By Rachel Engel
ARLINGTON, Va. — The son of a fallen Washington D.C. firefighter recently graduated from the fire academy, following in his father’s footsteps.
On May 30, 1999, DC Fire & EMS Firefighter Anthony “Sauce” Phillips Sr. died in the line of duty, and from that moment, his son, Anthony Phillips Jr., never had any desire to follow his career path, ABC 7 reported.
Until now.
Phillips recently graduated from the Arlington Fire Academy and is now a probationary firefighter, something his father’s former colleagues had been encouraging him to do for years.
“It’s all come full circle, they have always been in my life and have always tried to recruit me and I would say, ‘No, I don’t want to do it,’” he said.
In a statement after his Phillips’ graduating, the Arlington Fire Department said, “We’re proud to have Probationary Firefighter Phillips with us and are honored to be a part of his family’s legacy of serving others.”