Franklin J Phillips

Franklin was born on the 20th of October 1874, in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. He enlisted in the US Army and served in Cuba during the Spanish-American War before being sent back to the States with malaria. When Franklin was refused sick leave, he left Camp Albert G Forse absent without leave and was dishonorably discharged from the Army when he returned to camp. Franklin then enlisted in the US Marine Corps under the name Harry Fisher and was later deployed to China in support of the Boxer Rebellion. It was his actions there that would earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

Served in the presence of the enemy at the battle of Peking, China, 20 June to 16 July 1900. Assisting in the erection of barricades during the action, Fisher was killed by the heavy fire of the enemy.

Franklin became the first Marine to posthumously receive the Medal of Honor, which his mother received on the 15th of August 1901. She had requested that the records of Harry Fisher be changed to show his real name but this request was denied until 1988. Franklin J Phillips was 25 years old when he died and he is buried with his parents in the McKeesport and Versailles Cemetery in McKeesport, Pennsylvania: Section D, Lot 48.