Father, son tell war stories

A father-son U.S. Marine Corps duo who each served in Iraq gave Kansas University ROTC cadets and midshipmen a glimpse of what they saw overseas and also helped pay tribute to military veterans.

“What makes our country so great is that sacrifice is not done unilaterally, but rather it’s done collectively,” said Maj. Christopher Phelps, a 1993 KU graduate.

“This is the time to reflect on those people” who have helped protect the United States and other countries during combat, said Master Gunnery Sgt. Kendall Phelps, Christopher’s father.

Both Marines spoke Friday, Veterans Day, to more than 150 ROTC students and guests at the Kansas Union. Before their presentation, the ROTC units honored veterans with a flag retreat in front of Strong Hall. A 24-hour candlelight vigil also began later Friday at the Korean and Vietnam war memorials.

Military ties run deep in the Phelps family.

Kendall Phelps served 13 months in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967, and he was recalled to active duty in December 2004 for a seven-month combat tour in Ramadi, Iraq.

Christopher Phelps has served two stints in the Iraq war, most recently for seven months in Fallujah during the same time his dad was in the country.

After speeches about Veterans Day, the father and son showed a slide show of their time in Iraq, each with the Civil Affairs Team of the Marines. Their missions included trying to defeat the insurgency, training the Iraqi military and helping with economic development.

They outlined several projects the teams completed, such as helping start water and sewer infrastructure for Iraqi cities.

“Every project we did, we hired Iraqis to do the work,” Christopher Phelps said.

“We were able to get power to homes in Ramadi that had not had it for two to three years,” Kendall Phelps said.

They both also talked about the importance of providing jobs to Iraqis to keep them from joining the insurgency.

One Army ROTC student said he enjoyed hearing about Iraq and the success stories from two Marines, and Travis Galloway, a KU senior from Shawnee, said Veterans Day has become celebrated more prominently.

“There’s definitely been a resurgence in the past few years,” Galloway said.

Kendall Phelps now lives in Silver Lake. Christopher lives in Shawnee.