Lee H. Phillips

Lee Hugh Phillips (February 3, 1930 – November 27, 1950) was a United States Marine who was posthumously awarded the United States’ highest military decoration – the Medal of Honor – for his heroism on November 4, 1950, while fighting in Korea with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, in the push toward the Chosin Reservoir. The 20-year-old squad leader was the 40th Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions during the Korean War.

Although he survived that action, he was killed at Yudam-ni on November 27, 1950, during a later phase of the hard-fought Chosin Reservoir campaign. The medal was presented to his mother on March 29, 1954 by Secretary of the Navy Robert B. Anderson. The Pentagon ceremony also included presentation of posthumous Medals of Honor to the families of Sergeants James E. Johnson and Daniel P. Matthews.

Biography

Lee Hugh Phillips was born on February 3, 1930 in Stockbridge, Georgia. He attended school in Ellenwood, Georgia, until 1945, then worked six months painting picture frames for the Georgia Art Supply Company of Atlanta, and more than a year as a stock clerk at the Davison-Paxton department store in that city. He enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve on January 17, 1948, and after six months of inactive duty, joined the regular Marine Corps on July 19, 1948.