A friend sent this to me. It was some help to learn more about Phillip Myers as a man and I wanted to share it with you all. I wish peace and comfort for his family.


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Thank you Chris for sharing about Airmen Myers.

I was going to just share the link to this article, but sometimes links change. I read on one site "it was revealed the 30-year-old had been promoted from Staff Sgt to Tech Sgt just days before his death. He had not known of his promotion."His wife gave permission for the media coverage of his return.

Thank you Tech Sgt Myers,may God be with your family.

(name removed)

Family mourns Hopewell airman slain in Afghanistan
By Reed Williams
Published: April 7, 2009

The mother of an Air Force sergeant whose body was returned from war Sunday said she is glad news media coverage will allow Americans to see how respectfully the military honors its dead.Staff Sgt. Phillip Myers of Hopewell died Saturday from an explosion near Helmand province in Afghanistan. With his family's permission, the military allowed the media to cover the arrival at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, the first public return since the Pentagon lifted its 18-year ban on coverage of returning war dead.Myers' mother, Treasa Hamilton of Polkton, N.C., said yesterday that such media coverage will allow Americans to visualize better what is happening overseas."They hear 30 people killed in Iraq -- they've gotten used to it," Hamilton said. "This brings it back to the forefront. They can actually see the soldiers coming home."Myers' wife, Aimee Myers, permitted the coverage because her husband believed in his role overseas and would want the public to witness the dignity with which the war dead are returned home, Hamilton said. Aimee Myers was unavailable for comment."It was all very well done," Hamilton said of Sunday evening's ceremony in Dover. "It was very respectful."Myers, a 30-year-old father of two children, had been scheduled to leave Afghanistan in mid-May and would have been moved to Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, Hamilton said.She said her son told her last week that he wanted to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery if he were killed, a request he had made previously. She said yesterday that Myers will be buried there but that a date had not been set.Myers was assigned to the 48th Civil Engineer Squadron with the Royal Air Force in Lankenheath, England, a base that is used by the U.S. Air Force.He was a member of an explosive ordnance disposal team, and part of his job was to disarm improvised explosive devices, his mother said. She said she didn't know whether he had been trying to disarm the IED that killed him."It took a lot of courage and nerves of steel, because he was constantly handling explosives and on the lookout for explosives," Hamilton said.She said Myers had served in Iraq and Kuwait, as well as in Afghanistan, and that he had conducted bomb sweeps in Washington to protect then-President George W. Bush.Myers attended Hopewell High School and joined the Air Force in 1999, Hamilton said. Relatives described him as a dedicated military man who believed he was protecting his friends, his family and his country.He was especially protective of his children and would make sure his daughter, 5-year-old Dakotah, wouldn't watch TV shows with bad language, family members said.His 2-year-old son, Kaiden, likes to build things with Legos just as his father did when he was little, Hamilton said. Once, Kaiden built a pretend gun. "He said, 'Now I have a gun like Daddy for the bad guys,'" Hamilton said.A ceremony to honor Myers is planned for Thursday in England, Hamilton said. Hopewell Mayor Brenda S. Pelham said the city also would like to have a service for Myers if his family wishes it."My heart just hurts every time I see a young person" killed overseas, Pelham said.Myers is survived by his wife and children, as well as his mother, father, brother and stepfather.

Be Free

Hi,

This is just a quick note.

It is a reminder to me as much as to any American.

Be thankful every day for the good fortune we have to be citizens of the USA. Our freedom is the the most valuable asset we have. It is not a luxury, or an item to hide away, it is an action: "Be free". It is a dynamic process, and an ongoing struggle: if we are complacent we will lose it, ceding it to those who would take it from us in exchange for financial gain, isolationism, religious exclusion, xenophobia, or a false sense of protection. The pursuit of happiness is not a static gift, it is a continual chase. We have the right not to happiness itself, but to always pursue it, always striving to make our lives better.

We have this because of the wisdom of our forebears who set up this country not only in stark opposition to the monarchy and oppression they left behind, but also around a principle of ongoing evolution of our government, agile, adaptable, and able to change to encompass the unforeseen new challenges of each generation.

Take a moment to appreciate soldiers past and present who have defended our way of life and our homeland against outside threats. Our beliefs, government, and way of life have been challenged again and again, and young men and women have always answered the call to give of their every effort in defense, at great personal sacrifice, even up to the point of dying for our country. That is a very humbling tribute to how important the soldier values our nation.

So live each day remembering that whatever else you are, you are also an American. In fact, your variety and uniqueness is part of what makes us the USA.

Thank a soldier.

Support a soldier's spouse.

Assist an injured veteran.

Hire a veteran.

Honor the memories and memorials of fallen soldiers.

Keep your neighbors working by buying American; you have a choice.

Speak out and exercise your free speech.

Protect those who are weak and small in number; do not watch them be threatened.

Obey all the laws, and fight to have the stupid ones struck down.

Get involved in local government.

Keep our communities safe for children.

Look out for your neighbors.

Be generous to our nation's poor; support programs that would elevate them from poverty.

Be compassionate to the prisoner; support programs that prevent crime and rehabilitate.

Serve on jury duty.

We all have an immigrant ancestor; recognize growth and innovation in new immigrants.

Remember we must be a good global neighbor, both as an example, and as a supporting friend.

Treasure the wide and varied paradise of parks and natural territories in our nation.

Plan to save and provide for your own future and your children's future.

Do not begrudge support of the elderly and students who do not have resources.

Pursue happiness.

Love life.

Be free.

Remember Phillip

From the perspective of our little world in Texas, this weekend was easy. Saturday was a lazy day of working around the house, watching the kids run around the living room, and then after kicking them out of the house, watching them run around the back yard. Had a few calls from the hospital, but the residents were doing such a good job, all I had to do was tell them to keep up with their plans, and call me if there were unexpected changes in course. Sunday was smooth too. After checking in with my team, I competed in a fencing tournament and took 8th place out of 20. Not bad considering that 18 of them were college students! Tonight I sit down to work and I read about SSgt. Phillip A. Myers. While my family and I were relaxing at home and enjoying the blessings of liberty, he was killed by a roadside bomb near Helmand, Afghanistan, as he served faithfully to defend our way of life. He was 30 years old. He was from Hopewell, VA. He was stationed with the 48th Civil Engineer Squadron in Lakenheath, England. Here is a picture of SSG Myers as he received the Bronze Star from LG Robert Bishop Jr.

I don't know if he had a family or children. The articles about him don't say; they describe how he is the first troop the press has been allowed to film since Pres. Obama and SECDEF Gates have lifted the ban on media coverage of those killed in war.

I thank him for his service and his sacrifice. I hope those who survive him in his unit and at home can find peace. I didn't know him, but I will remember him.