Hit by SA-13 'Gopher' SAM approx 60 miles North West of Kuwait city while attacking Republican Guard targets. Pilot Capt Steven R. "Syph" Phillis was killed in action while protecting his downed wingman, 1st Lt. Robert James Sweet.

Pilots Phillis and 1st Lt. Rob Sweet flew together for the 30th time. After making several successful passes, a surface-to-air missile (SAM) was fired at Sweet’s plane A-10 78-0722. He deployed flares to escape it. A second SAM hit him from behind, blowing off part of his wing and sending his plane into a steep spiral. Sweet ejected. When his parachute opened, he was dangling over the elite Iraqi armored division he had just finished bombing and strafing.

Phillis flew an orbit over the armored division to draw fire away from Sweet’s descent. He fired flares to draw the attention of the Iraqis, making his A-10 a target. An Iraqi SA-13 missile hit his plane, lighting it on fire. His plane crashed in the Kuwaiti sand. After U.S. forces liberated Kuwait, they found the wreckage of Phillis’ A-10 with his remains still inside.

Air Force Brigadier General Jim Demarest, who is focusing of a Medal of Honor Campaign for Phillis, said “No one took the time to analyze in detail what happened,” he says. Records prove that Phillis acted “above and beyond the call of duty. Phillis could have flown to safety; instead, he protected Sweet. He stayed three minutes and 45 seconds. To a pilot, it is an eternity over a hostile enemy.”

Event No.: F-38