Eric Whitfield

Eric Whitfield

By Terry Hanley Friday, 06 February 2009

Eric Whitfield learned about the dangers of serving his country one night in 1972 while training during the Vietnam War as an Army Ranger paratrooper. He was involved in a serious accident after jumping from a helicopter for a twilight training exercise designed to aid in the rescue of prisoners of war.

“I was the first one out of the back of a helicopter on a night jump,” Whitfield said. “When you are up high enough — 1,200 feet or so — you can still see the sun, but the people on the ground can’t. Where we were, as you went down you plummeted literally into darkness. It turned out that I had a malfunctioning parachute and didn’t know it.”

The package that Whitfield was carrying, which included his M16, was supposed to fall to the ground safely when he pulled the parachute’s ripcord, but because of the malfunction he landed directly on top of the gun, severely injuring the left side of his body.

Miraculously, after four months in the hospital recovering from the accident and retraining his muscles to perform basic functions, Whitfield walked out of the hospital.

“I have an affection for people who serve, whether it is firefighters, police [or] military. It’s tough work,” he said. “I was injured training to go to Vietnam and didn’t even make it over there, so I am aware that guys get hurt not in a combat zone.”

To show his thanks to men and women in uniform, today Whitfield serves as a coordinator for the local Adopt-A-Unit program that lends support to the families and soldiers of the Army’s 404th Aviation Support Battalion based out of Fort Hood. Whitfield credits the office of U.S. Rep. John Carter, R-District 31, with spearheading the effort and said that the local response to the program has been overwhelming.

“I think Round Rock has a big heart for whatever issue it is,” Whitfield said. “This is why our school bonds pass so overwhelmingly. This is why we have such good leadership in the community, both in our school and in the city.”

Whitfield is tied to the local school system and the city, as he is a former school board member. His wife, Kris, presently serves on the Round Rock City Council.

The Round Rock Independent School District’s reputation was the main reason Whitfield said he moved with his wife and two children to the city in the late 1980s. In 1995, he ran his first successful campaign for a seat on the Round Rock ISD school board after his interest in the position was sparked by a member of his rotary club.

He said continuing the tradition of Round Rock being an exceptional school district in times of economic hardship is his proudest accomplishment from his days of serving on the school board. While state policies were cutting budgets at the time, he and his fellow board members found a way to provide teachers with a 20 percent raise and stay within budget, he added.

“Round Rock is one of those leading communities,” Whitfield said. “If you go to another community of educators and mention you are from Round Rock, you have instant credentials.”

Whitfield’s time on the school board ended in 1999 when he and his wife went to St. Louis for a short time because the company he was working for, JLG, had three people in the same sales position in the state. He volunteered to move to alleviate the problem.

Upon returning to Round Rock in 2001, Whitfield ran for the vacant 31st Congressional District seat against seven others, including the eventual winner, John Carter.

“I enjoyed the opportunity to get out and talk to people around the community,” Whitfield said. “I just find people fascinating, and it was interesting to exchange views with them, to learn what was important to them and to let them hear what I thought was important for their district. What an eye-opening experience that was. It was a lot of fun.”