DOB/DOD: April 20, 1960 (Brazoria, TX) – March 23, 2003; 42 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Married Amanda L. Marcroft (1968-2015) on March 19, 1994, in Clark, Nevada
CHILDREN: One son, Tyler Reece “TJ” Jordan (1996-)
LOCAL ADDRESS: Windmill Road; Enfield
ENLISTMENT: December 16, 1987
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 0369; Infantry Unit Leader
UNIT: Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade; Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
FAMILY: Born to Sammy R. (1934-1977) and Lura L. Williams Jordan Reynolds (1938-2002). Stepfather, Harold C. Reynolds (1941-2006). One brother, Bruce W. Jordan (1959-).
DECORATIONS: Awarded the Silver Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Gold Star, Coast Guard Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, NATO ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) Medal – Afghanistan, Humanitarian Service Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait), Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia), Southwest Asia Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Marine Corps Drill Instructor Ribbon, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, and Navy Unit Commendation.
CIRCUMSTANCES: Gunnery Sergeant Jordan was killed when his unit was ambushed by Iraqi troops pretending to surrender near An Nasiriyah, Iraq. Also killed in the incident:
Marine First Lieutenant Frederick E. Pokorney, Jr.; Tonopah, Nevada
Marine Sergeant Michel E. Bitz; Ventura, California
Marine Corporal Jose A. Garibay; Orange, California
Marine Corporal Jorge A. Gonzalez; Los Angeles, California
Marine Corporal Randal K. Rosacker; San Diego, California
Marine Lance Corporal Brian R. Buesing; Cedar Key, Florida
Marine Lance Corporal David K. Fribley; Lee, Florida
Marine Lance Corporal Thomas J. Slocum; Thornton, Colorado
Marine Lane Corporal Michael J. Williams; Phoenix, Arizona
Marine Private Jonathan L. Gifford; Macon, Illinois
Army Specialist Jamaal R. Addison; Lithonia, Georgia
Army Private First Class Howard Johnson II; Mobile, Alabama
Citation to accompany the award of the Silver Star Medal
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously)
TO
Gunnery Sergeant Phillip A. Jordan
United States Marine Corps
FOR
Conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving as Weapons Platoon Sergeant, Company C, First Battalion, Second Marines, Regimental Combat Team 2. On 23 March, Gunnery Sergeant Jordan’s platoon was tasked to conduct to attack north through the city of An Nasiriyah to secure a critical bridgehead on the north side of the city. As he led his mechanized platoon through the dense urban battlefield, he directed lethally accurate fire onto numerous enemy positions lining the route. Upon reaching the north side of the Saddam Canal Bridge, he instinctively left the safety of his armored vehicle amid a hail of direct and indirect fire; realizing the immediate requirement for the indirect fires to counter enemy mortars, he immediately rallied the company’s mortar section. As the mortar section dispersed to engage multiple targets simultaneously, Gunnery Sergeant Jordan realized the critical requirement to keep each gun resupplied with ammunition. Taking this mission personally, he repeatedly traversed a perilous four-lane highway. He courageously made three trips and dashed through a steel curtain of machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire with eighty pounds to two separate mortar positions eighty meters apart. At one point, he paused to direct a machine gun team onto an entrenched Iraqi position to provide covering fire for the fellow Marines of the company to maneuver. Upon returning to each mortar squad, he shouted words of encouragement despite the overwhelming enemy fire. His action dramatically boosted the morale of the Marines at his position and rapidly destroyed several determined enemy positions. After making his final ammunition resupply run under a bombardment of severe mortar and artillery fire, he fell mortally wounded. By his zealous initiative, courageous actions, and exceptional dedication to duty, Gunnery Sergeant Jordan reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.
Jordan Hall was dedicated on September 20, 2006, at Marine Corps Base (MCB) Quantico in honor of Gunnery Sergeant Jordan. Jordan Hall is a newly constructed enlisted quarters that will be used by Senior NCOs attending the Staff Non-Commissioned Officer’s Academy. Jordan Hall can be found on Broadway Avenue, Marine Corps Base Quantico.
Clear Creek High School, League, Texas, Class of 1978
As has been reported from several sources, Gunnery Sergeant Jordan graduated from Clear Creek High School in 1978. When the school was contacted, they said, “There were not any photos we could locate of him. I am sorry. They looked through the other books where he should have been there.”
From The Fort Worth (TX) Star-Telegram on March 30, 2003
By Robert D. McFadden | New York Times
SOLDIERS’ LAST MESSAGES ARE FULL OF LIFE, FREE OF FEAR
… excerpt
The last time Amanda Jordan talked to her husband, Staff Sergeant Phillip A. Jordan, 42, he wished her a happy anniversary, although it was a week early. Then they had “words,” as Jordan put it, the pro forma talk about life insurance “if anything happened.” Code words for death were hardly necessary. When Phillip Jordan shipped out to Kuwait, Amanda Jordan, 34, a paralegal who had moved to Enfield, Connecticut, from Parris Island, South Carolina, last year when her husband was posted to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, was not deeply worried. Phillip Jordan was a professional Marine. He served in the 1991 Gulf War and on the battlefields of Kosovo and Afghanistan. He beat Hodgkin’s disease as a young man, and his confidence was contagious. “He had been there before and knew the terrain,” Amanda Jordan said. But, she confided, she began to have a premonition as the war got underway. The TV reports were increasingly grim. She was unable to sleep. She kept vomiting. Phillip Jordan’s platoon was ambushed south of Nasiriyah on March 23. She knew it, somehow, even before she saw the Marines and her mother approaching as she walked to her car the next day. “I just absolutely already knew before anybody told me,” she said.
From The Hartford Courant on March 31, 2003
Gunnery Sergeant Phillip Andrew Jordan, USMC, 42, of Enfield, beloved husband of Amanda (Marcroft) Jordan and father of Tyler Reece Jordan, was killed in action in An Nasariyah, Iraq, Sunday (March 23, 2003) while performing his duties during Operation Enduring Freedom. Gunny Jordan was attached to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, and 2nd Marine Division in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Born on April 20, 1960, in Brazoria, Texas, his military career had given him a tour of the world. His travels included Guam, Japan, Korea, Greece, Malta, Somalia, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Israel, Okinawa, and Kuwait. In many of these countries, he trained with their own military. Gunny Jordan enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in November 1987. He served as an Instructor at Marine Corps Base in Camp Pendleton, CA, and most recently, he completed a tour as a Drill Instructor in Parris Island, South Carolina. His tours of duty included Desert Storm, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. He was known as a Marine’s Marine and was promoted to the rank of Gunnery Sergeant posthumously. His list of awards includes the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Gold Star, Coast Guard Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, NATO Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait), Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia), Southwest Asia Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Marine Corps Drill Instructor Ribbon, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Navy Unit Commendation, Certificates of Commendation, Meritorious Masts and Letters of Appreciation. Phil easily established long-lasting relationships with his friends. Affectionately called “Forrest” or “Gump” because of his eternal optimism and love for people, he had a heart as big as the outdoors and would help anyone at any time. Phil was also called PJ by many of his fellow Marines. His interests included golf, fishing, bowling, and cooking. Phil’s greatest joy was spending time with his son, Tyler, and wife, Amanda. Phil is survived by his beloved wife, Amanda; cherished son, Tyler Reece; mothers-in-law, Gretchen Marcroft and Sharen Brodeur; fathers-in-law, Jay Paretzky and Frank Marcroft; brothers-in-law, Kyle Marcroft, Jared Brodeur, Seth Brodeur, and a host of friends and fellow Marines. Relatives and friends may attend the Liturgy of Christian Burial on Wednesday, April 2, at 1 p.m. in Holy Family Church, 23 Simon Road, Enfield, accompanied by full U.S. Marine Corps honors, followed by burial in St. Patrick King Street Cemetery, Enfield. His family will receive friends at Leete-Stevens Enfield Chapels, 61 South Road, Enfield, on Tuesday, April 1, from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m.
From FallenHeroesMemorial.com
“To Mrs. Jordan and Tyler, you have my heartfelt condolences. Staff Sergeant Jordan was the supreme Drill Instructor and the finest Marine I have ever met. There are so many stories I tell about him. Here are a couple of quick ones. When he had us run for PT on Parris Island, he would shout, “Your lungs are going to tell you that you need air – WELL, IGNORE THAT %@#*!” When 3058 stepped off for our Crucible in the middle of the night, the downpour commenced, and Staff Sergeant Jordan immediately barked, “It doesn’t rain on Marines; it rains FOR Marines!”
— Lance Corporal Ladner of Woburn, MA
“Big Man, I was attached to 1FSSG as their SATCOM link in IRAQ when I heard the news about you. It took me a while to be able to come to terms with it because all I could see was your happy face and upbeat spirit from our days in Lima Company 3rd RTBN. I truly miss you, brother, and I pray that your family finds the strength to carry on. I’m so proud to have known you as a fellow “HAT” Marine and friend. The beauty, if any, is that Tyler will be able to carry on his dad’s name. One day, I pray that he knows and understands completely what a great man his father was. Rest in peace, brother, and Semper Fi.”
— Gunnery Sergeant Rodney Harris of AMOI The Ohio State University
Memorialized on a monument in front of Enfield Town Hall, 820 Enfield Street, Enfield, Connecticut.
Gunnery Sergeant Jordan is buried in New Saint Patrick’s Cemetery, 1558 King Street, Enfield, Connecticut; Section 8, Lot 112, Row A.
