20 March 1983 – 8 May 2005
LCPL Lawrence Robert Philippon is remembered today on his birthday and every day. His service is eternally honored.
20 March 1983 – 8 May 2005
We remember Lance Corporal Lawrence Robert Philippon, today on his Birthday,
Larry, 22 years old, of West Hartford, was taken from us on 8 May 2005, by enemy small-arms fire while conducting combat operations in the vicinity of Al Qa’im ( Al Came), Iraq.
He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
As a member of the Marine Corps Color Guard, Lance Cpl. Philippon had carried the flag at the funeral for President Reagan.
But his heart was in Iraq. Ray, his dad, said that his son had asked to be assigned to the front lines.
“He’d been begging them for a while. Even though he enjoyed the color guard, he really wanted to be in Iraq. That is where it is all happening,” Ray Philippon said.
Before they received the news, Leesa and Ray Philippon were feeling sad for parents who lost loved ones in the war.
Ray reflected his thoughts at the time,
“All day long we were feeling guilty that our son was safe and we were feeling bad for all the other 1,600 moms that their kids were lost in Iraq and we didn’t even know our son had joined that club.”
It was Mother’s Day and their 24th wedding anniversary when Ray and Lisa Philippon learned of Larry’s heroic actions and ultimate sacrifice in Iraq.
LCPL Philippon is a graduate of Conard High School where he played hockey.
He is the 24th service member from Connecticut who was lost in Iraq or Afghanistan since March 2002.
We remember. Thank you, LCPL Philippon and your fallen warrior brothers & sisters.
We honor your loved ones. Mothers. Fathers. Sisters, Brothers, Sons, Daughters, Friends.
CVB Gallery of Valor Member: LCPL Lawrence Robert Philippon 20 March 1983 – 8 May 2005
CONNECTICUT VETERANS BULLETIN’S GALLERY OF VALOR.
Honor & Remember Connecticut’s Fallen Heroes every day.
https://ctvetsbulletin.org/connecticut-veterans-bulletins-gallery-of-valor/
I am not a veteran. I am a member of the Civil Air Patrol, the United States Air Force Auxiliary. But in 1991, personal loss brought me to a place I never left.
Over two decades later, that loss led me to the State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown, Connecticut, where I took on the coordination of Wreaths Across America — which grew into the largest and fastest growing veterans program in the state. I didn’t do it for recognition. I did it for them.
In 2016 I founded the Connecticut Veterans Bulletin. Not because I served, but because I believe those who did deserve to be honored, connected, and kept alive.
Twenty-two veterans die by suicide every day. I knew about that number before it became a hashtag. I knew it personally, long before anyone was talking about it.
This publication exists because that number is unacceptable. Because every veteran in Connecticut deserves to know someone gives a damn.
That someone is me.