Colonel Phil “PG” G. Phillips Jr

Colonel Phil “PG” G. Phillips Jr. was born in 1943 in Seattle, Washington. He graduated from the University of Washington in June 1966 and received a Regular Army commission in the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps with an Infantry combat arms detail. His first tour of duty was with the 2d Battalion, 21st Infantry. Immediately after completion of his combat arms tour, 1LT Phillips commanded C Company, 724th Maintenance Battalion providing direct support maintenance to the 3d Brigade, 24th Infantry Division.

CPT Phillips then served in Vietnam as a supply management officer in the USA Inventory Control Center in the Firepower and Mobility Division at Long Binh. There he resolved a critical theater wide shortage of tactical vehicle batteries. After completing the Ordnance Officer Advanced Course in 1970, CPT Phillips served as an instructor and tactical officer for newly commissioned Ordnance officers at the US Army Ordnance Center and School. From 1978-1981, MAJ Phillips was assigned to the Army Military Personnel Center evaluating the implementation of OPMS. He was the principal action officer on the Centralized Command Selection System, which was subsequently implemented Army wide.

At the 47th Area Support Group, Burtonwood, England, LTC Phillips served from 1981-1984, simultaneously as the executive officer and the commander of RSA Burtonwood, the largest single warehouse in USAREUR with stocks valued at $115 million. He was also the Commander’s direct liaison with multiple British military and other governmental elements; a key role in US/British cooperation. From 1984-1986, LTC Phiilips was assigned to ODCSLOG, Department of the Army where he provided detailed analytical input to the Total Army Analysis process which streamlined the Army logistical force structure.

As Commander of the 51st Maintenance Battalion in Mannheim Germany, from 1986-1988, LTC Phillips supported 350 customer units scattered across 6,000 square miles. During Reforger 87, his battalion was spread throughout Belgium, the Netherlands and western Germany. His maintenance contact teams set the standard for other commanders within the 21st Support Command.

As a Division Chief at ODCSLOG, USAREUR, from 1988-1991 Colonel Phillips helped develop and implement logistical plans to rapidly deploy VII Corps to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield. Following Operation Desert Storm, he was considered the architect for the successful execution of Operation Provide Comfort. This operation provided thousands of tons of humanitarian assistance to Kurdish refugees in Turkey and Northern Iraq from USAREUR storage sites.

COL Phillips served in multiple demanding leadership positions at Letterkenny Army Depot from 1991-1995. As the Director of Maintenance for USA Depot System Command, he planned and executed a $1.6 billion Army wide annual depot maintenance program. He was selected by the Commanding General to be the interim commander of Letterkenny Depot to fill an unexpected vacancy. While still located at Letterkenny, COL Phillips culminated his career as the Chief of Staff DESCOM/Deputy Commander Industrial Operations Command (Provisional). Under his leadership the DESCOM headquarters set the example of fiscal responsibility for the command by finishing FY95 approximately $1 million under budget.

Colonel Phillips retired in December 1995 after nearly 30 years of dedicated service to the Army and the Ordnance Corps.