Phill G. McDonald

Phill Gene McDonald (September 13, 1941 – June 7, 1968) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War.

Phill G. McDonald
Army Medal of Honor
Born	(1941-09-13)September 13, 1941 Avondale, West Virginia (McDowell County)
Died	June 7, 1968(1968-06-07) (aged 26) near Kon Tum, Republic of Vietnam
Place of burial	Guilford Memorial Park, Greensboro, North Carolina
Allegiance	United States of America
Service / branch	United States Army
Years of service	1967–1968
Rank	Private First Class
Unit	Company A, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division
Battles / wars	Vietnam War †
Awards	Medal of Honor Purple Heart

Biography

McDonald joined the Army from Beckley, West Virginia, in 1967, and served as a private first class in Company A, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during a June 7, 1968 firefight near Kontum in South Vietnam, during Operation MacArthur.

McDonald, aged 26 at his death, was buried in Guilford Memorial Park, Greensboro, North Carolina.

Medal of Honor citation

Private First Class McDonald's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Pfc. McDonald distinguished himself while serving as a team leader with the 1st platoon of Company A. While on a combat mission his platoon came under heavy barrage of automatic weapons fire from a well concealed company-size enemy force. Volunteering to escort two wounded comrades to an evacuation point, Pfc. McDonald crawled through intense fire to destroy with a grenade an enemy automatic weapon threatening the safety of the evacuation. Returning to his platoon, he again volunteered to provide covering fire for the maneuver of the platoon from its exposed position. Realizing the threat he posed, enemy gunners concentrated their fire on Pfc. McDonald's position, seriously wounding him. Despite his painful wounds, Pfc. McDonald recovered the weapon of a wounded machine gunner to provide accurate covering fire for the gunner's evacuation. When other soldiers were pinned down by a heavy volume of fire from a hostile machine gun to his front, Pfc. McDonald crawled toward the enemy position to destroy it with grenades. He was mortally wounded in this intrepid action. Pfc. McDonald's gallantry at the risk of his life which resulted in the saving of the lives of his comrades, is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

See also

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Vietnam War
• Phil G. McDonald Bridge – a West Virginia bridge officially renamed from the Glade Creek Bridge in his honor

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.

External links

• "Phill G. McDonald". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. Retrieved 2007-07-10.