ANNOUNCEMENTS

Our post is named after a long time member and one of the last WWII veterans in Floyd County: Orland Phillips.

Orland Phillips (1919-2023) was born in Jackson County, West Virginia, and after completing eighth grade he began working full time.  At age 21, he was enrolled at the Naval Ordnance Plant when drafted into World War II service, April, 1941.  "I was in there before the war started and there when it was done,” he said.  Returning from service, Orland married  Leora Marshall and settled in Indian Valley where the couple reared their four daughters.  Orland maintained a machine shop and woodworking shop well into his nineties, building on the same skills he learned during wartime service.  A self-proclaimed "camera nut” after joining a camera club in 1939, Mr. Phillips took many photographs and developed the negatives both overseas and at home.  In the audio clip linked on this page, Orland recalls some of his wartime photographic adventures.  During 2022, with widespread acclaim, Orland received close to 2300 birthday cards upon reaching the age of 103.

Source: https://oldchurchgallery.org/collections/orland-phillips-interview/