Benefit Event Slated In Honor Of Enfield Marine Killed In Action

ENFIELD, CT — At age 11, Philip Johnson began telling his parents he was someday going to be a Marine. From the day they found out the Westover Young Marines conducted a boot camp every Thursday, he was totally committed, earning an honorable discharge from the Young Marines as a staff sergeant.

The dream continued through his senior year at Enfield High School in 2005. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, and was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

A lance corporal (LCpl), Johnson was deployed to Iraq in July of that year. He served overseas until Sept. 3, 2006, when he and a colleague were killed in Habbaniyah by an improvised explosive device (IED) triggered by an Iraqi teenager. He was just 19 years old.

In May 2011, the park adjacent to the Mark Twain Congregate Housing Center on South Road was rededicated as the Veterans Memorial Athletic Complex. The two baseball fields at the site were dedicated to the memories of LCpl Johnson and Gunnery Sgt. Phillip A. Jordan, who was killed in action in 2003.

Johnson's father, Lou, died unexpectedly in 2018, but his mom, Kathy, is working to preserve her son's legacy by organizing a benefit event to help support the Westover Young Marines, where Philip got his start nearly 25 years ago.

This Saturday, the LCpl Philip Johnson Memorial will take place at Jimmy's Pub/Pizza Palace, 524 Enfield Street in Enfield, from 1-6 p.m. Guests who donate $10 at the door will receive a set of dog tags, "which are very special this year," Kathy said.

Murphy's Law will provide live music from 2-5 p.m. Small cheese and pepperoni pizzas may be ordered for $8 and $9 respectively, and many raffle prizes will be up for grabs.

"All monies will go to the Westover Young Marines to pay for buses to get them to community service," Kathy said, adding her son was able to attend space camp in Alabama and scuba diving camp in Florida thanks to the program.

Her daughter, Jessica Goodwin, who served nine years in the U.S. Army as a staff sergeant, will be in attendance along with her two children.

"My grandbabies will see their mama sing on stage for the first time ever," Kathy beamed with pride. "It's a celebration of my son's life, and I am absolutely blessed that so many people always come out. It's a wonderful, heartfelt feeling. This is the first time I'm doing this without my husband, but I feel the need to carry on."

Donations for basket raffles are still being accepted. To donate or to obtain more information, call Kathy at 860-805-1734, or Kim at 860-849-1836.