An ARI Success Story

Big-Hearted Sleuth Tracks Down a Soldier's Last Girlfriend

By Steve Bigham

THE NEWTOWN BEE

 

When Newtown resident Eric G. Blantin was killed during the Vietnam War 30 years ago, he left behind a mother and father, two sisters, and the young woman he loved - Patrice Albright, his high school sweetheart.

Soon after his death in a helicopter crash in November of 1969, the US Army returned Eric's belongings to his parents. They included letters and a class ring from 18-year-old Patrice. She was living in Florida at the time (after her parents moved out of Newtown) and had been corresponding with "the soldier boy" during his days on the Vietnam battlefield. The two had met while students at Newtown High School.

George and Irene Blantin had never met the woman and had no way of getting in contact with her after Eric's death. They held on to the class ring along with other mementos of Eric's, hoping that one day they might hear from the woman. She, too, must have been struck by their son's death, they thought.

Surely, the Blantins, now in their 70s, must have wondered what ever became of their son's high school sweetheart, who was two years younger than Eric - a 1967 Newtown High School graduate. But finding her seemed highly unlikely, especially after all these years. They doubted they would ever be able to return the ring to its rightful owner.

Late last month, however, Gil Whitlock, a local private investigator, located Patrice Albright in New Hampshire and the woman, now approaching 50, is scheduled to finally pay that visit to the Blantin family later this month. Mrs. Blantin contacted The Bee this week with the news.

Mr. Whitlock, who operates Associated Research & Investigations, Ltd. out of his Main Street home, became interested in the Blantin story after reading an article in The Newtown Bee last November (on the 30th anniversary of Eric Blantin's death).

"I saw the article and wondered if Mrs. Blantin had ever tried to find her. I cut the article out and left it on my desk where it sat for three months. Time went by and I finally called Mrs. Blantin and told her I would try and find this woman," Mr. Whitlock explained. "It was all in the last several weeks that this all came together."

The private investigator said the Blantins' story touched him. A 1969 graduate of Bethel High School himself, Mr. Whitlock, 48, was just two years younger than Eric Blantin. He informed the Newtown couple that he would find Patrice Albright at no cost.

"It wasn't easy. I found her using a combination of technology and shoe-leather footwork," he explained. "I find people all the time. This was something that I just felt needed to be done."

Mr. Whitlock's search took flight after a trip to the town clerk's office where he discovered land records showing that a Charles and Wilma Albright had sold their home in Newtown in 1967. Then, after many long hours on the phone, the PI determined that the couple, Patrice Albright's parents, was living in Florida. Their phone number was unlisted, however, forcing Mr. Whitlock to write them a letter.

"Then I waited and waited. I thought about giving up and I even thought about going down there. As a private investigator, you don't want to ever give up," he said.

Finally, a Wilma Albright called Mr. Whitlock and confirmed that she was the mother of Patrice Albright, who is now living in Jaffey, New Hampshire.

"I explained that I had read the article about Eric Blantin in the local newspaper and she said, 'Oh, The Bee," Mr. Whitlock said during an interview this week at his office on Main Street.

Soon after, Mr. Whitlock established contact with Patrice Albright, who has long since married with children, but who still holds a special place in her heart for Eric.

"She was very happy to hear from me. She said she has been to Newtown and visited Eric's grave. I think she's looking for some closure, too," Mr. Whitlock said. "She wanted to visit the Blantins but figured it would only stir up memories."

Of course, Mr. and Mrs. Blantin were thrilled at the news and look forward to meeting their son's last girlfriend.

Gil Whitlock, a Newtown resident since 1979, said one of his favorite shows was always "Magnum PI," the story of a private investigator taking high-profile cases in the Hawaiian islands.

"I always thought that would be pretty cool to do. I always wondered if I could make a living at it," he said.

And, after a career in the law enforcement business, Mr. Whitlock too became a licensed private investigator, although Newtown is not exactly an island paradise. When not working as a private sleuth, Mr. Whitlock enjoys spending time with his wife, Tami, and their three children: Jason, 16, Ashley, 14, and Anthony, 12.

The Veterans of Foreign War (VFW) Post 308 in Newtown now bears the name Eric G. Blantin, along with Charles Howard Peck., Sr. and Jr.

Reunion Comes as a Gift from a Long-Dead Soldier

By Steve Bigham

THE NEWTOWN BEE

 

Patrice Albright returned to Newtown this week to finally meet the parents of the young man she had loved and lost so long ago. It was a meeting that neither Mrs. Albright nor Irene and George Blantin will ever forget.

On November 19, 1969, Eric G. Blantin was killed in Vietnam when the helicopter he was piloting exploded on takeoff. The tragic accident changed the lives of the Blantin family forever. It did the same for Patrice Albright, just 17 at the time, and living in Florida.

Mrs. Albright learned of her high school sweetheart's death in December of 1969 at a peace rally in West Palm Beach. Eric's name was listed on a roster of those killed in Vietnam over the previous six months. Still in high school at the time, Mrs. Albright was devastated. And though her mother was there to comfort her, the young woman was left to mourn alone.

"I hadn't heard from him a while, so I had a feeling something had happened," said Mrs. Albright, who had moved to Florida with her family after her sophomore year at Newtown High School.

Thirty years later, although married and living in New Hampshire, Mrs. Albright says she has never forgotten the handsome young man she met in study hall.

"He's a part of my story. I have never forgotten him," said Mrs. Albright, now 48. "I have great warmth in my heart, a smile and a tear."

But she never got a chance to meet Eric's parents... until Wednesday afternoon when she arrived at the Blantins' home at 4 Aunt Park Lane, accompanied by her sister and Newtown resident and private investigator Gil Whitlock, who was instrumental in bringing the two families together after all these years.

"I'm glad I waited. I know this meeting means a lot more to me know than it would have back then. I feel like I'm finally able to heal," Mrs. Albright said. "But this doesn't bring closure. It just brings it full circle. I don't like the word closure. This is a whole new chapter."

Eric G. Blantin was a 1967 graduate of Newtown High School. After being drafted, he went to helicopter pilot school in Texas. Prior to leaving for Vietnam, he visited his family in Newtown and Patrice Albright in Florida. He and Jimmy Dale were killed instantly when their helicopter exploded in a ball of flames. Reports indicated that a Vietnamese soldier had stuck a grenade in the chopper's fuel tank.

The Veterans of Foreign War (VFW) Post 308 in Newtown now bears the name Eric G. Blantin, along with Charles Howard Peck, Sr. and Jr.

George and Irene Blantin were unaware of their son's relationship with Mrs. Albright until after his death when the US Army returned Eric's belongings. They contained a class ring and letters from a woman named Patrice Albright, of whom they had never heard. The Blantins held on to the class ring along with other mementos of Eric's, hoping that one day they might hear from the woman. That day finally arrived this week and the Blantins embraced Mrs. Albright as if she was one of their own. They couldn't help but wonder what would have happened had Eric come home from the war. Is it possible Patrice could have been my daughter-in-law? Mrs. Blantin wondered.

"You're a gift to me. You make me feel so good," Mrs. Blantin said as she finally returned the class ring to her son's final girlfriend.

Both women agreed their meeting on Wednesday was a gift from Eric, a young man who, according to Mrs. Albright, did not believe in the war, but served his country because he felt it was the right thing to do.

"He had a lot of courage. In a lot of ways, Eric has played a big role in shaping my life," she said.

Eric and Patrice met in a study hall during their days at NHS. Little did they know how much their lives would change in the coming years.

Strangely, Eric and Patrice were involved in a car accident during one of their first days in high school. Both were reportedly thrown from the car, but not seriously injured.

"I remember being in the ambulance and looking at Eric and saying 'I love you,'" Mrs. Albright recalled this week. "He told me he loved me and then the ambulance driver said, 'Who are you guys, Romeo and Juliet?'"

In 1971, Mrs. Albright said she visited Eric's grave at the Village Cemetery as she passed through town.

This week's meeting would never have happened had it not been for the efforts of Gil Whitlock, who managed to locate Patrice Albright in June. Mr. Whitlock, who operates Associated Research & Investigations, Ltd. out of his Main Street home, became interested in the Blantin story after reading an article in The Newtown Bee last November (on the 30th anniversary of Eric Blantin's death).

"I saw the article and wondered if Mrs. Blantin had ever tried to find her. I cut the article out and left it on my desk where it sat for three months. Time went by and I finally called Mrs. Blantin and told her I would try and find this woman," Mr. Whitlock explained. "It was all in the last several weeks that this all came together."

The private investigator said the Blantins' story touched him. A 1969 graduate of Bethel High School himself, Mr. Whitlock, 48, was just two years younger than Eric Blantin. He informed the Newtown couple that he would find Patrice Albright at no cost.

"It wasn't easy. I found her using a combination of technology and shoe-leather footwork," he explained. "I find people all the time. This was something that I just felt needed to be done."

Mr. Whitlock's search took flight after a trip to the town clerk's office where he discovered land records showing that a Charles and Wilma Albright had sold their home in Newtown in 1967. Then, after many long hours on the phone, the PI determined that the couple, Patrice Albright's parents, was living in Florida. Their phone number was unlisted, however, forcing Mr. Whitlock to write them a letter.

"Then I waited and waited. I thought about giving up and I even thought about going down there. As a private investigator, you don't want to ever give up," he said.

Finally, a Wilma Albright called Mr. Whitlock and confirmed that she was the mother of Patrice Albright, who was living in Jaffey, New Hampshire.