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Phillip D Vinnedge

Saint Charles, Missouri

October 13, 2010

Age

Military

Rank

Unit/Location

Marine

L/Cpl

3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force

Camp Pendleton, California

Killed while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

From Julie Vinnedge 03/31/12:

On October 13th, 2010 nineteen year old Marine Lance Corporal Phillip Vinnedge gave his life defending our freedom. He will be missed by all that knew him, but never forgotten
Phillip was deployed with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment to Sangin Afghanistan. On October 13, 2010 Phillip was driving the lead vehicle, an MATV, on a security patrol. Also in the vehicle were; Lcpl Victor Dew, Lcpl Joe Rodewald and Cpl Justin Cain. While crossing the Sangin Wadi (dry riverbed) a very large IED was remote detonated, killing all 4 instantly. The MATV was thought to be resistant to these types of explosives and due to this incident their use has now been limited.
During their 7 month deployment, 3/5 Marines had 25 men killed in action, hundreds of casualties including many amputees.

From St. Louis Today sttoday.com 10/15/10:

St. Charles Marine killed in Afghanistan
Staff reports | Posted: Friday, October 15, 2010 7:45 am
UPDATED, 7:45 a.m. Friday
A Marine from St. Charles on his first combat deployment was one of four soldiers killed by a roadside bomb Wednesday in Helmand province in Afghanistan.
Lance Cpl. Phillip D. Vinnedge, 19, was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment based out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Also killed in the same incident were: Cpl. Justin J. Cain, 22, of Manitowoc, Wis.; Lance Cpl. Joseph E. Rodewald, 21, of Albany, Ore.; and Pfc. Victor A. Dew, 20, of Granite Bay, Calif.
Vinnedge was an antitank assaultman. He enlisted in September 2009.
This was Vinnedge's first combat deployment, said Cpl. Zachary Nola, of the Camp Pendleton base. It was also the first combat deployment for Dew and Rodewald, he said. Nola confirmed Friday morning that the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment had only left for Afghanistan the last week of September.
They were in a vehicle when a roadside bomb went off, Nola said.
Vinnedge was a 2009 graduate of Francis Howell Central High School and was active in Boy Scouts. He was the youngest of three boys. His older brothers also graduated from Francis Howell Central.
The high school has put its flags at half mast as a way to honor Vinnedge. School officials said they also plan a moment of silence at tonight's home football game against Francis Howell High School.

‘Phillip never back down from a challenge’

The Associated Press

Phillip Vinnedge once downloaded a list of “impossible” tasks from the Internet that he set out to prove could be done, such as eating a spoonful of cinnamon, friends said.

“Phil kept checking things off the list,” Zach Will, who grew up with Vinnedge, shared in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch story. “He achieved everything he went for in life.”

Vinnedge, 19, of St. Charles, Mo., tackled everything with a special focus: Boy Scouts, wrestling, skydiving, welding, trap shooting.

He displayed the same drive as a Marine.

Scout leader Mike Long said Vinnedge gave up wrestling his senior year to make sure he started his Marine Corps training injury-free after graduating from Francis Owell High School in 2009.

He loved challenges, according to his obituary. “From simple childhood bets and dares, to personal goals and accomplishments, Phillip never backed down from a challenge,” it said.

The Camp Pendleton-based Marine was killed Oct. 13 in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

Survivors include his parents, Dave and Julie Vinnedge, and his brothers, Corey and Jason.

4 Pendleton Marines killed in Helmand IED blast

By Gidget Fuentes

Staff writer

Four members of the Camp Pendleton, Calif.-based 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, died Wednesday while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, the Defense Department announced.

The Marines were killed by an improvised explosive device while they were conducting mounted operations, the 1st Marine Division said in statements that also expressed condolences to the Marines’ families.

The Marines killed:

* Cpl. Justin J. Cain, 22, of Manitowoc, Wis.

Cain, a machine gunner, had enlisted in June 2007. His military awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

* Lance Cpl. Joseph E. Rodewald, 21, of Albany, Ore.

The machine gunner, who enlisted in November 2007, was on his first combat deployment. His awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon. His family told the Albany Democrat Herald newspaper that their son, a former high school wrestler and track-and-field athlete, was engaged to be married he would have turned 22 on Oct. 26.

* Lance Cpl. Phillip D. Vinnedge, 19, of Saint Charles, Mo.

The anti-tank assaultman joined the Corps in September 2009. His military awards include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

* Pfc. Victor A. Dew, 20, of Granite Bay, Calif.

Dew was an anti-tank assaultman on his first deployment since he enlisted in September 2009. He has been awarded the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

Vinnedge, US Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Phillip D. died the way he lived, serving others. He was born February 22, 1991 in Spokane, Washington and died October 13, 2010 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. He was 19 years old. Phillip wanted to join the military since 9/11 and in September of 2009 his dream was fulfilled when he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He was a Marine, a Boy Scout, an Order of the Arrow member, a wrestler, a skydiver, a welder, a member of a trap shooting club, a brother, a friend, and a son. He graduated from Francis Howell Central in 2009 while also attending Lewis & Clark Technical School for two years. Phillip loved life, and he loved challenges. From simple childhood bets and dares, to personal goals and accomplishments, Phillip never backed down from a challenge. Despite his determination and frequent success, Phillip never sought accolades or recognition for his accomplishments, instead being content with reaching his own personal goals.