Army allows Kinsman grad to satisfy his desire to travel

Steven Whitlock, 37, of Lordstown, earned a Purple Heart while stationed with the Army in Afghanistan. A mortar shell severed an artery in his leg.

LORDSTOWN — Steven Whitlock earned his Purple Heart in 2009 while stationed in Afghanistan.

He and all but one soldier in his squad were wounded by enemy mortar. Whitlock was flown by helicopter to Germany after a mortar shell severed an artery in his leg that resulted in shock.

“Wanderlust was the main reason I wanted to join the military. I wanted to get out and see things and do stuff,” said Whitlock, 37, who now lives in Lordstown with his wife, Lindsey.

While a college student majoring in computer science, following graduation from Badger High School in Kinsman, Whitlock said he experienced a change of heart.

“I did not want to sit behind a desk for the rest of my life,” he said.

Whitlock’s parents met while serving in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Following in his parents’ footsteps, he began Army basic training in 2005 at Fort Benning, Georgia.

After basic training, Whitlock spent the next three years as part of the elite Presidential Guns Salute Battery, “The Old Guard,” Headquarters Company. Its duties included conducting funerals for military officers, firing the gun salute for those officers interred at Arlington National Cemetery, and performing welcome ceremonies for foreign dignitaries and heads of state visiting the White House or Capitol.

They also set off cannons during the performance of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” during the Fourth of July ceremonies at the Capitol.

“That was always a fun one. It was a big barbecue, and we got to fire guns in the middle of it. We spent time maintaining our tactical training once or twice a year, but our main focus was ceremonial. There was lots of practice, and we spent an inordinate amount of time making sure our uniforms were shiny and straight and practicing our marching, a lot of practice,” Whitlock recalled.

The main job of the Old Guard is presidential funerals. “In 2006, we did President Ford’s funeral. I have a hand-signed letter from Betty Ford.”

Whitlock’s next assignment was in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, for predeployment training before leaving for Afghanistan. He was with the 101st Airborne Division 2- 506th infantry battalion, which Whitlock explained was the same unit as the “Band of Brothers” series broadcast on HBO.

Whitlock found Afghanistan to be a pretty country. They were in the mountains in Paktika Province, on the Pakistan border. The people in general were very nice and anytime they went into a village, the people would bring their unit a tray of tea, which is part of their culture.

“I would not say that the civilians were happy that we were there, but there was no overt animosity toward us,” Whitlock said.

Whitlock’s unit brought humanitarian aid to rural villages, such as vegetable oil and coats for the children in winter.

“It was disheartening at times because sometimes we would come back two weeks later and were told that the Taliban came and took it all,” he said. “We were often ambushed while driving and there was fear in the back of my mind, but I think my training overrode that fear. I was more focused on what the problem was at the moment and what we needed to do to solve it.”

Whitlock was an infantry mortarman. One day he was in the mortar pit, manning the base gun with his unit. That was the day that Whitlock was wounded. He said the hero that day was the single uninjured squad member who heroically lifted the more than 200-pound mortar alone and returned fire, while still under enemy fire.

Whitlock’s time spent in the military allowed him to satisfy his desire to travel and experience the world. Whitlock’s philosophy is: “Any day you don’t learn something is a day wasted. I don’t think I have wasted a single day in my life. At the end of all your days, all you have left are all your experiences and what you have learned.”

Steven Whitlock

AGE: 37

RESIDENCE: Lordstown

SERVICE BRANCH: Army

MILITARY HONORS: Purple Heart, Army Achievement Medal, Army Commendation Medals (2), Good Conduct Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Parachutists Badge, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, NATO Medal

OCCUPATION: Lead assembler at JMI, Youngstown, which builds Crawler Cranes for Manitowoc Company

FAMILY: Wife, Lindsey Tettenburn