142<SUP>nd</SUP> Aeromed participates in JOINT PATRIOT 2001: Delaware National Guard

The award is presented to retired guardsmen who have contributed exemplary community service. After 41 years of service in the Guard, Phelps became a latter-day Buffalo Soldier. Many may see Phelps on any given day clad in his Civil War era uniform at Ft. Delaware, where he transformed into a living piece of history, telling stories and playing the part of the first African-American soldiers in the Army.

Retired State Sgt. Maj. Willis Phelps addresses the crowd and the formation after receiving Troop Command's "Unsung Hero Award." (Photo by Staff Sgt. Deborah Welch)

Phelps also volunteers with the Friends of the African Union Church Cemetery (FOC), a group dedicated to the preservation of a Civil War era Buffalo Soldier graveyard near Delaware City. The volunteers must battle the decay of the old site and the destructive forces of the wetlands surrounding the cemetery. The FOC has a volunteer archeologist who has been able to reconstruct the personal histories of many of the men buried at the cemetery.

Phelps sometimes takes on the personae of these resting soldiers, and relates their lives to enraptured audiences at Ft. Delaware.

Maj. Gen. Frank D. Vavala shows his appreciation for Phelps' years of devotion to the Guard and his community, (Photo by Staff Sgt. Deborah Welch)
When not engaged in the aforesaid programs, Phelps, dressed in his Buffalo Soldier regalia, makes time to participate in local parades. He can be distinguished by his singular Buffalo Soldier uniform and his tawny quarter-horse, Willie.

Maj. Gen. Frank D. Vavala embraced Phelps at the ceremony and spoke of him in the highest terms to the assembled soldiers as the epitome and spirit of a non-commissioned officer. The general later praised Phelps’ commitment to history and his part in the civil rights struggles of African Americans: "When you came into the Army there was a lot of discrimination. You blazed a trail for others."

Phelps accepted the award, which he had not expected, with grace and humility. He said the entire Guard deserved an unsung hero award.

"You’re not wanted till you’re needed, and you’re needed constantly, whether it is a hot or cold war. Soldiers of all ethnicities have rallied to the flag and made America what it is," said Phelps.