Doc Philip Lawrence Jewell
Company C 1/22 Infantry (attached from HHC)
4th Infantry Division
KIA 11/21/69
MOS: 91A10 Medical Corpsman
Note: E3 at loss. Posthumous Promotion as indicated
Philip Jewell was killed
in action during an engagement with hostile forces, when he went
to render medical aid
to a fellow Soldier, Johnny Trainham, who was wounded and killed
in the engagement,
at grid reference BR825101, approximately 4 kilometers
north/northwest of Van Canh airfield.
CPL Philip L. Jewell's decorations
**********************
"Below is a copy of a poem
that I received from Jim Green, one of my Panther Platoon buddies
back in Charlie Company in 69-70.
It contains a poem written about the fight for hill 474 where
"Doc" Phillip Jewell and Johnny Trainham
of Charlie Company were killed on Nov 21, 1969. The poem was
written by Alan Bracken, of Second Platoon.
It is in Alan's own handwriting and was kept by Jim these 30 odd
years.
Bracken was Killed in Action himself on January 25, 1970."
Robert Wren, January 2005
"I'm not the
only one who deserves credit for the poem.Thomas Waybright has
the orignal copy of it.
He sent me a photo stat copy of it and we've been talking about
doing this for a long time.
Jim Green, January 2005
Hill 474 12-7-69
November 21st, a day of
Reconing,
A time of Sorrow, a moan of Beckoning,
So scared were we, the night of the day before,
For tomorrow we faced the undetermined score.
The hill was Theirs, but
our to take
A hill bestowed, for our lives were at stake!
Then Morning came, the men were ready,
Our gear all packed, but our minds unsteady.
The long hump began,
with insides shakey,
For everyone knew our shit was flakey,
The Hill was theirs, but would soon be ours,
Though it might take days or infinite hours.
With mini-guns working,
& red tracers flying,
The Gooks Held; for their goal is worth dying.
Our journey under way, there would be no stop,
for the Colonel said, "We must make it to the top".
We took the hill, but
without great pride,
For beneath our feet, our two buddies lied.
Two great men were Doc and J.T.,
But in our minds they ever will be.
No greater price could
anyone ask of man,
Than to give his life, to insure peace in the land.
To fight they were called, and to fight they came,
But who can you curse, and who can you blame.
The Hill is ours, but we
must push on,
For the "grunt" is a nomad; here then gone.
The Hill was theirs and now its ours,
Forever to stand like a graveyard with towers.
written in Vietnam by Alan Bracken, December 7, 1969
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The website is grateful to
Robert Wren, Jim Green and Thomas Waybright, all veterans of 1/22
Infantry,
for preserving and sharing Alan Bracken's heartfelt tribute to
his fallen brothers-in-arms.
Below is a tribute to Johnny and Doc Jewel created by Gary Hurl:
**********************
Burial:
Evergreen Cemetery
Walker
Cass County
Minnesota, USA
Plot: Map 25; SP6-B3-4
Grave monument for Philip L. Jewell
Photo by Tyboe Tracy from the Find A Grave website
Click on Philip Jewell's name below to visit his memorial page on the Virtual Wall Website:
Click on the link below to visit
the tribute to Philip Jewell which includes an account of
the incident in which he died:
Home | Photos | Battles & History | Current |
Rosters & Reports | Medal of Honor | Killed
in Action |
Personnel Locator | Commanders | Station
List | Campaigns |
Honors | Insignia & Memorabilia | 4-42
Artillery | Taps |
What's New | Editorial | Links |