Born August 7,1949 in Jersey Shore, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania to Hiram Whitman (Jr) and Mary Patricia Selts Whitman. I grew up in the Portsmouth/Chesapeake Virginia area. Began playing cornet in band in the 6th grade, and played cornet in the Deep Creek High School concert and marching bands all through high school, studying privately under the late Ted Bogsrud. After graduating from Deep Creek High School in Chesapeake, VA, I attended Longwood College in Farmville, VA for 2 years. Then worked as a key punch machine operator civil servant at the Naval Supply Center, Norfolk, VA until receiving a "Reduction in Force" notice. Enlisted in the US Army on 2 January 1970 and served for 7 years as a trumpet player, Company Clerk and Admin NCO in the final, longest serving, active duty all women's military band, the historic 14th Army Band WAC, (Women's Army Corps) at Fort McClellan, Alabama. Trained and performed on snare drum and percussion instruments. When the US military moved to integrate the women into the Regular Army in the mid-1970s, and inactivated the Women's Army Corps (official inactivation was in 1978), I volunteered for assignment to the 2nd Infantry Division Band, Camp Casey, South Korea, and served there at the end of 1976, and most of 1977 (14 months) as Squad Leader and Section Leader, and as trumpet and French Horn player, percussionist, and also as Operations NCO and Admin NCO. In December 1977 I was assigned to the 2nd Armored Division Band at Fort Hood,Texas, and served as a Platoon Sgt/Group Leader on trumpet, French Horn and percussion, and as a Drum Major, Operations NCO, Supply Sgt, and Admin NCO, and as EEO NCO for 502nd AG Company at Fort Hood, TX. I completed some college courses, and music courses under the late Adel Galanfy, at Central Texas College in Killeen, TX. In 1984 I was selected and assigned as the Enlisted Personnel Manager for CMF 97, Army Bands, at the US Army Personnel Command, at Headquarters, Department of the Army in Alexandria, VA, where I provided information and gave briefings to other Department of the Army Personnel Commands about the issues, soundness, and strength projections for the Army's bands. I was in charge of managing the accessions of band recruits, and was responsible for assigning enlisted musician/soldiers to projected vacancies in Army Bands world-wide, and filling classes for professional development schooling of enlisted Army band soldiers. During this assignment I completed a few college courses at Northern Virginia Community College; and I played trumpet and French horn in a civilian woodwind quintet, a civilian brass quintet, and a 6 piece civilian combo, in order to maintain my musical skills. These 3 groups performed throughout the greater Washington DC area. I served in the Enlisted Personnel Manager position for 7 years. Was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal , the Army Achievement Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Overseas Service Ribbon, and the Korean Defense Ribbon. After having served from the Viet Nam War era through Desert Storm, I retired in August 1991 with 21 years, 7 months of active duty service as a MSG/E8. In the early 1990s I took private trumpet lessons under Blakely Rosengaft, trumpeter in the US Air Force Band. I am a member of the WAC Veteran's Association Heritage Chapter 62. I worked as a veterinary assistant for 17.5 years at 3 animal hospitals in Alexandria and Woodbridge, VA. In addition, I worked for 2.5 years as a grocery store cashier at Safeway. I decided to try truck driving and attended CDS Tractor Trailer Driving School in Thornburg, VA. I graduated in April 2009, earning a Class A and Class B license. I was hired as a trainee by Werner Trucking Company of Allentown, PA, and drove a tractor trailer all over the eastern half of the United States. Truck driving was difficult, challenging and exciting, but was not a good fit for me as an older person with a house, a car and 3 cats waiting at home, so I resigned and pursued other jobs. I have been employed with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) for more than 14 years, as a custodian. For 6 months I accepted an internal job change to 'laborer' where I helped unload the merchandise from trucks, worked in the stock room, and assisted in stocking shelves on the sales floor. I returned to being a custodian. In August 2013, I participated with other WAC Band alumni in a brass quintet to provide music for the Women's Army Corps Convention in Norfolk, VA, and also played a concert at the Women in Military Service For America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, where we played the historic songs of the Women's Army Corps. These two performances by WAC Band members who all served in the WAC Band together, carried the history and legacy of the 14th Army Band WAC, and the Women's Army Corps, forward into the 21st Century, a full 35 years after the inactivation of the Women's Army Corps. I currently live in Alexandria, VA. Over the course of my life I welcomed and cared for dozens of homeless cats over the years. And I took in a homeless acquaintance as a roommate for several years. My father, Hiram, served with honor during World War Two in the US Navy. I have a brother, James Whitman, who is also an Army veteran, and is a retired helicopter pilot who worked as a pilot for medical air evacuation organizations in several states. He and his wife Sharon Wright Whitman, a retired nurse anesthetist, now live in Kentucky. They have a daughter, Laura, my niece, who is a registered nurse. Jim's stepson is Christopher Wright. My sister, Kathleen Woolard, who is a retired Army Corps of Engineers secretary, and a wife and mother, is married to Tim Woolard, a retired Army Corps of Engineer Surveyor. They have a daughter, my niece Heather, and live in Chesapeake, VA. As a musician, for several years previously, I had enjoyed singing alto in church choir, and for several years took private lessons from a distinguished professional trumpet player in the US Air Force Band, Blakely Rosengaft. Until Covid-19, I played trumpet in the Mount Vernon Community Band until I was removed from membership for the social/political "crime" of being Covid mRNA unvaccinated. I still play trumpet and French Horn with the brass ensemble, the MV Brass. I am a student of The Word, the Holy Bible, I'm a believer and worshipper of the Living Almighty GOD, the Creator, the Everlasting Father; and follower, servant and soldier for my Lord and Savior, The Redeemer, the Messiah, The Anointed One, Jesus Christ, who died, shed His blood for the sins of the whole world, He was buried, and rose to heaven on the third day.

Born August 7,1949 in Jersey Shore, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania to Hiram Whitman (Jr) and Mary Patricia Selts Whitman. I grew up in the Portsmouth/Chesapeake Virginia area. Began playing cornet in band in the 6th grade, and played cornet in the Deep Creek High School concert and marching bands all through high school, studying privately under the late Ted Bogsrud. After graduating from Deep Creek High School in Chesapeake, VA, I attended Longwood College in Farmville, VA for 2 years. Then worked as a key punch machine operator civil servant at the Naval Supply Center, Norfolk, VA until receiving a "Reduction in Force" notice. Enlisted in the US Army on 2 January 1970 and served for 7 years as a trumpet player, Company Clerk and Admin NCO in the final, longest serving, active duty all women's military band, the historic 14th Army Band WAC, (Women's Army Corps) at Fort McClellan, Alabama. Trained and performed on snare drum and percussion instruments. When the US military moved to integrate the women into the Regular Army in the mid-1970s, and inactivated the Women's Army Corps (official inactivation was in 1978), I volunteered for assignment to the 2nd Infantry Division Band, Camp Casey, South Korea, and served there at the end of 1976, and most of 1977 (14 months) as Squad Leader and Section Leader, and as trumpet and French Horn player, percussionist, and also as Operations NCO and Admin NCO. In December 1977 I was assigned to the 2nd Armored Division Band at Fort Hood,Texas, and served as a Platoon Sgt/Group Leader on trumpet, French Horn and percussion, and as a Drum Major, Operations NCO, Supply Sgt, and Admin NCO, and as EEO NCO for 502nd AG Company at Fort Hood, TX. I completed some college courses, and music courses under the late Adel Galanfy, at Central Texas College in Killeen, TX. In 1984 I was selected and assigned as the Enlisted Personnel Manager for CMF 97, Army Bands, at the US Army Personnel Command, at Headquarters, Department of the Army in Alexandria, VA, where I provided information and gave briefings to other Department of the Army Personnel Commands about the issues, soundness, and strength projections for the Army's bands. I was in charge of managing the accessions of band recruits, and was responsible for assigning enlisted musician/soldiers to projected vacancies in Army Bands world-wide, and filling classes for professional development schooling of enlisted Army band soldiers. During this assignment I completed a few college courses at Northern Virginia Community College; and I played trumpet and French horn in a civilian woodwind quintet, a civilian brass quintet, and a 6 piece civilian combo, in order to maintain my musical skills. These 3 groups performed throughout the greater Washington DC area. I served in the Enlisted Personnel Manager position for 7 years. Was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal , the Army Achievement Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Overseas Service Ribbon, and the Korean Defense Ribbon. After having served from the Viet Nam War era through Desert Storm, I retired in August 1991 with 21 years, 7 months of active duty service as a MSG/E8. In the early 1990s I took private trumpet lessons under Blakely Rosengaft, trumpeter in the US Air Force Band. I am a member of the WAC Veteran's Association Heritage Chapter 62. I worked as a veterinary assistant for 17.5 years at 3 animal hospitals in Alexandria and Woodbridge, VA. In addition, I worked for 2.5 years as a grocery store cashier at Safeway. I decided to try truck driving and attended CDS Tractor Trailer Driving School in Thornburg, VA. I graduated in April 2009, earning a Class A and Class B license. I was hired as a trainee by Werner Trucking Company of Allentown, PA, and drove a tractor trailer all over the eastern half of the United States. Truck driving was difficult, challenging and exciting, but was not a good fit for me as an older person with a house, a car and 3 cats waiting at home, so I resigned and pursued other jobs. I have been employed with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) for more than 14 years, as a custodian. For 6 months I accepted an internal job change to 'laborer' where I helped unload the merchandise from trucks, worked in the stock room, and assisted in stocking shelves on the sales floor. I returned to being a custodian. In August 2013, I participated with other WAC Band alumni in a brass quintet to provide music for the Women's Army Corps Convention in Norfolk, VA, and also played a concert at the Women in Military Service For America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, where we played the historic songs of the Women's Army Corps. These two performances by WAC Band members who all served in the WAC Band together, carried the history and legacy of the 14th Army Band WAC, and the Women's Army Corps, forward into the 21st Century, a full 35 years after the inactivation of the Women's Army Corps. I currently live in Alexandria, VA. Over the course of my life I welcomed and cared for dozens of homeless cats over the years. And I took in a homeless acquaintance as a roommate for several years. My father, Hiram, served with honor during World War Two in the US Navy. I have a brother, James Whitman, who is also an Army veteran, and is a retired helicopter pilot who worked as a pilot for medical air evacuation organizations in several states. He and his wife Sharon Wright Whitman, a retired nurse anesthetist, now live in Kentucky. They have a daughter, Laura, my niece, who is a registered nurse. Jim's stepson is Christopher Wright. My sister, Kathleen Woolard, who is a retired Army Corps of Engineers secretary, and a wife and mother, is married to Tim Woolard, a retired Army Corps of Engineer Surveyor. They have a daughter, my niece Heather, and live in Chesapeake, VA. As a musician, for several years previously, I had enjoyed singing alto in church choir, and for several years took private lessons from a distinguished professional trumpet player in the US Air Force Band, Blakely Rosengaft. Until Covid-19, I played trumpet in the Mount Vernon Community Band until I was removed from membership for the social/political "crime" of being Covid mRNA unvaccinated. I still play trumpet and French Horn with the brass ensemble, the MV Brass. I am a student of The Word, the Holy Bible, I'm a believer and worshipper of the Living Almighty GOD, the Creator, the Everlasting Father; and follower, servant and soldier for my Lord and Savior, The Redeemer, the Messiah, The Anointed One, Jesus Christ, who died, shed His blood for the sins of the whole world, He was buried, and rose to heaven on the third day.