Serving The Country From Coast To Coast
Eric Oliphant ’95 came to Texas A&M University with a dream of flying for the military. That plan turned into a career that allowed him to protect the nation’s citizens both on land and at sea.
When Eric Oliphant ’95 decided to pursue a military career, he never envisioned himself piloting the helicopter rescue of a man and his pet bird from 60 feet up a pine tree. The bird, Geronimo, had escaped from his cage and perched high up in a nearby tree. He was quickly followed by his dedicated owner, who didn’t hesitate to scale the tall pine in order to retrieve his beloved bird.
After both the police department and fire department realized they were ill-equipped for the task, they called the Houston-Galveston sector of the U.S. Coast Guard, where Oliphant was dispatched as the pilot at the controls on the rescue flight. Two hours later, the bird and his owner were safely back on the ground.
Throughout his career, Oliphant has learned that service comes in many forms. Sometimes, it’s rescuing a runaway cockatoo from a tree, and sometimes, it’s risking your life to perform a water rescue in hurricane-force winds. But he knows it is what he was meant to do, and he was equipped for the challenges through his upbringing and his years at Texas A&M University and in the military.
The Coast Guard offered Oliphant the opportunity to combine his desire to serve with his love of flying, as well as getting to spend more time with his family.
Finding a Future at Texas A&M
Oliphant knew he wanted to join an ROTC program in college and had heard of the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M, but until his senior year of high school, he hadn’t seen it in person. At this point, he had two older brothers in the military, a mother who worked at Fort Hood and a late veteran father who had passed away in the line of duty during a training exercise. Military was what he knew, and his main goal was to continue his family’s military legacy.
“Growing up, I think it was kind of a natural path for me to follow,” Oliphant said of his decision to join the military. “I felt like our community was pretty patriotic, being near the base, so I grew up with a patriotic sense and a sense of duty to my country. And then with the exposure from my dad and his job as a pilot, I think it was just always something that was available to me and interested me more as I got older.”
It was just a matter of how he would get there.
Though Oliphant had no family ties to Texas A&M, his family’s military ties ran deep.
At the time, he had no Aggie family members and was planning to attend a different university, but decided to take a tour of Texas A&M’s campus to make sure he had seen all the options before making a final decision. He was immediately impressed by the large and impactful presence of the Corps of Cadets as well as the tight-knit, friendly atmosphere of the school.
But one interaction in particular had a big impact on him.
“We were in the Memorial Student Center, looking around, and a senior cadet stopped and asked if he could help me and my mom out,” Oliphant said. “He could tell we were just looking around. And he stayed and answered questions for us, and was really friendly.”
Oliphant was surprised that this college student chose to take time out of his busy schedule, step away from his friend group and approach a high schooler that he didn’t know in order to make sure the visitor felt welcomed. That interaction marked a turning point in Oliphant’s path. He admired the cadet’s kindness as well as the pride he showed for his school. Oliphant continued on his tour, but the deal was already done. He was going to be an Aggie.
He had no idea how consequential the school would be in his career path and life.
Becoming a Part of the Aggie Family
While at Texas A&M, Oliphant began developing the roots that would provide a foundation for him to lean on in order to excel throughout his military career. In the Corps of Cadets, he served as his outfit’s executive officer and was a member of the Ross Volunteers and the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band, where he joined the bugle rank his senior year. These organizations and the Corps of Cadets, in general, all follow a structure that requires members to take on leadership responsibilities.
That’s the great thing about the Corps. You make your way up in responsibility from a freshman to a senior through the different positions that you have there.
“That’s the great thing about the Corps,” Oliphant said. “You make your way up in responsibility from a freshman to a senior through the different positions that you have there. So, you can’t really escape learning some leadership skills, because you’re going to be in a leadership position at some point, whether you do that well or not.”
Oliphant also learned the value of working together with his fellow cadets toward common goals. Activities during his time in the Corps, such as “Hell Week,” where freshmen worked as a group to earn certain privileges, helped train cadets to have this collaborative mindset. The ability to work with your team toward something greater than yourself and be able to make sacrifices for it is an absolute necessity in the military.
At Texas A&M, Oliphant not only found his place in the Corps of Cadets, but he also met his future wife, Erin (Motz) Oliphant ’96, during his senior year. At the time of his graduation, he had secured an aviation contract in the U.S. Marine Corps through the Platoon Leader Class Program, so he quickly set off to begin his military career as a helicopter pilot. A year later, he and Erin married, diving into a new chapter of life together. Throughout the course of his career, Erin was the support Oliphant needed to succeed.
Selfless Service in Action
Oliphant spent 10 years to the day in the Marine Corps. As a Marine pilot, much of his time was spent training, ensuring he was as capable and well-prepared as possible. He flew the CH-53E Super Stallion and the TH-57 and was sent on two deployments overseas. During his first deployment with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, most of his time was spent training throughout the Middle East. When he wasn’t honing his flying skills, his role largely consisted of delivering humanitarian aid to struggling countries.
On his way back from this six-month deployment, the tragedy of 9/11 happened, and the U.S. military jumped into action. Oliphant volunteered to join his unit for a follow-on deployment for Operation Enduring Freedom in response to the attack, leaving behind his pregnant wife and 2-year-old daughter just 10 weeks after returning from his first deployment.
Oliphant spent 10 years in the Marine Corps. As a Marine pilot, he flew the CH-53E Super Stallion and the TH-57 (pictured above) and was sent on two deployments overseas.
During the seven months of this deployment with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, his unit assisted the U.S. Army (which needed helicopter support after they had taken heavy losses in Afghanistan) during Operation Anaconda. He delivered troop inserts (infantry and special operations teams) to combat zones, conducted resupply missions to ground units in combat zones and provided forward fuel and arming logistical support (landing at points where attack helicopters could restock their fuel and ammo). The rest of the deployment consisted of intel operations, humanitarian operations in Kenya and continued training. This training helped further hone his tactical aviation skills.
Ready to Make a Change
The summer after his second deployment, Oliphant and his family moved to Pensacola, Florida, where Oliphant would work as a flight instructor at a naval flight school. It was there that he was introduced to the U.S. Coast Guard.
“At that point, I didn’t really have any exposure to the Coast Guard,” he explained. “But as an instructor at the flight school, I had some good friends who were in the Coast Guard. And just talking to them about what they did — search and rescue — and talking about the family life of the Coast Guard, and seeing some of the benefits and the different aspects of serving that the Coast Guard does, that’s kind of what introduced me to it and got me interested.”
In addition, Oliphant had been selected to be promoted to the rank of major in the Marine Corps, which would mean more time away from his family on long deployments. It would also mean moving into more staff and managerial positions, and therefore less time flying. He wasn’t ready to stop being a pilot, and the Coast Guard offered an opportunity for him to continue combining his desire to serve with his love of flying, as well as getting to spend more time with his family. It was an easy decision to make the switch.
Serving the Nation One Rescue at a Time
Oliphant spent 12 years in the Coast Guard and, during his career, was stationed in Houston, Texas; Sitka, Alaska; and Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Since the Coast Guard is housed under the Department of Homeland Security, his job included aspects of both maritime safety and maritime law enforcement.
While the purpose of some of his flights was to patrol the ocean for illegal activity, such as illegal fishing, a large portion of his flights were geared toward finding and rescuing those who were lost, injured or in some other kind of trouble out at sea or near the coast.
In Houston, during his first five years in the Coast Guard, he learned the ropes of flying the MH-65C Dolphin and began to realize just how different each mission in his new job could be.
“Some of the more ridiculous things I’ve seen people do have been off the Texas coast,” he said. “We used to routinely go out and pick up people who would take a johnboat (a very small, flat-bottomed boat) 20 miles out to an oil rig to go fish, with more beer than they had water and a five-gallon tank of gas. And sure enough, they’d go out, and then their motor would quit. And half the time, they didn’t have a radio. So, hopefully, they left a float plan with somebody so they knew at least an idea of where they would be. But eventually, a family member might call and say, ‘Hey, so-and-so went out fishing, and they haven’t come back. They were supposed to be back 10 hours ago.’ I’ve seen some ridiculous stuff.”
But there were also some very serious missions he and his team took part in. Stationed near the Gulf, a major responsibility of the Houston-Galveston sector was to be a first line of defense when hurricanes hit. During Hurricane Ike in 2008, Oliphant’s family evacuated while he stayed behind to conduct search and rescue missions for people trapped by the storm surge. He piloted flights that recovered a total of 14 people and three dogs from various locations, some of which required complex technical maneuvers to hoist survivors up from between trees and under power lines. He was later commended for his work during this mission with the Air Medal (Gold Star in Lieu of Second).
After five years in Houston, Oliphant was stationed in Sitka, Alaska, flying the MH-60T Jayhawk, where he would discover a whole new breed of challenges on the dangerous Alaskan waters. Due to most people getting into trouble in rough conditions, much of his flying took place in heavy precipitation, blasting wind, frigid temperatures and nighttime darkness. In addition, with limited nearby resources for medical evacuations, he and his unit also played a big part in medical emergency transportation all over Southeast Alaska.
That was my first flight in that type of environment, surrounded by terrain, bad weather, freezing temperatures. Couldn’t see anything the entire time from takeoff to landing. We were totally going by instruments and by ourselves. There was nobody out there to help us if something happened.
On his first rescue mission in Alaska, Oliphant realized the extent to which he would be flying. The crew was dispatched at night, in the middle of a winter storm. They flew over inland waterway channels, with mountains on either side, completely relying on radar and navigation systems as the blowing snow rendered the pilots completely blind. Upon reaching their destination, landing required a special no-hover maneuver that Oliphant had learned and honed flying in the desert, due to the swirling snow mimicking blowing sand and blocking any view of the ground.
“That was my first flight in that type of environment, surrounded by terrain, bad weather, freezing temperatures. Couldn’t see anything the entire time from takeoff to landing,” he recalled. “We were totally going by instruments and by ourselves. There was nobody out there to help us if something happened. So, that one was an eye opener.”
Alaskan rescues were so dangerous that an entire TV series, “Coast Guard Alaska,” was dedicated to showing the extremes of these rescue conditions. Oliphant was featured in three episodes, including one that detailed a mission to deliver a water pump to a fishing boat taking on water, another in which the crew rescued an elderly woman on a cruise ship who had had a heart attack, and a third where two exhausted hikers were picked up from a mountain.
Oliphant’s last Coast Guard assignment in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, also consisted of rough conditions, including up to 45-foot waves. But at this point, he was a well-respected aviator and experienced in all kinds of flight conditions and situations.
One particular flight commanded and piloted by Oliphant out of Elizabeth City garnered multiple awards, including the Coast Guard Exceptional Pilot of the Year Award, the Coast Guard Commendation Medal and the Aircrew of the Year (Non-Deployed) Award. It happened the night of Valentine’s Day 2015 when a sailing vessel with four crewmen was caught in a violent cold front and taking on water. When Oliphant’s helicopter arrived, waves were reaching 20 feet, winter precipitation was coming down and 40-knot winds were blowing. To make matters worse, the searchlight was inoperable, so the rescue would need to be completed in complete darkness.
Due to the pitching of the boat, the rescue swimmer was unable to board, so Oliphant made the decision that the crewmen on the boat needed to don their survival suits and jump into the frigid water one at a time to be retrieved. Even without any illumination and gale-force winds that caused the sea vessel to drift quickly, Oliphant was able to relocate the boat between each hoist, and each survivor was successfully pulled up into the helicopter. The route back to Elizabeth City consisted of 70-knot headwinds and blowing snow, but all aboard made it back safely.
Reflections on a 30-Year Military Career
During his time in the Coast Guard, some of Oliphant’s more complex and challenging flight missions garnered award recognition, such as the Air Medal (Gold Star in Lieu of Second) and the Coast Guard Exceptional Pilot of the Year Award.
Though Oliphant retired from the Coast Guard in 2018, he has since moved back to his beloved home state of Texas and continues serving others through his current position flying for Air Evac Lifeteam. There, he is able to continue using his aviation skills to save lives by transporting injured and sick patients to hospitals that have the resources they need.
He looks back on his time in the military fondly and doesn’t have any regrets about the path he took, though he does realize that he ended up in some dicey situations. “I learned pretty early on that it’s a dangerous business. We can mitigate a lot of things, but there’s always going to be some danger. But just like anything else, right? We’re all assigned to die once, and because of that, to me, it’s just a part of life. And we can’t necessarily choose how or when we’re going to go.
“For me, the hardest part about the dangers of aviation has been the possibility of not being able to continue the responsibilities I have to my family. So I think in a lot of ways, that keeps me safer than anything else. Decisions I make when I’m flying and how much effort I put into my studying — it’s really not about me.”
He said his wife and their two children have been his primary motivation throughout his career, and the joy they have brought has grounded him through the tough times. And despite the challenges of the job, for Oliphant, they have always been outweighed by the benefits.
“When you’re flying for the military, you’re serving other people. To me, that’s the main benefit. And I love flying. It’s a thrill to be 500, 1,000 feet in the air, looking down on everything. I like that perspective and that control and that freedom. So the benefits are pretty easy, weighing those against the hazards or the dangers.”
The Legacy Continues
Oliphant’s love of Texas A&M and commitment to serving others inspired his two children to become Aggies as well — his daughter Abby graduated in 2021, and his son Nick will graduate in May 2025 with an aviation contract in the Marine Corps and plans to be a helicopter pilot, just like his dad.
Seeing what a challenge it was to lead so many young men and women in the service and how my dad treated that responsibility — not as a burden, but as a privilege — was inspiring to me.
Having grown up with a strong military influence and seeing how the Corps of Cadets made such a positive impact on his dad’s life, Nick decided to take that path as well and is now the executive officer of Company S-2 in the Corps. For Nick, the Corps of Cadets has equipped him with the discipline and leadership skills required for life in the military, but it was his father who inspired him to join.
“I think my dad really is the whole reason that I’m going into the military,” he said. “That’s for a lot of different reasons. I look back, and one of my earliest memories is of Dad flying to my elementary school in the Coast Guard Dolphin and landing. I remember how proud I was to show all my friends what my dad did. He was a hero and saved people’s lives every day. Just that pride knowing that he was making a difference.”
Oliphant has also left his mark on the many men and women he has worked with over the years. Nick described how he was inspired by his father’s ability to equip his colleagues with the same dedication to serving the country as he had.
“Seeing what a challenge it was to lead so many young men and women in the service and how my dad treated that responsibility — not as a burden, but as a privilege — was inspiring to me. And just the mindset that he was lucky to lead that many young men and women and have an impact on their lives. That really encouraged me to step into that challenge and try to do as well of a job with it as he did.”
Texas A&M and the Corps of Cadets taught Oliphant to lead and collaborate with others to achieve something greater than himself. These skills, along with his dedication to serving his country, have allowed him to excel as a pilot and in the military. Now, he has left an impact on those closest to him to continue his legacy of service.
