Lt. Col Henry A. “Pep” McPhillips, Jr. (USAF Ret) of Fairhope, Alabama, passed away on January 26, 2026, with his wife Patricia at his side.
Pep was the son of the late Col Henry A. McPhillips (USAF Ret) and Mrs. Katherine White McPhillips of Mobile, Alabama. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on October 25, 1947, and spent his early years in Mobile and over the Bay. With his father, he travelled all over the world, living in Okinawa, Honolulu, Hawaii (where they attended the Hawaii Statehood festivities with the Governor of Hawaii in 1959), Oklahoma and Montgomery, AL, where he graduated from Sidney Lanier High School in 1966.
Pep attended the Citadel – the Military College of South Carolina – graduating in June 1970 with a B.S. in Political Science and a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force. He went to Pilot Training at Big Springs TX and then went to Vietnam as a FAC (Forward Air Controller) flying an O-2. On Mother’s Day 1972, he was shot down by an SA-7 missile, jumping out the door (no ejection seats in the O-2) and landing in a rice paddy. Luckily the good guys got to him first and he wound up serving as a ground FAC in an underground Army bunker for six days during the Battle of An Loc. For this mission Pep was awarded the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart.
In 1979, he transitioned to the A-10, a plane that he loved, flying with the 365th Tactical Fighter Squadron (the Green Demons) at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, as well as 9th AF at Shaw AFB, South Carolina. Later Pep flew the OV-10 both at Eielson AFB, Alaska and the 21st TASS at Shaw AFB (the squadron where he began his AF career). Pep retired from the Air Force in 1990 after 20 years and then spent the next 23 years as a golf tournament rules official, tournament director for the FSGA, the SCGA, the NCAA Division III Women’s Golf Championship and others. He loved golf with a passion and played excellent golf himself, even beating USAF General Pete Semler at the age of 13 in the Chiang Kai-Shek Open in Okinawa during a typhoon.
Pep is survived by his wife of almost 38 years, Patricia S. Vanderburg McPhillips of Fairhope, AL; and a multitude of cousins all over Mobile and Alabama.
At his request, there will be no formal service. His ashes will be placed in the columbarium at the Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Spanish Fort, AL.
Hughes Funeral Home, 26209 Pollard Road, Daphne, AL, is assisting the family.
Goodbye old friend and classmate. You will be missed by many.
Pep was a true American Patriot who proudly served his country and was highly decorated for his service in VN. He was very humble, a good friend and a Citadel Classmate. God Bless Him. May he rest in eternal peace.
The Earth lost a true hero! Pep made everyone feel a part of his family and was so welcoming. I will continue to treasure my memories and stories he shared. May all of his buddies welcome him in heaven💗
Pep,
I was sorry to hear that you have gone to the Wild Blue Yonda. I am sure that you will be right at home soaring with the eagles. We have been good friends, seems like forever, and I am sure that you will be missed by many of us, classmates, pilots, and just good ole friends. I am glad that we did get to play a couple of rounds of golf together before you started falling apart. I want you to know that the OB ruling that you made @ The Rice Planters Amateur Golf Tournament that I debated with you was the correct rule. Sometimes it is just hard for me to admit that I was wrong. God Bless you, my friend.
Pep will be missed. He was a good friend, classmate and a master at barbecuing steaks. I got to play a couple of rounds of golf with him and was deeply impressed by his skill, which ran laps around mine, even though he was starting to show medical problems that eventually made him have to quit. Pat is a great lady and caregiver. Bless her. She is also a former fellow Zonian, having spent part of her school years at Balboa High School. I didn’t know her then but wish I had.
Pat, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. It was totally unexpected and I was quite shocked to receive the news. Lyne & I have so many fond memories of the WoAL reunions and I know Pep absolutely cherished them. He is sorely missed. Lyne & I are praying for your peace and comfort. God bless you!
Pep and I crossed paths for about an hour in 1972. We initially become acquainted after he joined me and the soldiers of the Vietnamese 5th Paratroop Battalion in a rubber plantation on the south side of An Loc. He was recovering from the excitement of jumping out of his FAC aircraft and was mightily relieved that he had been welcomed by friendly Vietnamese rather than hostile Vietnamese, which had been a real possibility. I had been saving a small OD can of C-Ration peaches and shared them with Pep as his unannounced arrival seemed an appropriate occasion to celebrate. After notifying the Brigade advisor in An Loc that I was hosting Pep, it was time for him to leave the more primitive accommodations that described my living arrangements and relocate to an upgrade, a concrete bunker in the town. Although only a temporary guest at that time, we shared a helicopter ride out of that place sometime later. We also chatted in subsequent years when Pep promised to share a bigger and better can of peaches in Alabama. I regret that I was never able to collect. God bless you and keep you, Pep. You were a courageous and patriotic man, and I was honored to know you.
We of the 21st TASS flew O-2s with Pep at An Loc during the Second Tet Invasion. He was shit down underneath me on Mothers Day 1972. He survived and was a true hero, directing airstrikes all around An Loc, a seriously besieged city. Helicopters could not enter the city for six days due to intense enemy AA fire. The ARVN eventually defended their city with the help of Pep and many others. He is remembered as one brave SOB and a great partner.
Pep was shot down on 14 May 1972, Mother’s Day, during the NVA’s big push, 11-15 May, to take An Loc. The FAC’s who directed all the air support that saved the defenders were magnificent. The NVA knew they had to neutralize US air power so they threw up everything they had, 51 cal, 23mm, 37mm, 57mm and SA 7’s, at both the FAC’s and the fast movers. Pep was hit by an SA 7 and parachuted into the southern part of the perimeter. He was policed up by the 5th Vietnamese Airborne Battalion, whose adviser, US Army Captain Mike McDermott, took him in. Later Mike hustled Pep off to the 1st Airborne Brigade’s command post, where he became LTC Art Taylor’s assistant for air. It was nearly a week before the advisers with the Airborne Division were able to arrange an evacuation helicopter to get Pep out of An Loc. His limp was later diagnosed as a broken ankle. After that, there developed an even stronger bond between the Army advisers with the Vietnamese Airborne Division (MACV Tm 162) and the Rash/Sundog FAC’s. Those of us from Tm 162 who are still around and served in An Loc during those perilous days will miss Pep.
Pat, on behalf of Rash 61, 62 and 63 the transplants O-2 guys from NhaTrang our deepest condolences! Pep was one of a kind, and the reunions at your home will always be memorable. The time we had together with all the FACs in the Battle for AnLoc helped bind us. God Bless You and Pep…..he won’t be forgotten!
I was an A-37 pilot during the siege of An Loc in 1972 and amazed that anyone survived that battle-especially on the ground. I met Pep and Pat many years later and attended 3 of the An Loc Warriors get togethers with my wife Victoria.
It was a wonderful opportunity to turn call signs into real faces and memories and I will forever be grateful to Pep and Pat for making it all happen. Victoria and I send our love and prayers to Pat and will keep both Pep and Pat in our hearts forever.
Pep was a loyal friend to my dad, Nick, and someone who understood the importance of staying connected. Through the reunions he organized, he created memories that will live on for generations to come. Rest in peace, Pep.
Pat,
May God give you comfort. I’m sure there is party going on in heaven. Nick so love Pep. Thank you for all the wonderful memories.
Marcia Nicolai