Specialist Richard Howard Phelps: Age 80

Specialist (SPC E-5) Richard Howard Phelps served two years in the U.S Army. His Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) was Heavy Equipment Operator 62-E20. He received the following medals, citations, awards and decorations: National Defense Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Private Badge, Sharpshooter (Rifle M-4) Badge, Expert Pistol Badge and Army Commendation Medal.

SPC Phelps was born November 25,1944 to his parents, Howard and Frances Phelps in Montgomery, AL, and he was reared at Pike Road, AL. He graduated from Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery in 1964. He worked with his father for one year at a travel fuel truck stop on Highway 231 at Pike Road where he learned how to drive and fuel heavy equipment.

SPC Phelps was drafted and entered military service August 10, 1965 at Montgomery, AL. He was sent to Ft. Polk, LA, for Basic Training, and then he was sent to Ft. Lewis, WA, for one year. Next, he traveled 28 days on the USS Pope (DD-225) troop transport ship and was deployed to Vietnam. He landed at Quy Nhon, Vietnam, a coastal city in central Vietnam. After unloading all of their equipment, his unit convoyed to Pleiku in the Central Highlands occupied primarily by the ethnic group, the Montagnards. While there, he and two others used bulldozers to clear off a place so that a helicopter could land and unload a baby elephant to give to the Montagnards. After remaining at Pleiku for three days, he worked throughout the area building landing zones and also destroying underground bunkers that had been built by the French during its occupation of Vietnam. He drove heavy equipment such as bulldozers. He suffered an injury when his bulldozer hit a mine. He also worked in areas where chemicals for defoliating the area was done.

SPC Phelps was discharged from military service August 13, 1967, and he returned to Pike Road, AL. He used the G.I. Bill and attended the John Patterson Trade School in Montgomery, AL, for eight months training to be a mechanic. Then he worked as a mailman for six months with the U.S. Postal Service in Pike Road, AL. Next, he started his own trucking business, Hope and Pray (H.&P.) in 1969 operating 28 trucks all over AL and continued that until 2005 when he retired from all employment. He now owns 600 acres of property at Matthews where he raises timber.

SPC Phelps and his wife, Peggy, were married almost 50 years before she passed away, and they had one daughter and one grandson. He is a member of the Pike Road Church and the Sons of the Confederate Veterans.

SPC Phelps’ conclusions about what serving in the U.S. Army means to him are: “I enjoyed serving. Nobody bothered me because I had something that they wanted, my skills in operating heavy equipment. I was a country boy having fun. If you say that you are not scared, you haven’t been there.” He would like people to remember as just Richard.