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From the yearbook:
Usher Committee 8; Social Committee 8; Football
3,5,6,7; Track 8; Baseball 4; Wrestling 5,6,7,8; Intramurals
3,4,5,6,7,8; Senior Prom committee 8; Assembly Committee 8
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War
Iowan has burning desire to help
By TOM ALEX
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
January 29, 2005
Political fires could burn for years in Iraq. In the meantime, a
Des Moines man will help make sure the real flames are extinguished.
Richard Phillips, 60, retired as a Des Moines fire lieutenant in
1999. For the next year, he'll share his 31 years of experience
with 8,000 firefighters in Iraq, whose training and equipment under
President Saddam Hussein, he said, was "archaic."
"I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I get back, but after
this gig, anything else is going to seem like a piece of cake,"
Phillips said from Iraq. "There is a lot to do."
Phillips is fire chief for the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office,
which will spend $167 million to train Iraqi firefighters and build
or renovate 207 fire stations throughout the country.
"I like the challenge," he said. "But it would be
nice if I didn't have to wear a flak jacket."
Phillips returned to college after retiring. He graduated from
Iowa State University in 2003 with a liberal studies degree and
a minor in political science. He retired that same year from the
Army National Guard as a first sergeant. The Vietnam veteran had
compiled 29 years of military service.
"I had planned to get a position as a fire chief or assistant
city manager somewhere," Phillips said. "However, I learned
no matter what your experience, if you don't have a master's degree,
nobody will look at you. Since I wanted to do something for the
war effort, I applied for this position."
Des Moines Fire Lt. Mike Hiltbrunner said, "We have several
firefighters serving in Iraq, but in the military, not on the fire
side."
The U.S. government will pay Phillips $60,623 for the one-year
commitment. He gets a 25 percent bonus for working in a danger zone
and another 25 percent for overseas duty. He said the work is 10
to 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
Phillips also will oversee construction of a national civil defense
academy, to be built this year.
"What started out as a narrow job description expanded quite
a bit," he said. "The elections are obviously on the front
burner for everyone right now."
When he travels into Iraqi "red zones," he will have
considerable protection. Despite the security, he said, he understands
the risks.
"The job is indeed challenging. However, I believe in what
we are trying to accomplish in this country," he said.
His wife, Jean, knew that Phillips would look for some kind of
work after his 31 years with the city, "but I thought he was
thinking about another job around here - Norwalk or Urbandale,"
she said.
"He was the perfect candidate" for the Iraq job, she
added.
Phillips said his wife's support made the decision easier.
"I know it's been hard on her," he said. "There
were a few tears when I took the job."
The duties might be daunting to the typical 60-year-old, but Phillips
said that in the war zone, you're only as old as you're treated.
"That's one of the interesting things about Iraq: They listen
to you over here if you have gray hair," Phillips said. "In
Des Moines, they'd just as soon get you out of the system at my
age, but over here, they listen to older people.
"My age actually works in my favor."
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| "We are all proud of his willingness to serve
his country once again. Our thoughts and prayers will be with
Dick and his wife, Jeannie, as they are apart for a year." |
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Jim Mayse; 01/31/05 |
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