Happy Birthday, Philip Thomas Hughes

August 31, 2019.  Today is Philip Hughes' eighty-seventh birthday.  Or at least that's how old he would be had he lived this long.  Philip was killed in Korea when his recon patrol was ambushed on September 12, 1950, not two weeks after his 18th birthday.  Philip was one of the first - and one of the youngest - of the American soldiers committed to the Korean War.

His remains were repatriated and interred in Arlington National Cemetery.  A small memorial plaque bearing his name can be found in a Catholic church just a block from the same Delaware beach where he played as a kid.

Happy birthday, Philip.  Peace be with you.

...about the curious journeys of Philip Hughes

Available on Amazon.com

The Battle of Turkey Thicket is the true story of Philip Thomas Hughes, an orphan who sought to escape the comfortable monotony of a mid 20th century life. In recounting Philip’s journeys, we witness the civic evolution of Washington, D.C., Chicago’s Skid Row, romance amidst Japan’s post-World War II reconstruction, and the chaotic battlefields of the Korean War.

At the same time, the story of Philip and his family is one of spiritual faith that was formed, challenged, and reconstituted through sacrifice.

Researched and written by Christopher Russell for Baritone Books, The Battle of Turkey Thicket reveals the history behind a forgotten memorial, while rescuing the story of Philip Thomas Hughes – and his journeys – from oblivion. Available now on Amazon.

"I wish everyone would read this book. The Korean War is largely forgotten in the United States, although Korea is so much in the news these days. The soldiers who fell in that war are a minor footnote to history for many people. But their lives matter and we should understand their sacrifice." - A.G. Moore, Midwest Book Review, August 2017.

The Epic Journeys Of Philip Hughes

How does a seventeen-year-old kid, over the course of 14 months, go from a boarding school to the opening battles of the Korean War?  The Battle of Turkey Thicket is the new, fast-paced true story of a boy soldier from America's "Forgotten War." Philip Thomas Hughes was an orphan whose coming of age witnessed the civic evolution of Washington, D.C., a boarding school, a reform school, a stop-over in Chicago's Skid Row, and romance in post-War Japan.  Philip was one of the first, and youngest, soldiers committed to the Korean War.  His sacrifice provided unexpected yet life-long benefits to his kid brother.  

Where it all began...

The Battle of Turkey Thicket was inspired by a small memorial plaque bolted to the interior wall of St. Edmond's Catholic Church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. I first noticed it around 1995. The plaque is the only one of its kind in the entire church, placed under the 14th station of the cross. Over the years, I sifted through the Internet and found the story - and the people - behind the memorial.  There was more to it than I had ever imagined.