The Department of Defense announced that
1st Lt. Phillip I. Neel, 27, of Fredericksburg, TX, died April
8 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact
with enemy forces using grenades. He was assigned to the 3rd
Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,
Fort Hood, Texas. He was deployed to Iraq in October.
He was a 1998 graduate of Fredericksburg
High School in TX., and Graduated from West Point in 2005. He
had previously deployed as a paratrooper to Kosovo.
His military awards and decorations prior
to his death included the Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct
Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Kosovo Campaign Medal
with Bronze Star, Global War on Terrorism (Service) Medal, Army
Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Expert Infantryman Badge,
the Parachute Badge and the Italian Parachutist badge.
He is survived by his father, Colonel Leroy
Neel, mother Kathy Neel and five siblings.
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