The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to
PRIVATE FIRST CLASS JIMMY W. PHIPPS
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

for service as set forth in the following
 

Citation

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 in connection with combat operations against the enemy. Pfc. Phipps was a member of a 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, Pfc. Phipps discovered a 175 mm high explosive artillery round in a rice paddy. Suspecting that the enemy had attached 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 within a few meters of him and that the imminent explosion could kill all 3 men, Pfc. 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 body. Pfc. Phipps' indomitable courage, inspiring initiative, and selfless devotion to duty saved the lives of 2 marines and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country .
 

/S/ RICHARD M. NIXON

PFC Phipps was attached to Company C, 1st Bn, 5th Marines at the time of his death. We were then operating in the Arizona Territory northwest of An Hoa.
I was Platoon Commander of 3d Platoon Charlie Company. On the morning of May 27, 1969, we found the dud 175 round that eventually killed him during our morning patrol. Because I did not have an engineer attached to my patrol, we returned to the Company perimeter and reported the location of the round.
2d Lt. Neil Meier, platoon commander of 1st platoon, took out the afternoon patrol, and PFC Phipps accompanied the platoon. It was Neil who was one of the men Phipps saved by his gallant action.
I remember him as a friendly young man who was glad to be attached to a rifle company and away from the humdrum of the garrison like life of an Engineer Company. He was a gallant Marine.
Just thought you might like to know what Paul Harvey calls "the rest of the story."
Michael R. McCarty
LtCol, USMC (ret)

Jimmy and I were in the same platoon during boot camp at MCRD San Diego, Ca. I became to know Jimmy because we were both from California. We would get together and talk about going home together after boot camp. I regret that we never did. After boot camp Jimmy and I received a different MOS. We were separated  and didn't keep in touch.  Jimmy was a good Marine in boot camp he was always willing to help other Marines. Another Marine visiting my web site told me to revisit "The Wall" on line and read about Jimmy on his personal page. After reading how Jimmy was killed it was how he was always willing to help a fellow Marine. Jimmy gave is life to help protect other Marines. God bless you Jimmy.
George Sager