Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher W. Phelps

Remember Our Heroes

Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher W. Phelps, 39, of Louisville, Kentucky.

SFC Phelps died in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colorado.

The Gulf War veteran, who spent 19 years in the military, was a member of the Army’s 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, based at Fort Carson, Colo.

Back in his hometown, Phelps was remembered as an all-around athlete at Male High School. He played quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back on the football team, was a point guard in basketball and ran track.

Phelps, a 1984 Male graduate, helped lead the Bulldogs to the state playoffs, ending a long post-season drought for the school, Coach Oyler said. Phelps earned second-team All-State honors his senior year and played in the Kentucky-Tennessee all-star game.

“He’d work his tail off all the time and he’d always have a smile,” Oyler said. “No matter what you asked him to do, he would jump in and do it. He was just a wonderful kid.”

Kevin Wigginton got to know Phelps when they were seventh graders, and the two became close friends and teammates at Male and later in college. “We had a lot of good memories,” Wigginton said. “He was a great leader on the football field.”

Phelps later played football at Kentucky State University and then at a junior college in Mississippi, then joined the military.

Kenny Phelps said his brother enjoyed the Army, and it was through the military that he met his wife, Bobbie. Christopher Phelps left for Iraq in early April and was scheduled to get out of the military in March 2006.

Army Sgt 1st Class Christopher W. Phelps was killed in action 06/23/05.