 His godfather was General George S. Patton, an old friend of Lt. Col. Whiting's from military days.After numerous moves due to his father's military postings, Whiting's family moved in 1934 to Winchester, Virginia, where he was based the remainder of his life.He graduated from John Handley High School and attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute for one year before enlisting in the US Army shortly after the outbreak of World War II.