Phillip Lee Brinkley

Phillip Lee Brinkley, was born on September 8, 1950 in Fort Lewis, Washington to his father Billy Lee Brinkley (fighting at the time in the Korean War as Armorer and Platoon Sgt.) and Helen Inez (Fields) Brinkley. He was welcomed by his 18-month-older brother, William Walker Brinkley.

Phillip began his life of exploration as a child in Germany during a time where the bombed ruins were still erect. The Army moved his family many times all the way from Germany to Missouri to Texas and Kentucky. He attended 12 different schools before he graduated high school in Fort Knox, Kentucky in the class of 1968.

After heading off to Cameron College in Lawton, Oklahoma, Phillip excelled in ROTC and was the Captain of his precision Silent Drill Team. After graduation, Phillip was commissioned in the Regular Army, 2nd LT Field Artillery, and headed to Basic training at Fort Sill, not too far from his school and home. He attended Airborne Training at Fort Benning alongside his brother William, who had graduated from Officer Candidate School. After jumping from planes, Phillip traveled overseas to his first assignment on the front line of the DMZ in Korea as part of the 6th Infantry 8th Artillery. He returned home to join the 1st-12th Fort Sill Missile Unit for three years. He once again headed overseas to Hanau, Germany as part of the 2nd of the 75th Field Artillery – which would end up being one of the best assignments of his life – as he met his beautiful wife, Lynne Janet (Stanley) Brinkley at a dinner party where she was a nanny. From that moment on, they never made a decision without one another and became the couple that only romance movies can emulate.

Life continued to get busy after Phillip and Lynne married at the Old Post Chapel back in Fort Sill, Oklahoma in 1978. Phillip was assigned stateside and became a professor at Oklahoma State University and then at the University of Tulsa. It is here where they grew to a family of four, welcoming first James Lee Brinkley and then 18 months later, Matthew Phillip Brinkley.

Phillip continued his service to the country with tours in Turkey, Fort Leavenworth for the short course and then the exclusive Jedi Knight Course, Fort Drum, where the boys and the snow grew taller every year, followed by Chile, Alaska, Korea again, Fort Sill as the Battalion Commander and then finally Germany as Inspector General. There for five years, the family toured around Europe and Asia feeding their love for new culture and different foods.

Phillip retired from the Army after 28 years with his highest honors being the Legion of Merit and Defense Meritorious Service Metal. He obtained two Masters Degrees during that time and led hundreds of soldiers around the world. He lived a full lifetime in just those 28 years, but he was not finished just yet. His legacy will continue through his boys as they both serve the U.S. in their own services – James is a Captain in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Corps. and Matthew, a Commander in the U.S. Coast Guard.

He continued working after the Army as a private contractor in Saudi Arabia, a War Plans Officer in Detroit, Michigan, an Inspector General in Washington, D.C. and finally as a Senior Leader at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, where he worked alongside his fellow Native American brethren.

Phillip dedicated himself to his work. He was honest, smart, kind, fair and brave. He truly made an impact on everyone that he mentored and served with. In recent years he volunteered as a docent at the National Museum of the United States Army, sharing his passion for history. However, his true love was beyond the battlefield or the office – it was when he was with his family.

Whether he was hunting or fishing, hosting memorable themed dinner parties with his beautiful bride, serving his favorite Tom Collins to his daughter-in-laws, Marjorie June Hunt-Brinkley and Rebecca Cordeau Brinkley, or celebrating a holiday with family gathered round, Phillip was a happy man. He loved all things country music, spending evenings in his youth watching storms roll in over the Oklahoma prairie, going to rodeos to watch the bulls (he broke an arm bull riding once), watching football games with his boys, reading every book available to him or popping the cork on a beautiful bottle of wine, Phillip was a cultured cowboy and a proud Cherokee Indian.

Phillip passed just before sunrise, October 23, 2024 with Lynne by his side at Fort Belvoir, VA. Phillip is survived by his wife of 46 years, Lynne, his two sons and their wives, James and Marjorie, and Matthew and Rebecca, his brother and his sister-in-law, William and Beverly Brinkley, his sister and brother-in-law, Debbie and Brad Stubbs, his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Stephen and Trude Stanley, and niece Amy Holmes, and his close cousin, Janine Winn.

The family would like to express their gratitude for the love and support that they have received from those around them. From extended family to nearby friends, the nurses and doctors, and even those who just came into Phillip’s life towards the end, your encouragement and prayers were felt and appreciated. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for donations to be sent to either of the two organizations listed below:

The National Museum of the United States Army

National Museum of the United States Army (thenmusa.org)

The Cherokee Nation Foundation

Giving Back (cherokeenationfoundation.org)