The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Private First Class Willie A. Phillips, Jr. (ASN: ER-53024019), United States Army, for gallantry in action as a member of Company F, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division, in action against an armed enemy on 7 January 1951 in the vicinity of Wonju, Korea. On that date his company was under attack by a numerically superior enemy force. Private Phillips, a machine gunner, was in position on the company’s flank covering a bridge over the Wonju-chon River. An enemy force of approximately 200 attempted to cross the bridge, but were driven back by Private Phillips’ heavy and accurate fire. The enemy, realizing that the machine gun was the only obstacle preventing them from flanking the company, concentrated the full fury of their fire on Private Phillips’ machine gun. Undaunted by the intense hostile fire striking all about him, he held fast and continued to rake the approaches to the bridge with withering bursts of machine gun fire. For two hours, he intrepidly held his ground, hurling back repeated thrusts until the enemy, unable to penetrate his barrier of fire, were forced to withdraw. His heroic stand in the face of overwhelming odds accounted for twelve enemy dead and 30 wounded, and enabled his company to launch a counterattack which utterly routed the numerically superior enemy force. The gallantry displayed on this occasion by Private Phillips reflects the highest great upon himself is in keeping with the fine traditions of the military service.