Marine Lance Cpl. Phillip D. Vinnedge

Died October 13, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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19, of Saint Charles, Mo.; assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Oct. 13 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations. Also killed were Marines Cpl. Justin J. Cain, Lance Cpl. Joseph E. Rodewald and Pfc. Victor A. Dew.

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‘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.

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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.

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Oct. 21 funeral, burial for Vinnedge

The Associated Press

ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Services will be held Oct. 21 for a St. Louis-area Marine killed in combat in Afghanistan.

Lance Cpl. Phillip Vinnedge, 19, of St. Charles was among four Camp Pendleton, Calif.-based Marines who died Oct. 13 in Helmand province.

The former Boy Scout and wrestler graduated last year from Francis Howell Central High School and attended Lewis and Clark Technical School.

The funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. Oct. 21 at Church of the Shepherd in St. Charles, followed by burial with military honors at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.

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Marine hero laid to rest in hometown

The Associated Press

ST. CHARLES, Mo. — A Marine killed in combat in Afghanistan has been laid to rest.

Hundreds turned out Oct. 21 for services at Church of the Shepherd in St. Charles for Marine Lance Cpl. Phillip Vinnedge, 19, of St. Charles.

Vinnedge was among four Camp Pendleton, Calif.-based Marines who died Oct. 13 in Helmand province.

The former Boy Scout and wrestler graduated last year from Francis Howell Central High School, and attended Lewis and Clark Technical School.

Burial with military honors was held at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.

Gov. Jay Nixon ordered that U.S. and Missouri flags at state buildings in all 114 counties and the city of St. Louis be flown at half-staff.