Lanny Phipps - Lance Corporal

Hometown:
Rutherford
D.O.B.:
March 25, 1945
County:
Not Available
Rank:
Lance Corporal
Branch:
Marines
Date of Casualty:

December 7, 1968

Casualty Status:
Killed In Action
Country of Incident:
South Vietnam

Lanny W. Phipps was born on March 25, 1945. His home of record is Rutherford, NJ.

He enlisted in the US Marine Corps and attained the rank of Lance Corporal (LCPL).

Phipps was killed in action on December 7, 1968, when his unit was ambushed.

Phipps was awarded a Silver Star.

The following is an excerpt from The Record dated Monday, January 29, 1973:

Lanny Phipps was afflicted with wanderlust, and left high school in 1962 to join the Navy so he would be able to move around. After his discharge and a series of jobs, he enlisted in the Marines in 1968. He was wounded once during the summer, and took part in a major American push later that year. In December 1968, while on patrol, his unit was ambushed. Cpl. Phipps, 23, led his four-man fire team toward a North Vietnamese machine gun. His three comrades were shot down. Cpl. Phipps was 20 yards from the enemy gun when he shot and killed by a sniper. For his actions, he was posthumously awarded a silver star.

Source: Newspaper clippings, Rutherford High School, and NJVVMF.
12/17/2024

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