 HISTORICAL ARCHIVES  |
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| In Memoriam |
Sgt. Travis Whitman
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Detachments: Germany - 2001 US Embassy LaPaz, Bolivia - 2002 MOS: Communications OCCUPATION: USMC USMC Bio: Name: Travis Whitman MOS: 3rd Marine Division Pistol Team - 2001 Rank: Personal Bio Age at Death: 25 Interment: Kenedy, Texas Born: 4 Sept 1979 Died: 29 Feb 2004 Wife: Dorothy Whitman Father: Henry Whitman Mother:: Elaine Goodrich Premo Notes on Travis's Passing: From MilitaryCity.com Karnes Co. TX - NEWS - Travis Whitman: Kenedy man is remembered as a prankster, protector This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Kimm Antell <spiel@austin.rr.com> Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/copyright.htm ************************************************ Copyright 2003 Victoria Advocate Online (http://victoriaadvocate.com) The Victoria Advocate - http://TheVictoriaAdvocate.com March 8, 2004 Kenedy man is remembered as a prankster, protector KENEDY - Always cracking jokes and pulling practical ones, Travis Whitman took a "don't sweat the small stuff" approach to life - a life he was willing to sacrifice for his country and the betterment of others. A former U.S. Marine, Whitman, 24, was killed in a car wreck last month in Iraq while working for a private firm providing security for government contractors trying to rebuild the war-torn country. "He was going over and making a difference in these Iraqi people's lives, giving them the opportunities that we have here that they have never had. He was real passionate about that," said longtime friend Mike Ramirez, Whitman's team leader at the company. "He loved his job. He loved what he was doing, and he wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else." Ramirez, who is from Kenedy, emphasized that the wreck had nothing to do with the fighting going on in Iraq. On Saturday, friends and family from Texas to Oregon remembered Whitman, a 1997 graduate of Kenedy High School, as a protector and prankster at services at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Kenedy. Diana Goodrich, who introduced herself as Whitman's "crazy" aunt during a morning rosary, told about her nephew's infamous pranks. She told about the "purse trick," where a string of some sort was tied to a purse and then the purse was placed in the street. When someone stopped their car, got out and reached down to pick up the purse, the string was yanked. One time Goodrich was elected to stop the shenanigans of the youngsters, but, somehow, she ended up joining in. "I got such a charge out of running into the bushes and hiding," Goodrich laughed as she stood at the front of the church. To her left was Whitman's casket draped with a U.S. flag. It was surrounded by bouquets of predominantly red, white and blue flowers. "I have a lot of these just crazy, funny little moments with him," Goodrich, who lives in Portland, Ore. added. "He was a card, but he was my inspiration." Stan Howard, who coached Whitman in football and track in high school, said he was honored and humbled "to be able to coach a kid like that." Whitman attended Kenedy High School from 1993 to 1997, the only years he lived in the city. Prior to that he lived in Salem, Ore., with his mom, Elaine Premo, who now lives in Portland, Ore. In Kenedy he lived with his dad, Henry Whitman. His dad, a Texas Ranger, now lives in El Paso. Whitman played guard on the football team, and he was a member of the 1995-96 team that won district and went two rounds in the playoffs. Howard, the offensive line coach and offensive coordinator in Kenedy in the 1990s, said Whitman was a big reason why the team did so well that season. "Travis wasn't overly talented, but he was one of those kids that gave 110 percent no matter what he did. He was a winner. I mean he was going to leave it all on the field. God bless, Travis," Howard said at the rosary as he asked Whitman's high school teammates to stand. People clapped as about 15 guys stood. One of the 15 was Clint Kasprzyk, who played quarterback. "Travis was definitely the guy that didn't let you take anything too seriously. You might have had something going on in class, you might have had something at home, but he was the guy you could talk to. He could teach you how to live life half-heartedly, let it roll down your back," said Kasprzyk, a 25-year-old Houston resident. "Like I said, he would always do the little things in class, like say off-the-wall comments to break the tension. It didn't matter where you were. Even if we were in the middle of a game and frustrated, he would say anything, from mamma jokes to anything off the wall. "He was a great guy," Kasprzyk said. Friend and fellow teammate Ramon Reyna agreed. "He was just an all-around great guy," said Reyna, a 24-year-old San Antonio resident. "I will tell you one thing, if you saw him one time, you'd never forget him. He was that type of person." Whitman joined the Marines after graduating from high school in 1997. His father, a former Marine - as is his mother - said his son was an expert marksman. Henry Whitman said that at one time Travis was one of the top 20 pistol shooters in the Marines, and for his efforts he was picked up by the 3rd Marine Division Pistol Team. He left the pistol team to attend embassy guard school, or Marine Security Guard school in Quantico, Va. Whitman then served at the embassy in Germany for 15 months before rotating to the embassy in Bolivia. Whitman was discharged from the Marines in October. U.S. Marine Stephen Bazzle, who served with Whitman in the 7th Comm Battalion, said he was like a brother to him. And for Marine Sgt. Carl Martin, who helped fold the U.S. flag that covered Whitman's casket at the cemetery, that thought really rings true. Martin married Whitman's sister, Heather, a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. Whitman introduced the two. Martin, who is stationed in Germany, as is his wife, described Whitman as a picture perfect Marine. "I tell you what. When I first met Travis he was locked on. He carried himself a certain way. He was just a well-rounded Marine," Martin said. "We all went through a lot, and he definitely made the best out of it, always with a smile." Bill White of McKinney, Whitman's uncle, called his nephew a protector during the rosary. As a guard in football, he protected the quarterback and running backs, White said. In the Marines, he protected the embassies, and as a brother he protected his older sister by introducing her only to someone he believed worthy enough for her to go out with, White said. "And then the final chapter was when he took on this position in which he went over in the security service industry protecting those who wanted to make Iraq a better place. And he put his life on the line once again without any recognition," White said. "He was just one of those guys that just did his job just to help others, and you've got to admire that." He closed his remarks with the words "Semper Fi," the Marine Corps motto, which means "always faithful," and he asked "can I get a hoo-ah?" The Marine battle cry resonated through the church. Ann Rundle is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-277-6319 or cueroadv@txcr.net. Obituary: TRAVIS BLAINE WHITMAN Travis Blaine Whitman, of Kenedy and El Paso, passed away February 29, 2004 at the age of 24 in Bahgdad, Iraq. Travis was born September 4, 1979. He was a U.S. Security Advisor. He graduated from Kenedy High School in 1997 and served in the Marine Corps for 6 years. Travis is survived by his father Henry Whitman and his wife, Dorothy,of El Paso; mother, Elaine Goodrich Premo of Portland, OR; and sister, Lt. Heather Martin of USAF Germany. A rosary was recited at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church at 10 a.m. Funeral services were held Saturday, March 6, 2004 at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church at 1 p.m. with Rev. Mauricio Lopez officiating. Interment was in The Kenedy Cemetery in Kenedy. Serving as pallbearers were The Marine Corps. Memorial contributions can be made to The Travis Whitman Memorial, Performing Arts Scholarship.
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