fellow Marines sing him a sarcastic version of "How Old Are You Now".
Sid continues to participate in the campaign, and interacts with Leckie and his friends often. He is next seen on the Navy ship headed for Melbourne.
Melbourne[]
After four months of battle on Guadalcanal, the Marines are sent to Melbourne. Sid meets a girl named Gwen whose grandfather makes sure that he understands proper behavior when it comes to his granddaughter, then 2 M.P's storm the bar telling them that every marine must have a liberty pass or they will return back to the stadium. A Marine throws a glass of beer at the door nearly hitting an M.P and all the Marines flee the area. Sid tells Gwen's grandfather that he has a liberty pass which was an absolute lie. They are next seen in the park teaching Gwen about baseball, then a marine comes to him telling him that he has limited time left before returning back to the stadium. She takes him to her room, and before saying goodbye to Gwen, he unbuttons her shirt, and they make love.
Cape Gloucester[]
Phillips does not have an important role in Part Four. He is seen laying down with Leckie's former company to repel a Japanese attack, frightened at Cape Gloucester. At camp, one of them talks about John Basilone returning home, selling war bonds and living in paradise. Later, Sid, along with Leckie, witness Pfc. Ronnie Gibson choking a dying enemy soldier to death. Before shipping out to Pavuvu, Sid decides to become a physician should he come home.
Pavuvu[]
Sid doesn't have much of an important role in Part Five, however, his conversations with Eugene Sledge reflect just how much innocence he has lost compared to his fresh marine of a friend. He is seen running towards his friend Sledge after not seeing Sledge since leaving for Guadalcanal and playfully tussling with him. Captain Andrew "Ack Ack" Haldane along with Lt. Edward "Hillbilly" Jones arrive and both immediately snap to attention. Captain Haldane asks them why Phillips is trying to pin Sledge to the ground. Sledge tells them that they are old friends from back home. Haldane leaves them alone. Sid tells Sledge that he's being shipped out at some point. He is shipped out before Sledge can say goodbye.
Back in Mobile[]
After arriving home, Sid visits Eugene Sledge's parents Edward Sledge Sr. and Mary Frank Sledge whom he rather unconvincingly tells that he is not worried about Eugene.
When Sledge returns to Mobile by train, Sid is there to pick him up. During the car ride, Sid first asks Sledge about his pipe, to which the latter tells him that smoking and packing it helps calm him down. Sid reveals to Eugene that he has asked Mary Houston to marry him and asks him to be his best man. Sid drops Eugene off at the foot of his parents' driveway and drives away.
Later at a party, Sid finds Eugene sitting alone outside and the two have a short conversation about the impact the war is having on them, and their survivor's guilt. The conversation is interrupted by Mary, who calls for Sid to come back inside.
Portrayal by Ashton Holmes[]
Background[]
Sidney Clarke Phillips Jr. was born on September 2, 1924. He was good friends with Eugene Sledge, who lived a few blocks away.
After returning from the war, Phillips enrolled in Spring Hill College, then went to medical school to become a family physician. In April 1946 he married Mary Victoria Houston, and Sledge was his best man. He enlisted in the reserves while at Spring Hill, then was finally discharged in April 1948.
He lived quietly in Alabama, after completing a long career and finally retiring. He would eventually write his memoir You'll Be Sor-Ree!, about his combat experiences in World War II. He reports that Sledge's widow and sons introduced him to Ken Burns's writing team, then later the HBO writers, so that he was able to provide needed information about the lives of World War II Marines in combat in the Pacific.
Phillips passed away on September 26, 2015 (aged 91) in Mobile, Alabama.[1] Mary preceded him in death on April 19, 2000 (aged 75).[2] Sid and Mary were buried in Pine Crest Cemetery in Mobile.
The portion of Alabama Highway 193 between Interstate 10 and Laurendine Road was designated the "Dr. Sidney C. Phillips, Jr. Memorial Highway" in Phillips' honor.[3][4]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Phillips has frequent interaction with Robert Leckie in the series. In reality, while Sid knew him and they were in the same company, they were in different platoons and did not have a very close friendship.
- Phillips is not mentioned by either Leckie in Helmet For My Pillow, nor Eugene Sledge in With the Old Breed.
- Spurred on by the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Phillips and his friend W.O. Brown initially set out to join the Navy, but they were snapped up by a Marine recruiter when the line to enter the Navy recruiting station was too long.[5]
- Phillips did not date a woman named Gwen while in Melbourne, but rather a woman named Shirley. After Phillips returned from the war and got married to Mary Houston (who burned all Phillips' pictures of Shirley), Shirley (then also married) passed through Mobile and they had a reunion. 10 years later, Shirley's oldest son fell in love with and married Phillips' daughter (also named Mary).[6]