Phillip D. McNeill
Sergeant, United States Army
April 30, 1984 – January 20, 2007
Age – 22
Washington, MI
Operation Iraqi Freedom
3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry (Airborne), 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, AK
Died in Karma, Iraq of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive decide detonated near his Humvee
Sgt. Phillip D. McNeill of Sunrise, Fla. joined the military two years after graduating from J.P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs in 2002. He grew up in Lexington, Ky., and Cincinnati before moving to South Florida as a teenager and later lived in Louisville, KY.
He was a voracious reader who adored classics, such as Crime and Punishment, as much as children’s books like the Harry Potter series. He taught himself to play the guitar, reveled in Metallica music, and helped raise money for Kids in Distress Inc. When he was a child, he regularly visited his grandmother in Owingsville, KY.
Always a lover of the outdoors, Phillip was fascinated by the rural setting, especially the large pine tree on the side of his grandmother’s house. He loved climbing the tree and snacking on peanut butter sandwiches while sitting on its branches. He also loved wading through a nearby creek in search of snakes, wanting to be a herpetologist at one time because of his love for snakes. His older brother, Chris, served in the U.S. Marine Corps for five years and was deployed in Iraq and his grandfather, Jesse McNeill, was an Air Force colonel. Phillip was a medic, and had just been promoted to sergeant. He was 22.
He was a great soldier, and an even better friend. I still have the 82nd patch that you put on me, shortly after you said “what the duce!” and ripped off my 44th med patch and said” you earned this one, don’t let me catch you wearing that —- again!”. Miss you.
SGT McCafferty, Jacob McCafferty
A regular comedian, I remember him telling me, in full detail, how aliens from outer space could very possibly abduct us, while we were making security rounds during a field problem at FT. Bragg. He was always making someone laugh, he could make a rock smile if he felt like it. My deepest sympathy to his family and friends, and to anyone lucky enough to have crossed paths with Phil. Until we meet up on that great drop zone in the sky, I’ll be keeping you and your family in my prayers. H-Minus.
Tommy Torres-Brent
I happened to be SGT Mcneils first Platoon Sergeant in the Army when he came to Fort Bragg. I remember getting him straight from airborne school weeks prior to deploying to Iraq the first time. He was never scared to deploy just ready to employ his newly learned medical skills. No matter what the situation was he could always make me laugh. I will never forget him and he will always be in my prayers.
Armando Torres
