Army 1st Lt. Neel was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. Neel died in Balad, about 50 miles north of Baghdad, after attackers hurled grenades at his squad. Phil grew up in Fredericksburg, Texas and graduated from Fredericksburg High School in 1998. During his high school years, he was a member of the cross-country team, played on a traveling soccer team and was a student in the Principles of Technology rocket program. After graduation, he enlisted in the Army where he advanced to the rank of specialist and was deployed to Kosovo as an Airborne unit paratrooper. After getting out of the Army, he enrolled at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He was a good student who earned no demerits and was usually quiet and rarely the center of attention. However, the day before graduation, at a practice formation, Phil had his fellow students in stitches. He decided to lighten the mood by replacing the tall black plumes of his uniform's hat with a big fake crow and marched with it for half an hour – deadpan. When questioned by an instructor about it he said, "Just motivating the troops, sir." While at West Point, he was on the school's parachute team and participated in national competitions, performing group aerial designs and formations during free fall events. He graduated from West Point in 2005. His military honors included the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct, National Defense, Kosovo Campaign Medal with Bronze Star, Iraq Campaign Ribbon, Global War on Terror Service Ribbon, Over Seas Ribbon, Combat Infantry Badge, Expert Infantry Badge, Parachute Badge and Ranger Tab. Just three weeks before his death, Phil was able to come home for a 14 day rest and relaxation leave from Iraq. He did a lot of the things he'd been doing since childhood before heading back to Iraq. The lanky 6 foot 2 inch soldier with brown hair and brown eyes wanted to someday get married, become a lawyer and practice in a small town.