Page 114 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2018- Online Magazine
P. 114
Phil Price
Reluctant Soldier
by Victoria Price
The United States 10 casualties, Phil was proud that
Army drafted him none of his men were mortally
anyway. wounded or suffered permanent
injuries. However, true to the
Winter in Fort Dix, Infantry creed of “Follow Me,”
New Jersey was Phil himself was wounded and
his introduction to medically evacuated to a MASH
Basic and Advanced unit in Camp Zama, Japan. He
Infantry Training. was awarded the Purple Heart
(The army was and Bronze Star with Valor.
the only branch (Ed.’s note: The Bronze Star with
of service open to the “V” device in combat denotes
draftees.) There, heroism and is the fourth highest
Phil was awarded military decoration for valor.)
Trainee of the He is fond of reporting that he
Cycle. His summer was shot with a Soviet rifle,
was spent in Fort wounded by a Chinese grenade
Benning, Georgia and all during the Ho Chi Minh
in Infantry Officer ceasefire!
Candidate School
(DCS), where he Upon returning stateside, Phil
was named Honor noticed many people wearing
Graduate and TAC “MIA” bracelets to remember
(Training, Advising missing-in-action servicemen
and Counseling) of the Vietnam War. They were
hil Price was a reluctant Officer and
soldier during the assigned to Panama for
Punpopular war of Vietnam, jungle training.
but he did the honorable thing:
Phil Price served. Phil was immediately
assigned as an Infantry
Phil was 25 years old and vice- Platoon Leader with the
president of a national student 2/8th (Mech.) Infantry
marketing company, supervising Battalion (Highlands) in the
a sales crew in Milwaukee, while Republic of Vietnam. His
being physically in Washington platoon, the “Panthers”,
state with airline tickets to was a reactionary force
California, when Uncle Sam sent whose job was to protect
“Greetings”. It was impossible to resupply convoys
return to Amarillo in time for his throughout the jungle.
scheduled notice. Phil recounts When the resupply forces
with humor that his mother were attacked, his platoon
reported to his draft board (on broke up the ambushes.
time), but she failed both the In 1969, when the Infantry
age and physical requirements. was experiencing 9 out of
114 Lubbock Senior Link
