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Vietnam Medal of Honor recipient Marine PFC Jimmy W. Phipps.
Medal of Honor
Episode 2968 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature Medal of Honor recipient Marine PFC Jimmy W. Phipps. Information featured in this episode comes from Wikipedia and The Hawaii Reporter.
Marine Private First Class Jimmy W. Phipps was a fearless combat engineer who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam War. Born in 1950, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and was deployed to Quảng Nam Province with 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division. On May 27, 1969, while supporting Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines,
He was a member of a two-man combat engineer demolition team assigned to locate and destroy enemy artillery ordnance 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.
Phipps’ citation commends his gallantry, selflessness, and heroism in the face of overwhelming danger. His actions embody the Marine Corps’ core values of honor, courage, and commitment. Today, his legacy endures, with his name enshrined on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall and in the hearts of all who honor fallen heroes.
PFC Jimmy W. Phipps’ valor serves as a timeless inspiration, reminding us of the sacrifices made by Vietnam War heroes who fought for freedom.
Listen to Episode 2968 and discover more about Medal of Honor recipient Marine PFC Jimmy W. Phipps.
