Private First Class
United States Marine Corps
Jimmy Phipps
Citation
Citation
PRIVATE FIRST CLASS JIMMY W.
PHIPPS
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
For conspicuous gallantry and
intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while
serving as a combat Engineer with Company B, First Battalion, First Marine
Division in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the
Republic of Vietnam. On 27 May 1969, Private First Class Phipps, was a
member of a two-man combat engineer demolition team assigned to locate
and destroy enemy artillery ordinance and concealed firing devices. After
he had expended all of his explosives and blasting caps, Private First
Class Phipps discovered a 175mm high explosive artillery round in a rice
paddy. Suspecting that the enemy had attached at the artillery round to
a secondary explosive device, he warned other Marines in the area to move
to covered positions and prepared to destroy the round with a hand grenade.
As he was attaching the hand grenade to a stake beside the artillery round,
the fuse of the enemy's secondary explosive device ignited. Realizing that
his assistant and the platoon commander were both with a few meters of
him and that the imminent explosion could kill all three men, Private First
Class Phipps grasped the hand grenade to his chest and dived forward to
cover the enemy's explosive and the artillery round with his body, thereby
shielding his companions from the detonation while absorbing the full and
tremendous impact with his own body. Private First Class Phipp's indomitable
courage, inspiring initiative and selfless devotion to duty saved the lives
of two Marines and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and
the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
RICHARD M. NIXON
Return
to Top of PageReturn
to Main PageReturn
to Alphabetical Page