South Carolina honors Conway soldiers' sacrifice

By Josh Dawsey

With four days left on his second tour of duty in Iraq, Conway resident Ronald Phillips Jr. was excited. He was coming home to his two daughters and his family, and they were going to take the vacation of a lifetime – going to Disney World for the first time.

But that changed on Sept. 24, when, while patrolling with four units 27 miles from Baghdad, Phillips was killed by a bomb.

His was a great life cut short, his family said Wednesday, while at the Summit Club with seven other families from across the state. They were all there for an annual ceremony to honor South Carolinians killed in combat.

The luncheon featured tributes to the lost service members and a short walk to the Statehouse, where their family members were honored by the entire S.C. government.

"If it does nothing else, I think this day at least lets families know their loved ones were not lost in vain," Sen. Jake Knotts said.

Sitting around a table 20 floors high, overlooking the skyline of Columbia, Phillips’ family members recalled his life.

"On the night he was killed, he was assigned to office work, but he wanted to be out there with his fellow troops," his father, Ronald Phillips Sr., said. "He actually begged to be out there that night. He asked for it, but we taught him to always finish what he started, and he did that."

Felix Myers, a lifelong friend, said Phillips’ desire to fight when not asked didn’t surprise him.

"He was always thoughtful of other people," Myers said. "He was disciplined and committed to his family, friends and most of all, his nation."

The mood for the family at the luncheon wasn’t only somber.

D.J. Phillips, Ronald Phillips Jr.’s nephew, likely the youngest guest in the room, definitely didn’t act like it. Five-year-old D.J. moved around the room with his black-and-white golf cap and his starched, button-down shirt, talking to strangers and leaving onlookers laughing.

"The week before he went to Iraq, he was coming to pick up D.J. for a week," Phillips’ brother Derek said.

"He was a great uncle, a great father and just a great person."

Rep. Liston Barfield had a previous connection with the family, because they are his sister’s neighbors.

He sat with the family during the luncheon.

"Anytime you have a soldier die, I think we should do whatever possible to make it as easy on the family as we possibly can," Barfield said.

"For the people willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, you couldn’t ask any more."

Phillips Sr. said he vividly remembers his last conversation with his son.

"The last time I talked to him, it was the day after the Olympics, and we talked about how the USA team had won," Phillips Sr. said.

"We talked about that he was coming home, and that we were going to get him a car and that he was carrying the kids to Disney World."

For the children, the dream is coming true.

While their father won’t ever experience Disney World with them, donations from the community are sending the family to Disney World during Easter.

"The goal when he came home was to take them to Disney World, and now it’s happening," Phillips Sr. said. "It shows you that even now, the community is still supporting us more than we could have ever imagined."