Michael Phipps

Gilman and Johns Hopkins basketball player, Baltimore Police Officer, Licensed Gettysburg Guide, decorated US Army vet, awarded Purple Heart

Michael A. Phipps, a Towson native who led a long and decorated military career, died of complications from a stroke Dec.17, 2020, at the Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. He was 63.

Raised on Landon Road in Towson, he was the son of George H. "Jerry" Phipps and the late Ruth Lowe Phipps.

Mike graduated from the Gilman School in 1975, where he starred on the basketball team. According to his former coach, Sherm Bristow, Phipps still holds the school single-game scoring record of 48 points. Mike honed his skills at the West Towson Basketball Association from 1970-74.

He made the short trek to Johns Hopkins University, graduating with a B.A. in history in 1979. He played basketball for three years before focusing on ROTC, and graduated as 2nd Lieutenant Army. That began a military career that lasted over 33 years.

From Hopkins, Mike served in the US Army and the MD National Guard as an infantry officer from 1979-1986. He left the army to pursue a career in law enforcement, and was a Baltimore County Police Officer at the Wilkens Station from 1986-1993.

He re-enlisted in 1993 and served in the Army and PA National Guard until 2011. His military service included a job at Arlington National Cemetery as officer-in-charge of the tomb guard detachment.

Post-9/11, Mike deployed on three combat tours in Iraq: Anbar province 2005, western Baghdad 2007 and Sadr City 2009. He served with the 109th Infantry and the 5th US Calvary (The Black Knights). During his second tour Mike was severely wounded in action while on a mission, and was awarded the Purple Heart. Despite numerous other honors, Mike's proudest moment as a soldier, according to his son Patrick, was passing Army Ranger School; it is the Army's premier combat leadership course and less than half of applicants succeed in passing.

He also served in the 82nd Airborne Division, the 3rd US Infantry (The Old Guard), the 7th Infantry (Light) and the famed 1st Calvary Division.

At age 50, while many might contemplate retirement, Mike continued to pursue his boyhood dream of being a soldier. He re-enlisted, despite his previous tour being cut short by injury, and served a third tour in Iraq. He was still an active infantryman at age 52, a Staff Sergeant with the 2nd Battalion/5th US Calvary-1st Calvary Division in Iraq.

Overlapping his distinguished military service, Mike had another career, serving as a Licensed Battlefield Guide emeritus at Gettysburg National Military Park from 1987-2007, and 2012. He became a renowned author and speaker on Civil War history and authored two short books about Union Generals John Buford and George Custer.

Mike retired from the military in 2011 and settled with his family in Copperas Cove, Texas, near Ft. Hood.

Survivors include his father and step-mother, Joanie Van Oostrom-Phipps, both of Vero Beach, FLA; his sister Leslie Stout (husband Jake), and a niece, MacKenzie, of Woodinville, WA; a son, Patrick (wife Krista), and grandson Anthony, of Nottingham, MD. He was previously married to Kelly Juchs. Survivors also include Mr. and Mrs. Charles Phipps of Towson, MD and Barbara Ann Parker of Salisbury, MD. Mike is survived by his wife, Ann Branaugh-Phipps, and their three children, Heidi, Robert and William, all of Copperas Cove, TX.

A memorial tribute will be held after COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.