Staff Sgt. Erich R. Phillips awarded Distinguished Service Cross

'An absolute go-getter'

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."Phillips not only fought hard, he was instrumental in keeping one of the perimeter posts from falling into enemy hands, stopping the enemy advance.

Staff Sgt. Erich R. Phillips, Mortar Platoon Sergeant for Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross Sept. 15, 2008 in Vicenza, Italy, for his actions at Ranch House in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan Aug. 22, 2007.

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