Myers, Phillip Andrew

Phillip Andrew Myers was a Technical Sergeant in the United States Air Force, assigned to the 48th Civil Engineer Squadron based at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom. The 30-year-old from Hopewell, Virginia, was an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) specialist, a role dedicated to the identification and safe disposal of bombs and other explosive hazards.

On April 4, 2009, Myers was part of a patrol in the southern Afghan province of Helmand. According to U.S. military reports, the vehicle he was traveling in struck an improvised explosive device (IED). The blast killed him instantly. He was the first U.S. Air Force EOD technician to die in Afghanistan since 2003.

Myers was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001 following the 9/11 attacks. By 2009, the conflict was in its eighth year, with a significant focus on counterinsurgency operations in Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold and center of opium production. The use of IEDs by insurgent forces was a primary cause of coalition casualties.

His body was returned to the United States, where a dignified transfer ceremony was held at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. A memorial service was held at RAF Lakenheath, where he was remembered by his squadron commander as a dedicated and skilled technician.

Myers is memorialized on the Air Force EOD Memorial at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. In 2010, the Air Force named its annual EOD award for outstanding technical expertise after him: the TSgt Phillip A. Myers Award.

Phillip Andrew Myers was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001–2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.

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