Henry Richardson Phillips
Captain, U.S. Army

Henry Richardson Phillips was born on 24 May 1940 in Providence County, RI, the son of Alcott Howard and Sara Jane Richardson Phillips. He entered into the U.S. Army in February 1965.

On 25 August 1968, Captain Henry Richardson Phillips was commanding officer of Company C, 4th Battalion (Mechanized), 23rd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, in South Vietnam.

On that day, CPT Phillips, his company and a convoy that it was supporting, were ambushed by 2 North Vietnamese Army battalions between Tay Ninh and Go Dau Ha. CPT Phillips flew to the scene of battle and jumped to the ground from his hovering helicopter amid intense enemy fire. Finding that his 1st platoon was in danger of being overrun, he gathered a force to assist the threatened element and halted the advance of the communists. As he was leading a counterattack to secure a landing zone for an ambulance helicopter, he and his men came under heavy rocket-propelled grenade and automatic weapons fire from the flank. Grabbing 4 light antitank weapons, he moved through the hostile fusillade to a point from which he was able to destroy a rocket-propelled grenade team and an automatic weapons position. Once the casualties were safely evacuated, CPT Phillips led a small group of volunteers into the killing zone of the ambush to extract several remaining dead and wounded personnel. He then organized a withdrawal as darkness set in and, although wounded by an enemy rocket-propelled grenade, succeeded in leading his men to an allied compound. CPT Phillips' extraordinary heroism earned him the U.S. Army's second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross.

CPT Phillips was killed in action on 22 September 1968 during another hostile action.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Distinguished Service Cross
Silver Star Medal
Bronze Star Medal (Merit)
Purple Heart with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Army Commendation Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Combat Infantryman Badge

Distinguished Service Cross Citation

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Captain (Infantry) Henry Richardson Phillips (ASN: 0-5020183), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Company C, 4th Battalion (Mechanized), 23d Infantry, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. Captain Phillips distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 25 August 1968 when his company and a convoy that it was supporting were ambushed by two North Vietnamese Army battalions between Tay Ninh and Go Dau Ha. Captain Phillips flew to the scene of battle and jumped to the ground from his hovering helicopter amid intense enemy fire. Finding that his first platoon was in danger of being overrun, he quickly gathered a force to assist the threatened element and halted the advance of the communists. As he was leading a counterattack to secure a landing zone for an ambulance helicopter, he and his men came under heavy rocket-propelled grenade and automatic weapons fire from the flank. Grabbing four light antitank weapons, he moved through the hostile fusillade to a point from which he was able to destroy a rocket-propelled grenade team and an automatic weapons position. Once the casualties were safely evacuated, Captain Phillips led a small group of volunteers into the killing zone of the ambush to extract several remaining dead and wounded personnel. He then organized a withdrawal as darkness set in and, although wounded by an enemy rocket-propelled grenade, succeeded in leading his men to an allied compound. Captain Phillips' extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

General Orders: Headquarters, U.S. Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 1143 (April 3, 1969)

Honors

The name Henry R Phillips is located on Panel 43W Line 65 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

Burial

Captain Henry Richardson Phillips is buried at Phillips Memorial Cemetery in Foster, Providence County, RI.

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