Robert Lee Whitehair

ROBERT LEE WHITEHAIR AUGUST 31, 1930 - July 17. 2010 Bob was born in Brownsville Texas to Lee and Viola Whitehair. He spent his early childhood there and attended the public schools. He was a Eagle Scout. Civic leaders Mr. Killinstad and Mr. Dorfman of Brownsville, sponsored his trip to the Boy Scout World Jamboree in Paris France in 1947. He continued his schooling in Springfield Missouri graduating senior high in 1949. Bob was a member of the 449 Boxing Club as a middleweight and he never lost a fight. He attended Southwest Missouri State and was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree. He was a member of Sigma Pi serving as the 4th Councilor and was a member of the Bear marching Band at SMU. He met his loving wife Alta Hogan on a blind date. They married June 1953. He was drafted into the Army serving at Ft. Banks, Boston and a year in Germany. He became a member of the 427th Western Area Command Army Band in Kaiserslautern playing the saxophone. He and Alta returned to Brownsville where he played frequently in Chu Cho Hernandez orchestra in Mexico. He played in several other local bands and wrote several arrangements. He joined the Army Reserves and was assigned to the 90th Infantry Division going from PFC to Lieutenant. He was certified to fly single engine aircraft. He taught elementary school for 2 years and then served 3 years as a Juvenile Probation Officer with Cameron County. He was called to active duty during the Berlin Crisis. His first assignment was to Ft. Leonard Wood to be a company commander. He gave all credit to his Sergeants for winning unit awards. He was an escort officer for a group of Uruguay Officers who toured the East Coast. His next assignment was to Vietnam where he was commandant of 3RRU Davis Station. He later transferred to Detachment J at Phu Bai. The unit was awarded the unit Presidential awarded for its involvement in the Tonkin Gulf Incident. His classification there was as Executive Officer Crypto Analyst. He later went to Special Warfare School at Fort Bragg. He had a working knowledge of Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese and basic Australian. He returned to the states for the Advanced Officer Course. He also attended the Airborne Jump School. After graduation he was assigned to the prestigious Washington University in St. Louis to be an Assistant Military Science instructor for 3 years. Second tour to Vietnam came shortly after where he was a Battalion Advisor to a Vietnamese unit of the 22nd Division and Commandant of the Ban Me Thout Compound. He was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge and later the Purple Heart. While at St. Louis he began his work on his Masters Degree at Missouri University, and completed it in 1971. He was a Mason, Past Master in Council 1, Royal Arch Mason and a Knights Templar. He was a counselor at Allan Jr. High for 10 years. He was to again take part in the military work by becoming a Training Non Commissioned Officer for the 49th Armored Division Band of the Texas Army National Guard playing clarinet. He was qualified to operate all land vehicles in the Army inventory thanks to the training received in Company F of the 249th Maintenance Battalion of Camp Mabry Austin. He was trained on everything from the tank recovery vehicle to the lowly forklift, which was his favorite! He attended the Naval School of Music in Norfolk VA in 1988 and received the equivalent of a 2 year music degree . He noted he had a perfect attendance record of 10 years in the National Guard. He was an instructor at the Non Commissioned Officer Academy at Camp Mabry, Austin. He was awarded two Achievement Medals and the Lone Star Medal. He loved reading and learning and became a substitute teacher for several years. He was a 4th degree brown belt. He was a lifetime member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, VFW, and a proud paratrooper of the 173 Airborne Brigade. He also was a volunteer with South Austin Hospital , Meals On Wheels, Red Cross, Bergstrom Wellness Clinic and the Camp Mabry Museum. He became certified to serve in the Travis County Civil Patrol and served as a Precinct Judge in Austin. He enjoyed playing the piano, saxophone, and clarinet when he had spare time. His ambition was to teach his 4 great grandchildren music. He is survived by his wife Alta Whitehair, his daughter Alta Lee Whitehair, his son Robert Scott Whitehair and wife Andrea Whitehair, his daughter Dianne Lynn Whitehair her husband Steve Larsen, his granddaughter Barbara Bice and her husband Lucas Bice, his four great grandchildren Daniel Bryce Bice, Brianne Mozelle Bice, Liam Avery Bice, and Delylah Jewel Bice. God silently called home a beloved Hero. As Robert Lee Whitehair would say.. “Paratroopers NEVER DIE they just go to heaven and regroup.” AIRBORNE all the way HOOAH!