Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken this Day
PHILLIPS, GEORGE
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Born 14 July 1926, Rich Hill, Mo. Entered service at: Labadie, Mo. Citation. For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the 2d Battalion, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the seizure of Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, on 14 March 1945. Standing the foxhole watch while other members of his squad rested after a night of bitter handgrenade fighting against infiltrating Japanese troops, Pvt. Phillips was the only member of his unit alerted when an enemy handgrenade was tossed into their midst. Instantly shouting a warning, he unhesitatingly threw himself on the deadly missile, absorbing the shattering violence of the exploding charge in his own body and protecting his comrades from serious injury. Stouthearted and indomitable, Pvt. Phillips willingly yielded his own life that his fellow marines might carry on the relentless battle against a fanatic enemy. His superb valor and unfaltering spirit of self-sacrifice in the face of certain death reflect the highest credit upon himself and upon the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Veterans/Armed Forces Network cannot independently verify the content, date, location or authenticity of any material.
Military Services and Reserve Components
Department of Homeland Security
Government References:
- VA
- Library of Congress
- House Committee on Veterans Affairs Republican
- House Committee on Veterans Affairs Democrats
- Department of Defense
- Washington Headquarters Services Office of the Deputy Chief Management Officer
- Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics
"Veterans/Armed Forces Network©Copyright 2001-2014" vafnet.com, vafnet.org, vafnet.net All rights reserved.
"Veterans/Armed Forces Network is a both a public service site and subscription based site and is not affiliated with the United States Armed Services.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
