Sergeant Whitford was a member of the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division. He was Killed in Action while fighting the enemy near Youngdong-po on the outskirts of Seoul, South Korea, on 21 September 1950.

Whitford was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, 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.