As
an art major, Flint Whitlock graduated from the University
of Illinois in 1964 with a degree in Advertising Design, but
has always been as much a writer as an artist. His love for
military history began at an early age—fueled by his
father, James, who served with the famed 10th Mountain Division
in World War II. Flint also had an uncle who was a military
policeman with the 1st Infantry Division and another uncle
who served with the Navy in the Pacific.
Wanting
to serve his country, Flint was commissioned a Second Lieutenant
through the Reserve Officer Commission Training Program and
entered active duty in December 1964. After attending the
basic Air Defense Artillery officers' course at Fort Bliss,
Texas, Flint earned his jump wings at Airborne school at Fort
Benning, Georgia. He was then posted to a Nike Hercules battery
in Baumholder, Germany. After two years in ADA, he received
a branch transfer to the Quartermaster Corps and spent an
additional year with the Supply and Maintenance Agency in
Zweibruecken, Germany, where he was promoted to captain.
As
a captain in
Vietnam, 1968.
In
1968, Flint was transferred to South Vietnam, arriving one
day before the Tet Offensive in January, 1968. He served for
six months as a supply specialist at 1st Logistical Command
Headquarters at Long Binh, northeast of Saigon, before being
transferred to the 14th Inventory Control Center at the same
post. He returned to the States in 1969 and spent a year with
the 5th Infantry Division Supply and Maintenance Battalion
at Fort Carson, Colorado, before resigning his commission
and returning to civilian life.
After
a stint as the Public Relations Director for the Denver Dynamos
of the now-defunct North American Soccer League, he served
as a copywriter, art director, and creative director for several
major Colorado advertising agencies. While holding down these
positions, he also continued to paint and write, becoming
a locally prominent artist of the “photo-realist”
genre. His attention to visual detail also translated to the
written word, as he sought to convey the emotional and physical
aspects of the soldier's experience.
To
heighten his understanding of, and appreciation for, what
the World War II combat soldier went through, he became involved
in World War II re-enactment groups, in which he has been
active for over 20 years. As a tribute to his father, he founded
the 10th Mountain Division Living History Display Group in
1983 (www.tenthmountain.org).
He is also a member of the 10th Mountain
Division Foundation Board of Directors and the 10th Mountain Division
Resource Center Advisory Committee.
Flint
Whitlock lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife, Dr.
Mary Ann Watson, a clinical psychologist and professor
of psychology at Metropolitan State College of Denver.
They have three grown children: Gillian Lee Whitlock, an
actress and make-up artist in Hollywood; Suki Montgomery,
a psychologist and member of the counseling staff at Ithaca
(NY) College; and Matthew Montgomery, an anesthesiologist
in Denver. To keep in shape, Flint skis, referees soccer,
and plays tennis.
