Distinguished Service Cross, Purple Heart

Gen. Cart Ham, commander of U.S. Army Europe, awards Staff Sgt. Erich R. Phillips, mortar platoon sergeant for Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), the Distinguished Service Cross, Sept. 15, 2008, in Vicenza, Italy, for actions performed in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan Aug. 22, 2007. Photo by Staff Sgt. Brandon Aird

Staff Sgt. Erich Phillips, mortar platoon sergeant for Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, also known as “The Rock,” was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross Sept. 15, 2008, in Vicenza, Italy for his actions Aug. 22, 2007, at Ranch House in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan.

The DSC is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the Army, and only the fifth awarded to a servicemember during Operation Enduring Freedom.

Before dawn on Aug. 22, 2007, 60 to 80 Taliban extremists moved into position to launch a three-pronged attack against Ranch House. Video footage posted on an extremist website showed Taliban rehearsing over a detailed map of Ranch House’s fighting positions.

“Their plan was to overrun our forward operating base,” said Phillips, who is from Eastpoint, Fla.

When the Taliban attacked Ranch House, 22 American Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team were living at the base. They worked side-by-side with the Afghan National Army in one of the most rugged and remote NATO bases in Afghanistan.

RUDE AWAKENING
Every defended position was bombarded with small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades simultaneously, said Phillips.

“I woke up to RPG’s slamming into my building,” recalled Phillips.

The Taliban, whom breached the Afghan perimeter, quickly over took an ANA and Afghan Security Guards (private security firm) weapons and ammo cache, which they unleashed on the U.S. Soldiers.

“At this point all communication was lost with Post 3 and Post 4,” said Phillips. Phillips didn’t know it yet, but Post 3 was destroyed and Pfc. Jeddah Deloria was trapped underneath the collapsed fighting position. The other wounded Soldiers from Post 3 had retreated to Post 2.

PHILLIPS REACTS
Phillips organized defenses around the tactical operations center, which was being hit by RPG’s, machine guns and small-arms fire. The 22 Soldiers were outnumbered three to one.

Phillips seeing that the TOC risked being overrun began positioning Soldiers in a defensive perimeter and relayed information to 1st Lt. Matthew Ferrara, platoon leader, who was on the radio calling for artillery and close air support.

The effective enemy fire destroyed the TOC’s radio antennas mounted on the roof, which left the platoon with no communication for five minutes.

Ferrara moved the TOC outside and with a dismounted radio, re-established communications.

RELIEF EFFORT TO POST TWO
After learning Post 2 had numerous causalities, Phillips grabbed Sgt. Kyle Dirkintis, the platoon medic, and attempted to assault up the mountain toward Post 2. Phillip’s Soldiers used hand grenades and small-arms fire to help cover his and Dirkintis’ movement.

While bounding toward Post 2, Phillips and Dirkintis were pinned down by enemy fire at a set of wooden structures, which were Post 2′s living quarters.

“At this point, Soldiers at Post 2 yelled down to me that two enemy fighters were on the other end of the building I was taking cover on,” said Phillips.

Phillips, only three meters away from the enemy, rolled two hand grenades over the top of the living quarters.

MEDIC BADLY INJURED
“Once the explosion went off doc (Dirkintis) realized how bad we were taking fire and he came from behind cover to fire and was shot in the chest,” explained Phillips.

Dirkintis coughing up blood and suffering from a collapsed lung was unable to stand up. Phillips coordinated with Post 2 to provide cover fire while he dragged Dirkintis down the hill. Upon reaching the mortar pit, Phillips started to perform first aid and was assisted by another Soldier.

Phillips directed the Soldier to provide first aid while he continued to fire small arms and direct another Soldier’s grenades toward Taliban positions until an Air Force A-10 Warthog began strafing the base.

“The first gun run went southeast to west behind the aid station right into the back of the TOC, and the second came from the south to the north down the center of the FOB,” said Phillips.

POST THREE RELIEVED
The Warthog helped repel the advancing Taliban and enabled Phillips to lead a team of Soldiers to recover Deloria who had been alone at Post 3 for two and a half hours.

“Once I climbed the ladder to Post 3 I could see the post had taken severe damage and had fallen on top of Deloria,” said Phillips. “Deloria had attempted to blow all four claymore mines. He even applied first aid to himself and was holding his weapon when I found him. I tried to carry Deloria back down to the causality collection point, but he said ‘I want to walk sergeant’.”

Once back to the causality collection point, Phillips began preparing Soldiers for evacuation and helped evacuate all of the wounded. Once the quick reaction force arrived, Phillips led the Soldiers to retake the lost section of the base.

By fighting’s end, half of the U.S. Soldiers would be wounded and one ANA and ASG would be killed. No Soldiers were killed in the two and half hour firefight and the base was not overrun.

“I just tried to maintain the front line,” said Phillips. “The other Soldiers deserve just as much recognition as me.”

MORE BATTLES FOR HERO
Phillips would go on to fight in an ambush near Aranus and the battle of Wanat – the two largest battles the 173rd ABCT saw in Afghanistan during their deployment – which resulted in 14 Chosen Company Soldiers killed in action.

Phillips, who also was awarded the Purple Heart, is scheduled to leave Chosen Company and become a ranger instructor at 6th Ranger Training Battalion.

US Army
By Staff Sgt. Brandon Aird, 173rd ABCT Public Affairs

“I was asleep in my bunk,” said Staff Sgt. Erich Phillips, the company’s mortar section sergeant. “I woke up to [rocket-propelled grenades] slamming into the side of my building. Then two soldiers ran in and said: ‘Sergeant, we’re under attack.’ ”

Phillips, on his fourth deployment to Southwest Asia, had already figured that out.

It was about 5 a.m. and enemy forces were trying to overrun the platoon-size element stationed at the Ranch House, a rudimentary outpost built on a mountain side 7,000 feet above sea level in Nuristan province, Afghanistan.

“That was exactly their intention,” Phillips said Monday. “We didn’t allow them. We fought hard.”

Stars and Stripes
By Kent Harris

Coalition forces killed more than a dozen militants following an attack on a combat outpost in Nuristan province the afternoon of July 4.

Ground forces at the combat outpost observed militants firing at friendly positions. Ground forces defended themselves with small arms-fire. The insurgents then entered two vehicles and began travelling away from the firing position.

Ground forces called coalition attack helicopters for support.

The helicopter crews coordinated with ground forces to positively identify the militants’ vehicles.

The attack helicopters then destroyed the two vehicles, killing more than a dozen militants.

The attack helicopters engaged no other targets.

There are no official reports of non-combatant injuries or casualties.

We are aware through media reports that there are allegations of civilian casualties. We are engaging with Afghan officials on this matter.

DVIDS

“We got a guy with an AK-47 400 meters from your position,” crackled over the patrol leader’s radio.

Chief Warrant Officer Byung Kim, a Marine from Alexander, Virginia shouted for everyone to “Get down.”

Kim was leading a group of 20 Afghan national army soldiers up a mountain to Combat Outpost Warheit in Nuristan province, Afghanistan, when the report came over his radio March 2. Kim and the Afghan national army works with Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment (Airborne) to help spread Islamic Republic of Afghanistan influence in a remote part of Afghanistan.

Before Kim’s patrol left Forward Operating Base Keating, the forward operating base was placed on high alert after a Taliban radio communication was intercepted. Extra vehicles were set around the perimeter with 50 Cal. machine guns and Mark 19 grenade launchers locked and loaded.

Two days earlier near the same location a large scale fire fight broke out between a patrol from Bravo Troop and Taliban extremists.

Kim continued the mission after the radio report – a squad from Bravo Troop was in an over-watch position covering the patrols movement. The individual spotted with an AK-47 disappeared back into the mountain side.

Kim and the 20 ANA Soldiers walked three and half hours up the mountain to check on ANA soldiers living at COP Warheit. The patrol reached COP Warheit safely by lunch and left shortly after.

“I just wanted to go up and see how my ANA Soldiers were doing,” explained Kim.

Combat Outpost Warheit is nestled near the top of a mountain. The muddy-slushy trails leading in and out of Warheit are worn into the snow-covered hillside by patrolling Soldiers. When Kim and the rest of the patrol left FOB Keating the temperature was in the low 70’s. By the time the patrol got near the top of the mountain the patrol was struggling through snow drifts three feet deep.

The surrounding mountains dominating COP Warheit’s landscape are covered in snow. Large tree covered valleys, rivers and towns dot the landscape below. The outpost is so remote supplies can only be delivered by helicopter. The other option of hand carrying supplies from valley floor from FOB Keating isn’t feasible.

Bravo Troop manages both FOB Keating and COP Warheit. The Soldiers work side by side with their ANA counterparts.

“We fight together. We patrol together. We live together,” said Sgt. 1st Class Mike Burns, platoon sergeant for 1st Platoon.

Bravo Troop even shares showers with ANA Soldiers at FOB Keating because of the limited facilities in the remote area.

“The hardest part of being up here is not being able to shower,” explained Burns, who’s last shower was 29 days ago. 1st Platoon has been operating out of COP Warheit. The outpost’s only running water is the melting snow line.

“We have Spartan living up here,” said Burns. “I think my soldiers and myself like it a little bit better because it’s away from the flagpole. Not that we relax more but that we have a tendency to govern ourselves a little bit different.”

A platoon from Bravo Troop rotates monthly to COP Warheit along with a platoon of ANA Soldiers. The Soldiers help provide over watch security for FOB Keating and patrols in the valley below.

“Probably the most important thing we also do is provide a link to the local population with coalition forces,” explained Burns, from Indiana.

Bravo Company and the ANA are helping keep the peace between the villages of Nagar, Papristan, Jimjuz, Binuz, upper and lower Kamidesh.
The villages have been fighting amongst each other long before coalition forces entered the area.

“You see that village over there,” pointed Burns. “The buildings were destroyed and the farms were mined by the other villages. The Kushto tribe used to live in those homes. The only thing left standing is that mosque. They now live over behind the next ridge.”

1st Platoon and ANA met with the local village elders to help promote local development and build working relationships amongst the villages and coalition forces. ANA Soldiers also hand out humanitarian aid supplies to help the local villagers during the winter season.

“The village elders tend to support us,” explained Burns, “but their sons want to declare jihad against us. The village elders say ‘You can’t declare jihad because they (coalition forces) haven’t broken any Islamic laws.”

The fighting amongst the villages, and also foreign fighters who enter the area to attack coalition forces, has slowed down during the winter months.

“They’re fair weather warriors in a manner of speaking,” said Burns. “They’re not going to go out in the bad weather. The snow limits their movement. So they’re going to hunker down for the winter for the most part.”

The receding snow line around COP Warheit marks the approaching spring and the beginning of a new fighting season.

“They’ll (foreign fighters) regroup, resupply and when spring comes they’ll come back with fresh fighters,” explained Burns. “We’ll be ready for them.”

1st Platoon only had one day at COP Warheit left before they were flown to FOB Keating. Soldiers from Bravo Troop have endured one fighting season in Afghanistan this deployment, and have one more to go before they can head home.

“In the ten months we’ve been here we improved the outpost and our relationships with the locals, explained Burns. “The progress takes a lot of hard work, but we’re getting there.

DVIDS
By Army Staff Sgt. Brandon Aird
173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs