My info is he was born in 1955. That would make him 16 in 71, 17 in 72. He could possibly have joined the Marines in 73 at 18 years old,. but could not have been combat-trained until 74. The Marines were in the process of pulling out in 74 and South Vietnam fell to Ho Chi Min in mid 75. Theres not much there there for Mr. Phillips.
His wiki claims Feb 22, 1954 birthdate