Lanny Phipps was afflicted with wanderlust, and left high school in 1962 to join the Navy so he would be able to move around. After his discharge and a series of jobs, he enlisted in the Marines in 1968. He was wounded once during the summer, and took part in a major American push later that year. In December 1968, while on patrol, his unit was ambushed. Cpl. Phipps, 23, led his four-man fire team toward a North Vietnamese machine gun. His three comrades were shot down. Cpl. Phipps was 20 yards from the enemy gun when he was shot and killed by a sniper. For his actions, he was posthumously awarded a silver star.