Corporal Whisenant was a member of the 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was seriously wounded by the enemy in South Korea on 12 January 1951 and died of those wounds on later that day.

Whisenant was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.