George Samuel Phillips

Place: Rich Hill

Born: 1926

Death: 1945

Biography:

George Samuel Phillips was born on July 14, 1926, in Rich Hill, Missouri, United States. He was a United States Marine and Medal of Honor recipient who died on March 14, 1945, at the age of 18, during the Battle of Iwo Jima in the Pacific War of World War II. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for sacrificing his own life to save the lives of fellow Marines on Iwo Jima by throwing himself over an activated hand grenade. The decoration was received by his uncle. He was initially buried in the 5th Marine Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima and later reinterred in Bethel Cemetery, Labadie, Missouri.